North Section Line Trail 05-20-17

[bobcat]

I searched for this trail last year and found the beginning of it, so decided to return and try my luck. The Forest Service devotes a complete entry to it and even provides a decent map. It’s billed as a possible side excursion for mountain bikers from the Surveyors Ridge Trail with a loop possible via FR 1700-662 since that road, which runs parallel to the trail for much of its length, is gated some of the year. It looks like the trail was logged out within the past two years with only a few new trees down from the past winter. The trouble is that no one actually uses it: while the tread is obvious most of the way, it also gets completely lost in open grassy areas. Flowering plants and grasses sprout on the path, which also has an interesting spongy texture given that the entire way it is criss-crossed with gopher mud castings.

The trail runs along the north boundary of The Dalles Watershed along the fence line although for the first half there are just posts and no fence. In places it is squeezed against the gated 1700-662 road; in a couple of other spots it veers away. This is heavily thinned ridge forest for the most part, with a few old growth trees the whole way but only a couple of stands which have never been logged. The forest transitions from Douglas-fir/grand fir to ponderosa pine, with open grassy areas scattered among the latter. There are a couple of good views back to Mt. Hood as you reach prominences on the ridge, which runs due east from Shellrock Mountain.

The real grail here is after the trail ends, at the so-called “eastern trailhead.” I walked down to a saddle and then explored some wide open meadows on the western slopes of Mill Creek Ridge. While trillium and toothwort were still in full bloom on the western sections of the trail, here there were whole slopes of arrow-leaf balsamroot, saxifrage, prairie star, and larkspur. Farther along the ridge, and right on the lookout road which runs near the crest, is the site of the old Mill Creek Ridge Lookout, but I didn't walk that far.

Instead, I decided to check out the only named feature on maps of the vicinity, Saddle Spring. I dropped down a wide open meadow and saw that the spring was cloaked in a dense thicket of oak and shrubbery. Just as I was about to descend farther, a large black gangly shape, all legs with a stick of a body, detached itself from the thicket and slowly ambled along the slope to flop down directly in front of me in the shade. I recognized the apparition as a yearling black bear, a “pre-teen” if you will, but suddenly another shape caught my eye. Behind the bushes, a large brown creature, which because of its size and color I initially thought was a cow (!), lurked. I focused a little more and realized the mother of all cinnamon bears was staring intently at me. Exposed as I was in the middle of a meadow, I just stopped dead, and after a minute or two, mom shuffled out in the open and, glancing at junior, did her slouching shuffle-look back-shuffle up the meadow across from me. The pre-teen was having none of it, however, having quenched his thirst in the spring and then having accomplished about 20 feet of elevation gain, well, he was tuckered out. Mom kept on moseying, however, so junior gradually inched his way up the meadow, grazing as he went. It was a few minutes before they disappeared into the woods on a game trail.

It was all a big treat to watch these two for so long since bears tend to take exception to my presence and go crashing off. They were about 60 yards away and my camera didn’t really capture the scene well. On the other hand, I was rather relieved that they had left the spring before I entered the thicket; otherwise, well, trapping a mother and recalcitrant pre-teen in the bushes – who knows what manner of a brawl would have ensued?

[Webfoot]

via FR 1700-662 since that road, which runs parallel to the trail for much of its length, is gated some of the year.

The real grail here is after the trail ends, at the so-called “eastern trailhead.” I walked down to a saddle and then explored some wide open meadows on the western slopes of Mill Creek Ridge. While trillium and toothwort were still in full bloom on the western sections of the trail, here there were whole slopes of arrow-leaf balsamroot, saxifrage, prairie star, and larkspur. Farther along the ridge, and right on the lookout road which runs near the crest, is the site of the old Mill Creek Ridge Lookout, but I didn't walk that far.

Is FR-1700-662 gated at this time? From your description it sounds like it would be nice to start at the "eastern trailhead" and walk east rather than taking trail #451 itself.

[justpeachy]

Neat trek! And cool to see bears!

[bobcat]

Is FR-1700-662 gated at this time?

No idea. The gate is down where the spur begins on the North Fork Mill Creek. However, there were no vehicles on the road on a balmy weekend day and no recent tracks. The hike along Mill Creek Ridge is about five miles round-trip from the saddle at the end of the North Section Line. You'd want to venture off the lookout road into the meadows. It gets into the 2013 Blackburn Fire, though. The lookout site is on the easternmost prominence of the ridge, just before you leave national forest land.

[miah66]

Wow how cool! I love this area, though I was bummed to see all the "No Trespassing" signs on a fall trip out towards High Prairie TH along the Eastern side of FS 4410, cutting off access to that entire area. I saw there used to be a couple trails here.

I'll have to get out there to ride that Section Line area, I'm happy to see it completely snow free!