Four County Point Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Four County Point Trailhead
- End point: Four County Point
- Hike Type: In and out
- Distance: 2.1 miles
- Elevation gain: 75 feet
- High Point: 980 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
Contents |
Hike Description
This short hike above the North Fork Wolf Creek, a leg-stretcher on your way to or from the coast, takes you to a granite marker that denotes the only place in Oregon where you can be in four counties at once. At Four County Point, Clatsop, Tillamook, Columbia, and Washington Counties come together. Hiking close to the North Fork Wolf Creek drowns out a lot of the coast traffic, so you can enjoy the lush secondary forest and stop by Wolf Creek for a respite.
There are actually two trails here. The sign at the trailhead notes the Four County Point Trail is 1.0 miles long and the Wolf Creek Loop is a short 0.2 miles. First, head down the trail in Douglas-fir/alder woods with Oregon grape, salal, and sword fern in the understory. In 25 yards, reach a junction, with the Four County Point Trail heading up to the left. Going straight allows you to begin the Wolf Creek Loop; at the next junction, keep left to begin the loop. The trail passes under a few tall Douglas-firs on a high bluff above the North Fork Wolf Creek, and drops to a junction. Here go left to find yourself at the bank of the North Fork Wolf Creek. The stream runs clearly over a milky bedrock, but there is a recent clearcut only a few yards away on the opposite bank. Return to the junction, and take the middle trail. (The old road bed on the left takes you straight back to the trailhead parking area.) This returns you, after passing more impressive Douglas-firs, to the junction with the Four County Point Trail.
From the junction, the trail heads above the North Fork on a steep bluff and then drops in secondary woods with large stumps. You may be entertained by a target shooter practicing at a quarry across the creek. Mossy vine maples decorate the understory. Join a cable corridor and head right for 45 yards before resuming the trail again on the right. The trail heads down and levels under Douglas-firs and alders with an understory of big sword ferns. Cross two small footbridges and get glimpses of the creek again. Now salal and Oregon grape dominate the carpet. The path heads slightly up and away from the creek and curves to the left in Douglas-fir woods with stumps sprouting salal bushes. Finally, reach the carved granite slab at Four County Point that marks the intersection of the counties of Clatsop, Columbia, Washington, and Tillamook. There are also an official survey marker and corner tag here.
Ignore a couple of user trails that lead up to the highway, and return the way you came.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Oregon Department of Forestry: Four County Point & Steam Donkey Trails (brochure)
- Oregon Department of Forestry: Tillamook State Forest Map & Guide
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- none
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Four County Point Hike
- Four Counties, three dogs, two hikers and a beach
- Four County Trail 1/19/2008
- On the Way to the Beach - a couple short and sweet trails
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Four County Point Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Hiking from Portland to the Coast by James D. Thayer
- 25 Hikes on Oregon's Tillamook Coast by Adam Sawyer
- 75 Hikes in Oregon's Coast Range and Siskiyous by Rhonda & George Ostertag
- 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast & Coast Range by William L. Sullivan
- 50 Hikes in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests by the Sierra Club, Oregon Chapter
- 50 Hikes in the Tillamook State Forest by the Tillamook State Forest Committee, Columbia Group Sierra Club
More Links
- Four County Point Trail (Forest Hiker)
- "Touch four Oregon counties by hiking to one spot off U.S. 26 in the Coast Range" (Oregon Live)
- Four County Point Trail Hike (Brittany Powell)
- Four County Point Trail (Travel Oregon)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)