Continuing on my quest to add more Eugene-area hike trip reports here...today I got out to Shotgun Creek, which has a page in the Field Guide here and had been recommended to me by a couple of local folks. It's less than an hour's drive from here and the weather wasn't too bad so why not?
There was lots of storm damage along the road out through Macola, and several lineman crews out setting and wiring new poles, but the roads were clear and the recreation area is open. I set out from the Shelter #2 parking lot in light rain and pretty much followed the route in the Field Guide. The first bit by the river is the nicest, at least if you like green and lush. The only real large trees down are in the creek itself; the trail has no more than what I'd consider a normal amount of winter blowdowns, nothing even a foot in diameter.
After a while the trail switchbacks up to a ridgeline. Some small chunks of this are steep, but it's not all that long. The trees are fairly recent growth; most of what's on the hillside is no more than 8 inches to a foot in diameter. The south side of the hike gets close to a recently-logged section as well.
Overall, it was an OK hike, but nothing to tempt me to come back again. There were a few other people out hiking or running the trail, and a lot of range gunfire from somewhere close by. I prefer a bit more solitude. If I want a five-mile loop with people and shooting noise, I can go down the street to Wild Iris Ridge and save the drive.
Shotgun Creek 01-27-2024
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- happilyretired
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- Joined: March 23rd, 2023, 8:45 am
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