Forgotten Trail Along West Fork of the Hood River?

[ChromaKey]

So I was out exploring the other day, and decided to make an attempt at Marco Creek Falls (45.505140, -121.752060). The area had been thinned for logging and I figured it would be easy getting down to the river. This turned out to be true! I got down to the river with relative ease, then trekked upstream, where, along the way I came across a very trail-like area for about a quarter of a mile. It meandered just above the river bank, then cut down and followed the river edge. I don't know where I can get access to old forest service maps, but I'd love to know more. It could be an artifact of the loggers clearing the area, but it felt more substantial than that. Was that actually a trail? If so where did it originate and where did it go? And for future reference, I'd love to know where to find these old trail maps, even if it means purchasing and keeping a personal library at home!

[adamschneider]

You can find old USGS topos here: http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/maps/TopoView/viewer/

...but it seems unlikely there was ever an official "trail" in that spot.

[Webfoot]

For old maps of the Mount Hood area: https://www.trailadvocate.org/historica ... ical-maps/

[RobinBaker]

This is a portion of the USFS publication "Trails and Slopes of Mt Hood 1939":

[Aimless]

I'd say that map segment clinches it.

[cfm]

Last Fall, my friend and I found a section of old trail in that area too! It was just north of the image posted by Robin, and it goes from the Lake Branch (coming out of Lost Lake) northwesterly on what we dubbed "No Name Ridge" because it parallels No Name Creek. We left the trail at a road and clear cut, but when we came home and looked at the Old FS maps, it appears to head almost all the way to the ridge of Indian Mountain.

Perhaps you can see it crossing this scree field.

So fun to discover these old trails!

I find that map above very intriguing. Was trying to find a way up to the PCT from the northern side of Lost Lake. Has anyone been on that section of the Old Skyline Trail? Does the Lost Lake Guard Station still exist?

[RobinBaker]

The entire brochure is available here:

viewtopic.php?t=14689

[justpeachy]

Does the Lost Lake Guard Station still exist?

A lot of those old guard stations are gone now. Here are pictures of the one at Lost Lake, around 1945:

[BurnsideBob]

What amazing photos, Just Peachy. Thanks for posting these and the 1939 Mt Hood Trails Brochure.

The 1939 Mt Hood Trails Brochure Map clearly shows three types of trails. Here is a page out of the 1935 USFS trail construction handbook which gives standards for three trail standards--and I think these correspond to the three types of trail markings on the 1939 map, namely: "Primary", marked in red dashed line; "Secondary", marked in black dashed line; "Way Trails" marked as dotted line. Click on the image to enlarge to readable size.


Thanks, all, for your postings about our USFS heritage.

Burnside

1935 USFS Trail Classifications