Enid Lake via Pioneer Bridle Trail Hike, 9/25/2022

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pdxalex
Posts: 60
Joined: July 26th, 2016, 4:04 pm

Enid Lake via Pioneer Bridle Trail Hike, 9/25/2022

Post by pdxalex » September 26th, 2022, 6:21 am

We were getting a late start so opted for a relatively close hike. No one has posted a trip report for this hike for the last 6 years so it seemed like something to check out. We hit the trail around 10:30 AM. It was a beautiful sunny day, around 70 degrees, with no appreciable breeze.

We parked on the wide parking area on the east side of the intersection with Road 39. We did not see a trailhead marker. There is a small white sign posted on a tree directing users onto Road 39 so they can more safely cross HWY 26. There's been an attempt to block the very short connector with branches in order to force users onto Road 39. There's a sawhorse at the junction with the main trail directing users to Road 39. It is easy enough for a hiker to pick their way through the 30-40 feet of debris. While this trail may have been built for hikers, it clearly has been taken over by mountain bikers. We saw no other foot prints or hikers on the trail. I lost count of the number of bikers, all of whom were very friendly and courteous.

The FG description is pretty good. The trail is obvious so getting lost would really take considerable effort. The trail is in very good shape and well used. The trail parallels HWY 26 so there can be quite a bit of highway noise, at times almost as bad as the 205 bike path. The diversion to Little Zigzag Falls was very pleasant. It is a pretty waterfall and the remains of the old Mt. Hood Loop highway are interesting. I wanted to check out the remains of the Barlow road noted in the FG. But, we did not notice the tree markings until the return trip. To be honest, we were watching the edges of the trail on the way out because we kept finding lobster mushrooms (and a few chanterelles). You have to have your priorities. Once we noticed the markings, a few pieces of orange and blue tape, we looked around a little bit on what we assumed to be the old road had been but we didn't go very far. There were quite a few trees down in the distance so it might be a messy cross-country trip, something to explore another day.

We saw no wildlife but did hear a few birds and a few squirrels. We saw no flowers either. The salal berries are big and ripe. There were clusters of lobster mushrooms along the trail. Some of the vine maple on the scree slope noted in the FG is just starting to turn color.

The highway is close.
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Looking through the railing up the creek to Little Zigzag Falls.
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The falls.
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Foliage just starting to turn
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The bonus.
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