Gales Creek 1/29/2023

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Sugar Pine
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Joined: April 28th, 2017, 12:23 pm

Gales Creek 1/29/2023

Post by Sugar Pine » January 29th, 2023, 6:10 pm

Enjoyed the clear but cold weather today hiking Gales Creek from the campground to an open sunny spot about 4.8 miles from the trailhead. The trail was in good condition and the water crossings of the numerous side drainages were easy. The trail was dusted with snow and crunchy nearer the trailhead, but we never wore or needed spikes although we brought them. The gate on the campground road was open. Two cars were in the lot when we arrived, a runner and a biker, and a few more hikers passed by as we hiked out, not at all busy.
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leiavoia
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Joined: April 24th, 2015, 9:53 pm

Re: Gales Creek 1/29/2023

Post by leiavoia » February 2nd, 2023, 8:19 pm

Thanks for letting me know the gate is open. Gales Creek makes a good training hike or secret overnight backpack trip. Its close to town and low to the ground.

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teachpdx
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Joined: January 21st, 2014, 4:45 pm
Location: Hillsboro, OR

Re: Gales Creek 1/29/2023

Post by teachpdx » February 4th, 2023, 6:08 pm

Perfect training hike.

I did the loop from Summit TH down to Gales Creek and back up and over Storey Burn this morning. The loop isn’t great for vistas or staying away from human-made noises but it is great prep for summer.

And not many people out this time of year but I did notice that the Gales Creek parking lot was at least 3/4 full before 9:00 this morning.
instagram: @remyodyssey

west_linn_hiker
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Joined: March 3rd, 2022, 11:20 am

Re: Gales Creek 1/29/2023

Post by west_linn_hiker » February 5th, 2023, 10:24 am

TeachPDX, I was also on the Storey Burn/Gales Creek Loop yesterday: it's possible we passed each other!

We started our hike at the Storey Burn TH, hiked down to Gales Cr Campground=>Summit TH=>across hwy 6=>Storey Burn TH. Total = approx 8 miles. After doing Elk & Kings Mtns, this was a cakewalk.

I was a little nervous about leaving my car at the Storey Burn TH because it's a little remote; my car was the only one in the lot, and it seemed like a break-in risk. For this loop, I would advise others to park at Gales Cr Campground TH or Summit TH because there's more people around and you can hike the exact same loop from each of these (unless they are full).

The snow you see in previous photos was 99% melted: we only saw a small amount in shaded ravines.

The most magical part of the hike was the Gravelle Brothers Trail on the other side of Hwy 6: totally amazing walk under the giant Hwy 6 Graham Bridge, incredible views of empty Maple forest canyons, and giant tree stumps that dwarf a person.

I would totally recommend this trail...it's close to town with lots of interesting things to see...the perfect off-season hike.

https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guid ... _Loop_Hike

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teachpdx
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Location: Hillsboro, OR

Re: Gales Creek 1/29/2023

Post by teachpdx » February 5th, 2023, 2:09 pm

I like starting the loop at Summit and working anticlockwise. It gives a nice 2.3 miles of downhill to warm up then puts the majority of the climbing in the middle of the hike, climbing the Storey Burn trail up from Gales Creek. Then it concludes with the lowlands under the bridge and a short climb back to Summit with only one steep pitch. And you save all the ATV noise until the end.

I like using the same loop route from the same TH to gauge my hike metrics and see how my endurance changes. I shaved 20 mins off last February’s time so I’m headed in the right direction.
instagram: @remyodyssey

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