Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

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squidvicious
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by squidvicious » January 3rd, 2021, 1:39 pm

I stopped off at Horsetail Falls today on my way home. It's supposed to be open from there to the Oneonta trailhead, and I wanted to see the trail reroute they'd done.

But it turned out to be another case where the map did not mesh with reality--the fence is still up just beyond Ponytail Falls. I went down and road walked to the Oneonta trailhead (you'd have to, since the parking there has not reopened). No closure sign there. No sign indicating a trail exists there at all, actually, but if you know where to look it's there and clear... until about halfway up the first switchback, when I hit another fence.

squidvicious
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by squidvicious » January 5th, 2021, 2:39 pm

As of today the closure signs and plastic fencing are still in place on Franklin Ridge at the junction with Larch.

I'm feeling more than a little let down by this reopening announcement.

Sarah
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by Sarah » January 7th, 2021, 8:08 am

squidvicious wrote:
January 5th, 2021, 2:39 pm
As of today the closure signs and plastic fencing are still in place on Franklin Ridge at the junction with Larch.

I'm feeling more than a little let down by this reopening announcement.
The FS website is pretty clear that Franklin Ridge is open. I'm wondering if the Multnomah Falls parking lot is closed before 9am.

Website says: 01/01/2021: Multnomah Falls is open to a limited number of visitors on a first come first served basis from 9am until 6pm. The only parking area for the site is the Interstate 84 parking lot at exit 31.

I just want to get up Larch Mountain Trail to Franklin Ridge and 9am is a late start for me. :) I'll go up Wahkeena if the Larch trail at Multnomah is closed until 9am. But hoping the parking lot will not be closed off before 9. I guess I'll try calling but please post if you already know.

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bobcat
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by bobcat » January 8th, 2021, 9:04 am

squidvicious wrote:
January 5th, 2021, 2:39 pm
As of today the closure signs and plastic fencing are still in place on Franklin Ridge at the junction with Larch.
Go ahead and hike the Franklin Ridge Trail - just walk past the closure signs; I would guess that no one was willing to walk up there in late December and remove them.

I was on work crews that opened up that trail again after the fire. In places we couldn't find it, so it has been slightly rerouted - usually closer to the edge of the Oneonta valley. We finished in fall 2019 and it should have been opened then. There are probably a few trees down on it again and a year's worth of twiggy brush in places now (unless a crew went through there recently - I don't know). There are no places where there could have been slides, etc., to warrant keeping it closed.

On another note, I'll confirm that the lower end of the Oneonta Trail, announced as open, is closed and the parking area west of Oneonta Creek has been blocked off.

squidvicious
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by squidvicious » January 8th, 2021, 5:23 pm

I heard back from the FS re: Franklin Ridge, who said they'd put somebody on it. If you notice the signs & fence have been cleared, please do post. I'll be curious to see when they get to it.

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Brian95
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by Brian95 » January 9th, 2021, 11:10 am

I noticed that the map showed the Eagle-Benson trail as open too. Does anyone who's been by that area have any updates on the its status? Someone in the trip reports forum posted that Indian Springs is basically gone even though it's marked as open, but I didn't see any word on Eagle-Benson.

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bobcat
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by bobcat » January 10th, 2021, 3:34 pm

Eagle-Benson has not been worked on. It's in the same category as Casey Creek Way Trail - open to all if you dare. It's been abandoned before, but the Mazamas worked on it about 2010/11 after a small fire in the uppermost portion. The worst part was up toward the top in a thicket of maples. They tend to burn from the ground up, trunks and branches fall, but they come up again in thick brushy growth from their lignotubers. All of that will really obscure the trail in that area. With crown fire up most of that slope, there will be thick undergrowth on other stretches of that trail from spring into fall as well as many downed trees. However, if you're an experienced off-trail/abandoned trail aficionado, you know just to keep going up if you lose the tread and you'll eventually hit the PCT. Looking forward to the first report!

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Guy
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by Guy » January 11th, 2021, 8:08 am

squidvicious wrote:
January 8th, 2021, 5:23 pm
I heard back from the FS re: Franklin Ridge, who said they'd put somebody on it. If you notice the signs & fence have been cleared, please do post. I'll be curious to see when they get to it.
We hiked it yesterday, still signed at both ends but then Kathy Dragich hiked it after us and reported seeing a USFS employee who took the lower sign down but not the one at the top end. Franklin is clear of all blowdown I hear TKO was working on it on Saturday. There is half a mile on Oneonta between the Franklin & the Multnomah Way junctions that still has a lot of blowdown to contend with!

It certainly feels more like a ridge hike now in the burn area.

A few photos here:
https://guy.smugmug.com/Outdoors-Hikes- ... -20210110/
hiking log & photos.
Ad monte summa aut mors

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retired jerry
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by retired jerry » January 11th, 2021, 8:11 am

and you posted in portlandhikers facebook page :)

that's one thing good about forest fires, it opens up views from ridges

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Guy
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Re: Eagle Creek trail reopens \o/ plus other reopenings

Post by Guy » January 11th, 2021, 8:52 am

retired jerry wrote:
January 11th, 2021, 8:11 am
and you posted in portlandhikers facebook page :)
I hope a lot more people start hiking it or it will be a brushy mess this Spring. Lots of shoulder high post fire brush along much of the trail in the burn area that's not going to be a lot of fun when it all leaf's out this Spring & Summer.
hiking log & photos.
Ad monte summa aut mors

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