Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Discussions and Trip Reports for off-trail adventures and rediscovering lost trails
Luv2Kayak
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by Luv2Kayak » March 17th, 2016, 7:59 pm

Our friend Scott Dietz has been exploring this area, thanks to this thread, I imagine. Thought I'd add a link to his blog, The Narrative Image, because of the fantastic photos! :)

http://thenarrativeimage.blogspot.com/2 ... g-duh.html

Scroll down past the first 2 or 3 pics to see the relevant images. I think you'll enjoy them. :)

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Chip Down
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by Chip Down » March 17th, 2016, 11:21 pm

Luv2Kayak wrote:Scroll down past the first 2 or 3 pics to see the relevant images. I think you'll enjoy them. :)
I did. I especially liked the car door. Not sure why.

Still annoys me that I haven't found the fire hydrant, but not a big deal. If it really mattered, I could take my GPS and go hunt it down.

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RobFromRedland
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by RobFromRedland » March 18th, 2016, 6:35 am

Chip Down wrote:Still annoys me that I haven't found the fire hydrant, but not a big deal. If it really mattered, I could take my GPS and go hunt it down.
We were there last weekend and found the fire hydrant. It is not easy to find, but if you find the foundation to the small building (that was the chlorination shack from what I've been told), just follow a relatively straight line from there to where the road down the south fork starts (where the pipeline is). The fire hydrant is directly above the pipeline I believe.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: WOW! What a ride! - Hunter S. Thompson

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aiwetir
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by aiwetir » March 18th, 2016, 10:20 am

There's a lot to read here, and I haven't read it all, but how many miles/how much time would one need to spend to make this trip worthwhile?
- Michael

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RobFromRedland
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by RobFromRedland » March 18th, 2016, 4:16 pm

aiwetir wrote:There's a lot to read here, and I haven't read it all, but how many miles/how much time would one need to spend to make this trip worthwhile?
I would say it depends on how much you want to see and how long you want to look at stuff. There is also a variety of routes you can take. I would say if you've not done it before I would allocate a full day and expect to hike 5-6 miles.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: WOW! What a ride! - Hunter S. Thompson

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Chip Down
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by Chip Down » March 18th, 2016, 6:34 pm

aiwetir wrote:There's a lot to read here, and I haven't read it all, but how many miles/how much time would one need to spend to make this trip worthwhile?
I checked my time notes from two trips. If you allocate 8 hours, you can see everything there is to see, at a leisurely pace. I would agree with Bob that you should allocate a full day, but only if that day is near the winter solstice.
As for mileage, I wouldn't hazard a guess. Not much at all though. If this was a non-scenic maintained trail and you just wanted to get it over with, I bet it would be a couple hours + the paved Memaloose Road section.

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wexcellent
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by wexcellent » May 29th, 2016, 6:48 pm

Anyone know what the trail from the Memaloose Bridge (NF45) down to the mouth of the South Fork Clackamas is like? The trail, and mileages for each leg of the hikes to the falls, is shown on the map at outdoorproject.

I haven't been up there in 5 years and was going to take a group of 8 in there tomorrow. Looked online to see if anything has changed only to find that NF45 is closed. Just wondering if anyone has tried the alternate route hiking in along the Clackamas.
"There are no ordinary people - you have never talked to a mere mortal" C.S. Lewis

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Chip Down
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by Chip Down » May 29th, 2016, 6:58 pm

wexcellent wrote:Anyone know what the trail from the Memaloose Bridge (NF45) down to the mouth of the South Fork Clackamas is like? The trail, and mileages for each leg of the hikes to the falls, is shown on the map at outdoorproject.

I haven't been up there in 5 years and was going to take a group of 8 in there tomorrow. Looked online to see if anything has changed only to find that NF45 is closed. Just wondering if anyone has tried the alternate route hiking in along the Clackamas.
I don't think it's practical. Even if you get lucky and it's a clear easy hike (is there really a trail there?), it would put you on the wrong side of the South Fork. I recommend walking the road up. It's only about 30 minutes on the road, if my memory is right. Parking can be tough at the bridge though. If you arrive late, might have to drop your team and then go look for a space to put your car.

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wexcellent
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by wexcellent » May 29th, 2016, 7:09 pm

Thanks for your response. The road directions on the site I mentioned say it is 1.4 miles from the bridge to the spur road and then .4 miles down the spur road to the drop into Memaloose Creek. Sounds about right by my memory. I just wanted to try to avoid that extra 1.8 mileage for a couple of the people in my party.
"There are no ordinary people - you have never talked to a mere mortal" C.S. Lewis

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RobFromRedland
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Re: Memaloose Falls and South Fork Clackamas River

Post by RobFromRedland » May 29th, 2016, 7:12 pm

I believe that "trail" that is shown on that map is non-existent. It was a planned trail at some point but was never built and appears on some maps to this day.

You probably can get to the south fork from the bridge, but it would be cross country. There is a cedar tree (or there was one a few weeks ago) that you can cross the south fork on if you are brave. That trip is not for the faint of heart - it is not like hiking a trail in the gorge - just something to keep in mind since you are heading a group. If people are going to have trouble with less than 2 miles, I'd venture to say that this might NOT be the right trip for them.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: WOW! What a ride! - Hunter S. Thompson

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