Oregon Hikers

A couple weeks ago, having still not been to Lookout Mountain, I set off for yet another alternative route.

On road 41, above Sunset Falls Campground, I passed the Snass Creek (Summit Springs) trail, continuing to the mudbog crest on the road at 1600'.

From there, I took an old spur road that doesn't appear on most maps. In fact, the only map I've found that shows the road is the map on our field guide page for the Snass Creek (Summit Springs) trail. That's just a little excerpt map, so it doesn't show where the road ends. I know I could have asked around, but it's more fun to go exploring. The best possible outcome is that the road loops around McKinley Ridge and ultimately feeds into Rd 41 again, closer to Lookout Mountain.

I followed the road for a considerable distance, and it was in pretty decent shape. Abruptly, at a small creek, the road became very brushy. I could see a roadbed continued, but it was so overgrown, and it was soppy wet. I gave up.

I retreated to a connector trail that took me to Summit Springs trail, up to McKinley Ridge, to the Bluff Mtn TH, and on to Lookout Mtn on Rd 41.

If you have (or can find online) the map excerpted below, see where it shows that road ending/connecting.

Whoa, I haven't seen a "petite" Duchesse - is it a young version, like Rodenbach vs Rodenbach grand cru?

No, I think it's just a lower abv version. Tastes quite similar to the regular Duchesse. I actually carried a Rodenbach classic for comparison. It was bland and sweet compared to the outstanding Duchesse. In the Rodenbach lineup, I like Alexander, but find Grand Cru a bit too tart for my liking.

Interesting. It's been a while since I've had either of those - my recollection was that the Duchesse tended towards the more syrupy end of Flemish red (though not as bad as others). The solution used to be Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge, except Bokor got bought by InBev and is now shunned.... </tangent>

Are your nice grassy pictures from before the road crosses the Snass Cr trail, or after? And are you saying the 544 road continues past that tributary of McKinley Creek where it disappears on the USFS map?

Bosterson wrote: ↑

June 7th, 2021, 10:16 pm

Are your nice grassy pictures from before the road crosses the Snass Cr trail, or after?

After, but the lower stretch was surprisingly charming as well. Nothing great, but more pleasant than expected, better than a lot of old roads.

Bosterson wrote: ↑

June 7th, 2021, 10:16 pm

... are you saying the 544 road continues past that tributary of McKinley Creek where it disappears on the USFS map?

My blue dot below is where the obvious road ends, and presumably that corresponds to the map you reference. Yes, my impression is that an older road continues. I'm almost certain I remember a collapsed culvert, and there certainly wouldn't be a culvert at the end of a road. The continuation might clear up again and get easier to follow in a hundred yards, but it was one of those days where you touch a shrub and all its moisture unloads, so I moved on to funner opportunities.

"Didn't there used to be a radio tower on top of Lookout?"

Yes. In June 2017 I found the tower bent over but still connected. I figured it would be replaced. Guess not.

Chip Down wrote: ↑

June 8th, 2021, 6:37 am

My blue dot below is where the obvious road ends...

If you crank up the terrain shading in that area, you can see the road well defined in the LIDAR, and it looks like it does continue just past that drainage into the middle of the next ripple in the terrain, and then stops in maybe a turnaround. So only about 1/3 of the way from that drainage to the next, basically nothing.

Note there are also some unmarked roads up on the hill above where you wrote 4104 - that's where I found that hunter camp with the mountains of trash. Fun times.

Chip Down wrote: ↑

June 7th, 2021, 5:41 pm

If you have (or can find online) the map excerpted below, see where it shows that road ending/connecting.

Here's your road on the CalTopoFS layer as presented by Hillmap. It roughly parallels trail 173 in red on your map.

Thanks for the map!
Shows the road ends at my turnaround point.
I'm curious enough to go poke around some more, but realistically, I'll always have something better to do.