Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

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Naturebat
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Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

Post by Naturebat » October 4th, 2022, 9:14 am

For years I have been curious about the various old/abandoned trails in the Mount Adams Wilderness, such as the "Lake Camp Trail" on the west side, connecting the PCT to Divide Camp, and the various old trails in the Adams Creek-Killen Creek area (northwest side).

On one of my early September hikes, I decided to investigate one of those old trails to create a nice lollipop loop hike to Killen Creek Meadows, with the idea that maybe someday some of these old trails could be brought back into use to create new loop opportunities in the area.


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Opening Image




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Map of the loop hike I did using one of the old trails.
Other old trails are also mapped to the best of my ability using aerial imagery. Dashed lines = more faint probably.
Red Trails: Official/familiar trails marked on most maps
Pink Trails: The loop hike described
Yellow (underneath pink line where I hiked): The old trail section that I hiked
Gray: Modern User/Social Trails
All Other Colors: Various old trails traced on aerial maps, but not confirmed on the ground yet
Interactive Map on CalTopo


Just a fair warning,
I’d recommend you be experienced in route finding and off-trail navigation to do these old trails. The trail is basically nonexistent in some places, with only a shallow depression in most places. Some places are entirely lost, and others have a very faint tread. But you can still get to Killen Creek Meadows via the PCT.


I started out at the Killen Creek Trailhead and passed by a few meadows and various old abandoned trails (some confirmed and others not), before reaching the old trail I had planned to investigate.


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Killen Creek Trailhead



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Lots of steps on the way up. Some sections had some new switchbacks built in to bypass the old steep sets of stairs.



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One of the old stair routes, now replaced by far better graded switchbacks



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Another one of those nice new graded switchbacks





Along the way, I saw a faint mystery trail heading off to the left. Followed it a short ways, led to a small meadow where it faded. Not sure if it goes on further or not.



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The views open up about halfway up the Killen Creek Trail. Some quite nice views of Mt Adams. At the first massive and obvious dry meadow, there is a trail leading off to the left to a large campsite. I explored it, and just past the campsite the trail continues into the hillside. This confirms the green trail that I marked on the map. It eventually should (I think) connect to Killen Creek Meadows too, so in theory one could also use this trail to make a wider loop. Disadvantage of this one compared to the one I took, is that because it is lower, it may not have as much open meadow scenery. But on aerial imagery, this trail is just as visible as the one I hiked (which isn't much, but at least it is confirmed).
No photos of the first big meadow and confirmed old trail mentioned above, but it is pretty obvious when you get to it, because there is a good user trail to the left to the campsite. And just a short distance beyond the old trail junction, you cross a small creek on the main trail (so if looking for this old trail, turn around if you hit the creek crossing).



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Eventually reached the correct meadow where my old trail veers off to the left (almost perpendicular). Here, the old trail actually crosses the Killen Creek Trail. At this four way junction, if you go right, you would eventually be taken to somewhere near Adams Creek and the Divide Camp Trail (not sure if it actually connects, but I think it should as it gets pretty close to Adams Creek/Divide Camp Trail according to aerial imagery.


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The old junction.


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Old trail crosses Killen Creek Trail here


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Faint trail here leads in the opposite direction. Maybe I will hike that section someday. I can see it making a nice loop from Divide Camp TH to Killen Cr. Meadows, but the main obstacle would be the lower Adams Creek crossing to deal with.


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Over the years I have tried to trace out all the various abandoned trails on Mt Adams using aerial imagery. This map here shows those trails to the best that I can confirm them without actually hiking them (aside from the yellow/pink trails that I hiked this time).

Red trails: Official or known trails shown on CalTopo.
Pink trails: hike I did this time.
Gray: Modern User/Social Trails
All other colors: old trails shown on aerial images.

I mainly use Google Earth/Maps for tracing, as the detail is typically the best to see them.



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The old trail started out like this almost in the first few seconds. You can make out the groove in the ground curving over to the left.


Images below show the current condition/tread of the trail:
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Log across the trail



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One of the various nice small meadow views of Mount Adams along this trail.



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This tree may suggest how old the trail could be. The trail runs basically right beside the trunk.


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Hillside cut visible in this view and the next


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Clear trail cut


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3-4 Ft. deep gouged out dry creek bed. Basically a deep hole to jump over, but you wouldn't want to unexpectedly come across this in the dark.



