This is up the PCT on the way to Benson Plateau. Via Herman Ck and the bridge trail it is five miles and 3000 EG. A small dry camp so most people just go for a day hike. But being on a narrow ridge it melts out fairly early so is a good short early season overnighter, and with decent views. I usually want to hike up to where the snow starts but these weekday trips are kind of rushed. I got up as far as Teakettle Spring and there is just small patches there, but probably still a fair amount on the plateau.
Red Rock Camp
Red Rock Camp
Last edited by drm on May 5th, 2019, 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- MarkInTheDark
- Posts: 220
- Joined: August 11th, 2008, 3:58 pm
- Location: Portland, OR
Re: Red Rock Camp
Cool report!
Re: Red Rock Camp
Forgot to mention that there were just a couple logs down, nothing serious. One might be hard to step over for the short-legged. I've been away for a week doing family stuff.
Re: Red Rock Camp
Looks like https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/anemone-lyallii
don't know what these are
- woodswalker
- Posts: 835
- Joined: November 25th, 2012, 4:51 pm
Re: Red Rock Camp
Thanks for the info. Surprisingly, after all these years I haven't been up the Benson. On my list for this spring. Colette Grace
Re: Red Rock Camp
Benson Plateau can get bad mosquitoes by mid-summer, so best to get up there by some time in June if you can if you are camping. Usually they aren't bad until July, though who knows this year.
Re: Red Rock Camp
Just FYI, the 'red rock' here is actually a Boring volcano thrust up through the Columbia River Basalts, like Nesmith Point, Yeon Mountain, etc.
Doing work on the 400 Trail below Yeon Mountain after the fire, some trail workers were surprised to be digging into soft red soils and theorized that the intensity of the fire had "burned" the earth that color. No, we were actually digging away at deposits washed down from Yeon, which had its north flank carved off by the Bretz Floods - a conflation of three major geologic events - basalt flows (+/- 15 m.y.a), Boring volcanoes (1.2 million to 100,000 years ago), and the big floods (15,000 - 13,000 years ago).
Doing work on the 400 Trail below Yeon Mountain after the fire, some trail workers were surprised to be digging into soft red soils and theorized that the intensity of the fire had "burned" the earth that color. No, we were actually digging away at deposits washed down from Yeon, which had its north flank carved off by the Bretz Floods - a conflation of three major geologic events - basalt flows (+/- 15 m.y.a), Boring volcanoes (1.2 million to 100,000 years ago), and the big floods (15,000 - 13,000 years ago).