Snow free hikes?

[jplikestohike]

Looking to go for a short hike today or tomorrow, preferably one with a waterfall. Anyone know of a good area to go without a lot of snow (do not have snowshoes or spikes). Thanks!

[justpeachy]

The Gorge has a lot of great hikes with waterfalls but it is still very icy and snowy out there. Silver Falls State Park might be a good place to try, although there's a notice on their website that the Canyon Trail between Winter Falls Trail and the North Falls Trailhead is closed, as is the Upper North Falls Trail due to ice and a small landslide.

[pdxgene]

Anything west towards the coast should be pretty much snow free (except maybe the mountain top hikes). There are trails going out each highway depending on where you're starting from and how far you want to drive.

[retired jerry]

Forest Park, for example Lower MaCleay Park to Pittock mansion

[pcg]

Drift Creek Falls in the coast range
http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide ... ion_Bridge

[BigBear]

I'm expecting the snow free" list of hikes to be a short list. On Jan 27th, I walked 1 5-mile out-and-back Steigerwald-East Washougal Dike route that included several patches of off-trail snow east of Redtail Lake including one patch that looked to be more than a foot deep. All of this snow was in the shaded areas well off the route people walked, but at 120 feet above sea level with as much exposure to the rain and sun during the past couple of weeks, it was rather surprising to see any snow that was not the result of being piled up in a parking lot by a plow.

I suspect the Gorge trails will have a significant amount of snow, falling ice, mud/rock slides, etc. for the next month. And with snow in the forecast for later this week in the Gorge, I suspect no melting to occur before next weekend.

It does not surprise me that there is snow in the Coast Range when I can see snow in the foothills north of Newberg. I've always treated those hills as an "indicator condition" of what lies to the west at higher elevations.

[squidvicious]

I know we've already passed your time window, but I wanted to note that I was out on the Latourell Falls trail today and it's pretty much melted out. A lot of mud, a moderate amount of blowdown, and the flattened remains of icy packed snow on the trail, but with enough gritty debris over it that you should be able to complete the loop in just boots. I did put on spikes right before the upper falls, in anticipation of the slope down to the bridge being a problem, but up until then I hadn't had an issue without them, and I don't think it would have been an especially big deal to continue without them if I'd had to.

Short: check. Waterfall: check. No traction needed: check(ish).

[Ron Goodwin]

Powell Butte is in great shape as is the Lacamas Creek-Round Lake Trail over by Camas. There was no parking spots left at Powell Butte on Sunday so get there early.

One fellow used snow shoes to go up from the 9 mile marker on the Larch Mtn Road over to Devils Rest. He got stuck and had to get help to get his car out of the ditch.

Tried Cape Horn last Friday but it was no better than the Oregon Side even with its southern exposure. The Cape Horn Conservancy trail crew was out clearing the last of the big maple trees off the upper section.

Having a hard time convincing visitors to Multnomah Falls that the trails are not safe for regular foot traffic. They cannot understand why there is so much ice left. Just no warm weather coming into the Gorge and the ice does not melt.

[Crusak]

The Wilson River Trail in the coast range is snow free right now. The trail from the Kings Mountain trailhead west to the Diamond Mill ORV is in great shape right now.

Here's a link to the whole 23 mile trail:
http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide ... verse_Hike

It's fun to hike this one in sections, or do it all in one big day hike.

[Don Nelsen]

Mt. Talbert, just east of I-205 and south of Sunnyside Road has a very nice trail system and as of last weekend (1/22) was snow-free and 95% not muddy. There are at least four entry points for the trail system with ample parking.

dn