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Not long after the dry creek, I passed right above/beside a small lake/pond. The aerial images don't show any aquatic grass, but half of it was covered with it.


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Pond and meadow from the trail


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The pond




Just past the pond, the trail curves sharply around a ridge and drops off into the Killen Creek valley, or what could be called the "backside of Killen Creek Meadows" (basically the area west of Killen Creek below the PCT). This is the same ridge that you drop down from the PCT into Killen Creek Meadows from the west.



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Limited views of Adams but some views eastward to Red Butte and the northern lower flank of Mt Adams where the Highline Trail goes over.



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That ridge descent



Once descending the other side, the trail becomes much more clear. But still some areas almost fully disappear, aside from a faint groove in the ground.

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No trail in this photo, but some more limited views of Adams


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A little while later, I neared Killen Creek itself on the west end of the main Killen Creek Meadows area. There was one abandoned campsite on the west side of the creek.


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Killen Creek and a log crossing


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The old trail keeps on going, skirting below and out of sight of the small lake I am calling "Pegasus Lake" (since because it sits on the edge of a "bench," it kind of felt like it's up in the clouds/sky.)
Edit Note: Updated name in TR from the unoriginal "blue lake" to the current one shown.


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Here the old trail eventually reaches the PCT, and connects with the Highline Trail. In fact, the Highline Trail is the continuation of this old abandoned trail it seems, based on how the old trail aligns perfectly with the modern Highline Trail.


To get to the lake, there is a faint trail that veers off to the right of the old trail. When I didn't see it after backtracking, I decided to go off trail straight up to the lake, thinking maybe it has since disappeared since my visit in 2016, but I saw that trail once I got a good overhead view from up at the lake. I just didn't go far enough back.



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"Pegasus Lake" (in quotes because it has no official name or any common name that I know of)


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Mount Adams from the lake. Quite a stunning view and lunch spot. Had lunch here.



On the right side of "Pegasus Lake", there is a very clear user trail that follows the west side and eventually joins up with the PCT. I took this trail. Along the way, it passes by two small but pretty and rather photogenic waterfalls.


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This falls used to be beside a campsite, but that campsite has since been closed to camping. And same with another campsite that was along this path beside Killen Creek.



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After the falls, I hooked back up with the PCT, and headed west (southbound). The following images are of the upper Killen Creek Meadows area along the PCT.


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Killen Creek on the PCT


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Small tarns in the upper meadow that would have water earlier in the season.


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Majestic views of Mount Adams



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And stunning views of Adams Glacier from the upper meadows area


Below images from the PCT, beyond Killen Creek Meadows:


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Mt. Rainier and Goat Rocks


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Goat Rocks


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Not long before I reached the PCT-Killen Creek-High Camp Trail junction.


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Back down the Killen Creek Trail:


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Interesting fungus on the Killen Creek Trail




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Another view of the various old trails in the Northwest side of Mt Adams (that I was able to trace from aerial maps, at least).


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Overlay onto a historical map layer on CalTopo (1915-1945)


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Terrain Map Overlay
Last edited by Naturebat on October 9th, 2022, 8:57 am, edited 6 times in total.
- Previously ElementalFX

AlpenGlowHiker
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Re: Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

Post by AlpenGlowHiker » October 4th, 2022, 3:05 pm

This is great, thank you! This gives me an idea for an exploratory trip next year.

I have a deep level of fondness for Killen Cr. as my dad and I would head up that trail each year. Man, getting to High Camp in those days was a real accomplishment.

Anyhow, fun fact; I updated OpenStreetMap to include the new switchbacks a few years back, which CalTopo and Gaia GPS use.

I found that old camp near Killen Cr. a few years back and thought it would be a nice place to go to stay away from people, but each time I go up in that area, there are more and more people off trail.

keithcomess
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Re: Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

Post by keithcomess » October 4th, 2022, 3:31 pm

Super-fine report and congratulations on your route finding abilities.

Nice photos, too!

