Trying to will some sunshine out of the sky I headed out of the valley and towards Tillamook for a couple quick hikes today. The sky broke clear and sunny once I got out past Hillsboro. first stop to be at University Falls. There are a number of trailheads that can make this anywhere from about a mile to over 10 miles depending where you choose to start. I drove to the main lot for the short version. The mostly dirt road (about 4 miles) was a bit muddy / slippery from the rains but in good shape other than that and I did not see another car or person while i was there anyway.
Here's a couple shots of University Falls beginning with a lone Salmonberry guarding the Falls..
I got there about 1030 or so and the sun was just beginning to come over the falls. early morning or late afternoon will be best for pictures unless you have good filters to block that direct sun. I was probably just a bit late for these..
After a short time exploring around for better camera angles (they were there on the other side but looking straight into the sun) it was back up the hill to the car. University Falls is located at Milepost 33 on Highway 6 going towards Tillamook.
From there I thought the Peninsula Trail along the Trask River sounded worth a shot. The turn is at about mile 2 1/2 at Trask River Road off Highway 6. There's a sign. From there it's about 7.5 miles on a nice paved country road to the signed trailhead and parking for a handful of cars. This trail packs a lot into a short mile.
Following the suggestion of the forest service brochure I headed right at the initial split of the trail and started my trek up the 'stairs'.
The Peninsula is actually an ancient volcanic dike set in a huge horseshoe bend in the Trask River. The giant steps in this stairway rise (and then fall) a couple hundred feet. Directly down behind the brush on both sides is the Trask River. There are more views on the opposite side but i liked going this way first and saving those.
The trail then drops down to a very pretty Trask River . There are secluded picnic tables and firepits scattered around but it is day-use only. This would be a great place for a picnic. The Trask also has a big Salmon run if you're there at the right time. Here's a few pics of the river...
The pools in the rocks at these spots where the river has drawn back were filled with hundreds of tiny tadpoles and dozens of newts. The trail was lined with wildflowers with more on the way and probably not peaking for a couple weeks. More of the pictures of that and the falls are in a webalbum at
http://picasaweb.google.com/pdxgene/UniversityFallsPeninsulaTrail
Starting to head back here's a look at a calmer spot on the river and the trailside greenery..
At this point my low battery indicator came on my camera and I was already on my backup (knew I should've replaced that last one). But there were some really nice looks down at the river going back to the car. The trail is a loop of about 1 mile. I was thinking of heading to the beach but decided to just head back since I lazed away quite a bit of time exploring these places and it was already going on 3pm.. This is a really nice secluded spot that should also have some great fall colors..
One last note, the truck drivers on Highway 6 are maniacs.. | 
