Revision as of 01:09, 28 May 2016

Winter view of Table Mountain from the Two Chiefs Trail (cfm)

The new landslide east of Greenleaf Creek (cfm)

Greenleaf Creek (cfm)

• Start point: Dick Thomas Trailhead
• End point: Greenleaf Creek Crossing
• Trail Log: Trail Log
• Hike Type: Out and back
• Distance: 7.8 miles
• Elevation gain: 1600 feet
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Seasons: Year round
• Family Friendly: No
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: No

Hike Description

This hike starts at the Aldrich Butte Trailhead. Head up the old road to the left. It quickly switches back to the right and enters the timber. This road, once a driveable route to the summit of Aldrich Butte, is now too rugged for anything other than ATVs. It's mostly used by hikers and today, it's usually called the Aldrich Butte Trail. The trails gains about 500 feet of elevation fairly quickly then the slope levels.

After almost a mile you'll come to a potentially confusing set of trail junctions.

First you may see a small trail entrance on your right. It's easy to miss, but this is the Dick Thomas Trail, which starts at the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort.

After passing this small trail intersection, you will quickly come to a large "Y" split in the trail. The left fork will take you down the Aldrich Butte Trail. The right fork will allow you to continue on the Two Chiefs Trail (also known as the Greenleaf Falls Trail, and marked on most maps as Moffit Springs Road.) Continue on this road and you'll soon loop around Carpenter Lake heading east. The trail heads up a small valley that, in spring, fills with little streams and skunk cabbage. About a mile up this trail you'll cross the Pacific Crest Trail.

Continue north on the old road, now signed as the "Two Chiefs Trail". After about two miles it emerges from the woods onto the scree fields below Table Mountain. A panoramic view of the Columbia River Gorge, and Mount Hood above Eagle Creek are seen to the south. The massive sheer walls of Table Mountain loom above you. Continue easterly on the road back into the woods, and you will come to Greenleaf Creek. Greenleaf Creek is the end of the moderate hike described here, but there are a couple of options for the more adventurous.

Extra options:

1) The more dramatic Greenleaf Falls is located upstream. There is no trail and you will have to bushwack up the steep unstable slope to view it. This extra push is for experienced off-trail hikers only.

2) Where the road meets the creek the bridge has washed out, but you can wade across or keep your feet dry by scrambling downstream and walking across on logs. Cross the creek and continue on the old road to visit the new landslide. Debris from the toe of the slide has wiped out part of the road, but users have created a new trail around it. The road continues all the way to Blue Lake if you would like to do this as a shuttle.

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder

Regulations or restrictions, etc

• None

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Two Chiefs Trail Hike

• Two Chiefs Trail Table Mountain 6-19-08

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Two Chiefs Trail Hike

Guidebooks that cover this hike

More Links

Contributors

• Stevefromdodge (creator)
• bobcat