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Born2BBrad
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Re: Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

Post by Born2BBrad » October 4th, 2022, 4:17 pm

Great use of CalTopo, Google Earth and old maps. Researching and finding old, abandoned or rarely used trails is a blast!
Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.
- Jean Luc Picard

Link to GPX tracks
Link to Trip Reports

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Naturebat
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Re: Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

Post by Naturebat » October 4th, 2022, 7:52 pm

keithcomess wrote:
October 4th, 2022, 3:31 pm
Super-fine report and congratulations on your route finding abilities.

Nice photos, too!
Thanks! :)
Born2BBrad wrote:
October 4th, 2022, 4:17 pm
Great use of CalTopo, Google Earth and old maps. Researching and finding old, abandoned or rarely used trails is a blast!
Yeah, sure is! Time can really fly when researching old and abandoned trails. :)
AlpenGlowHiker wrote:
October 4th, 2022, 3:05 pm
This is great, thank you! This gives me an idea for an exploratory trip next year.

I have a deep level of fondness for Killen Cr. as my dad and I would head up that trail each year. Man, getting to High Camp in those days was a real accomplishment.

Anyhow, fun fact; I updated OpenStreetMap to include the new switchbacks a few years back, which CalTopo and Gaia GPS use.

I found that old camp near Killen Cr. a few years back and thought it would be a nice place to go to stay away from people, but each time I go up in that area, there are more and more people off trail.
You're welcome. :) I also have fond memories of the Killen Creek Trail, as I hiked it with my dad once when I was a kid.
And yeah I noticed when the new trail alignment got updated on CalTopo; I didn't realize it was a recent alignment though, as the last time I hiked that trail was when I was still a child. Makes sense now why I remembered a whole lot more steps though. :lol: I use CalTopo a lot though, so I really appreciate all the trails being added on there. I've added a few Mt Adams trails to OpenStreetMaps as well before.
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Re: Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

Post by drm » October 6th, 2022, 4:47 am

There is a lot to be found up there. A long-time local told me of a fairly recent trip where he just decided to go XC and bumped into a cabin that he said appeared to be used recently - there were some horse supplies hanging in it. But he could find no trace of a trail around it. If taking horses, they must be intentionally using different routes so as not to create a trail.

And the grand prize of all would be the old cannon that was used in the Yakama War that is somewhere up there. Nobody knows where any more but there were reports of seeing it in the early 1900s. It must be far from any trail for nobody to have bumped into it recently.

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

Post by Don Nelsen » October 6th, 2022, 9:59 am

Thanks for a great report, maps and especially nice photos! I love that area and wish it weren't such a long drive.

dn
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Naturebat
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Re: Adams: The Long Abandoned "Killen Meadows Trail" (New Killen Creek Meadows Loop)

Post by Naturebat » October 6th, 2022, 9:49 pm

Don Nelsen wrote:
October 6th, 2022, 9:59 am
Thanks for a great report, maps and especially nice photos! I love that area and wish it weren't such a long drive.

dn
I wish that too, though I guess I do appreciate the lower crowds in general compared to other nearby volcanoes heh. Though I suppose the Killen Creek TH is fairly popular for Mt Adams standards. Love the area a lot. Thanks! :)

drm wrote:
October 6th, 2022, 4:47 am
There is a lot to be found up there. A long-time local told me of a fairly recent trip where he just decided to go XC and bumped into a cabin that he said appeared to be used recently - there were some horse supplies hanging in it. But he could find no trace of a trail around it. If taking horses, they must be intentionally using different routes so as not to create a trail.

And the grand prize of all would be the old cannon that was used in the Yakama War that is somewhere up there. Nobody knows where any more but there were reports of seeing it in the early 1900s. It must be far from any trail for nobody to have bumped into it recently.
Both of those stories are very interesting, especially that of the old cannon. I have to wonder if it was last seen in the early 1900s, perhaps it could be found somewhere along one of the old trails that have been abandoned decades ago. At least assuming they used one of the old trails to get it there. That could also explain why no one has supposedly seen it before, if it were along one of those very old trails.

That old map I was looking at on Caltopo shows so many abandoned trails that ran throughout the Midway High Lakes area and along the FR-23 route. As basically no one hikes those trails anymore (or the abandoned ones I found up higher on Mt adams), it would make sense that no one has seen it. But then again, it could be hidden anywhere off trail, or even right beside a trail covered in dense brush.

Do you know by any chance if it was lost somewhere up in the wilderness area, or maybe down lower in the high lakes area or elsewhere outside the wilderness?
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