Super green lushness at Siouxon Creek 5/12/13
Posted: May 12th, 2013, 8:35 pm
Distance: 7.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 700 feet
Location: Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Southwest Washington
On an overcast and cloudy day with light rain, the forest at Siouxon Creek was super lush and green. The hike starts by going downhill for about 50 feet, then heads towards Siouxon Creek. Before reaching the creek (which is as large as many rivers in the region), you cross a small tributary creek on a one-rail flat log bridge. A short distance ahead, a nice section of rustic campsites sits between the trail and creek, making for a great backpacking destination. The forest floor is covered with "nurse" logs, sometimes so many of them that it appears to raise the level of the ground around the trail. Staying above the clear waters of Siouxon Creek, the trail meanders gently up and down along hillsides and occasionally to flatter sections at the level of the creek.
At about 1.5 miles in, Horsetail Creek Falls is a lovely waterfall that spills down black basalt rock, which over many years has left "knicks" in the rock. A small bridge crosses the creek above the waterfall and over a small slot canyon with a deep emerald green pool of water. In another 0.2 miles, below the trail to the left, Siouxon Falls is a thundering cataract waterfall with a wide bowl-shaped deep pool that people sometimes swim in. Just past the waterfall is a side trail that leads to an open area for exploring a rocky section in the water at the top of the waterfall.
Back on the trail, it continues to skirt above the creek and through boggy sections of forest, passing a lower wide waterfall across the creek. Numerous side trails lead to more campsites, or good places to spend a little time enjoying the scenery. At 3.7 miles is a view of another deep emerald green pool just before a trail junction and a bridge over a split in the creek. Before the bridge is a long section of wide slippery rock with fast running water which we chose to not cross, so this was our final destination for the day.
See my blog post at I Heart Oregon for more photos: http://lisadholmes.com/southwest-washin ... n-creek-2/
Elevation Gain: 700 feet
Location: Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Southwest Washington
On an overcast and cloudy day with light rain, the forest at Siouxon Creek was super lush and green. The hike starts by going downhill for about 50 feet, then heads towards Siouxon Creek. Before reaching the creek (which is as large as many rivers in the region), you cross a small tributary creek on a one-rail flat log bridge. A short distance ahead, a nice section of rustic campsites sits between the trail and creek, making for a great backpacking destination. The forest floor is covered with "nurse" logs, sometimes so many of them that it appears to raise the level of the ground around the trail. Staying above the clear waters of Siouxon Creek, the trail meanders gently up and down along hillsides and occasionally to flatter sections at the level of the creek.
At about 1.5 miles in, Horsetail Creek Falls is a lovely waterfall that spills down black basalt rock, which over many years has left "knicks" in the rock. A small bridge crosses the creek above the waterfall and over a small slot canyon with a deep emerald green pool of water. In another 0.2 miles, below the trail to the left, Siouxon Falls is a thundering cataract waterfall with a wide bowl-shaped deep pool that people sometimes swim in. Just past the waterfall is a side trail that leads to an open area for exploring a rocky section in the water at the top of the waterfall.
Back on the trail, it continues to skirt above the creek and through boggy sections of forest, passing a lower wide waterfall across the creek. Numerous side trails lead to more campsites, or good places to spend a little time enjoying the scenery. At 3.7 miles is a view of another deep emerald green pool just before a trail junction and a bridge over a split in the creek. Before the bridge is a long section of wide slippery rock with fast running water which we chose to not cross, so this was our final destination for the day.
See my blog post at I Heart Oregon for more photos: http://lisadholmes.com/southwest-washin ... n-creek-2/