Kings Mountain Junior Loop Hike - Yikes!

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TodF
Posts: 90
Joined: August 25th, 2013, 1:20 pm

Kings Mountain Junior Loop Hike - Yikes!

Post by TodF » September 21st, 2022, 6:35 pm

Today the 50% chance of rain on Mt Hood sent me toward the coast to do the Kings Mountain Junior Loop Hike for the first time.

I guess I'm a wimp, but I think the Kings Mountain Junior trail deserves a "difficult" rating, at least until/unless it gets some maintenance. It seemed more like a well-used game trail than a human trail. Parts of it are very steep, loose dirt (or potentially mud), and much of the trail is obscured and obstructed by salal, oregon grape, etc. It seems like a great place to trip, fall, and slide down a nasty slope. If you did get hurt and were alone, judging by the state of the trail it looks like it would potentially be a long time before someone stumbled across you. The last time I was that worried about hurting myself on a trail was coming down from Elk Meadow when the snow was inconsistent and iced over.

I did the Kings Mountain Junior trail section going down, which I definitely don't suggest. Maybe going up would just suck, instead of sucking in a scary and dangerous way. I will be forever grateful to this website and people like Bobcat for showing me trails that I might never have discovered otherwise, but this one felt like a suggestion I could have done without.

And FWIW, I agree with the sign at the bottom of the trail that says even the regular trail is "difficult". I mean, yeah, it's only 2.5 miles to the top of Kings Mountain, but it is a steep 2.5 miles, and there are some seriously steep and slippery sections.

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bobcat
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Joined: August 1st, 2011, 7:51 am
Location: SW Portland

Re: Kings Mountain Junior Loop Hike - Yikes!

Post by bobcat » September 21st, 2022, 7:12 pm

Kings Mountain Junior actually was a real challenge before the Wilson River Trail was built. Always better to go up bushwhacky type ridges than down, especially if it's your first time. It's really a fairly unspectacular variation on Kings Mountain, for those who seek a bit of a diversion that takes you, at least one way, off the crowded route of that trail and into parts unknown.

In the Field Guide, I just marked it as a "lost hike" as fair warning . . .

TodF
Posts: 90
Joined: August 25th, 2013, 1:20 pm

Re: Kings Mountain Junior Loop Hike - Yikes!

Post by TodF » September 22nd, 2022, 6:15 am

That's great - I think "lost hike" is appropriate, and it will help unsuspecting hikers not to try it casually.

BTW, Bobcat, I have been wanting to thank you – I have done a couple of really awesome hikes this year that I would never have found without OregonHikers.org (and you, specifically). Thanks for this great resource!

cfm
Posts: 1097
Joined: June 18th, 2008, 6:49 am

Re: Kings Mountain Junior Loop Hike - Yikes!

Post by cfm » September 22nd, 2022, 6:40 am

To each their own I guess.

I find the Kings Mountain Junior route to be much more pleasant than coming down than the main trail. I always use that route for the downhill. Less people, less erosion, a nice little ridge (Coronary Ridge) and a lovely finish through the alders on the Wilson River Trail.

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