Salmon Mountain #787 Is this a lost trail?

[ElphabaNorthWest]

There is a trail on my topo map that leads from the plaza trail up Salmon Mountain, but I haven't been able to figure out if this trail still exists. The forest service has a flier on their website that says:

The Salmon Mountain Trail, a narrow, rocky route for the sure footed is not a blazed trail and can be difficult to follow in places. The trail basically follows the ridge reaching several short peaks and crossing the ridgeline occasionally. The rocky section between 1.0 and 1.4 miles has no tread or trail markings. The trial makes a switchback up to the lookout site, which not only has magnificent views of the Cascades, but also gives a bird's-eye view of the South Fork of the Salmon River drainage and surrounding peaks.

but I think this is pretty old. Has anyone ever been up this?

[pablo]

The section from the Plaza Trail to the old lookout site is in good shape and easy to follow. The trail through that part has seen some maintenance in years past. Beyond that going north along the rest of the ridge line is a bushwhack with large rhododendron thickets and rock outcroppings hindering the way. I attempted the entire ridge last year but ran out of time and energy and had to bail out. Did a trip report:

Bonanza Trail - Salmon Mtn Loop, July 28, 2007

--Paul

[C.C. Hon]

I walked it top-down about 10-15 years ago. It ends up at the old mill site on the flat at the confluence of the two creeks. It is crossed a number of times with logging roads built in the 60's.

I wouldn't recommend it as "fun", nor, for that matter as especially scenic.

[ElphabaNorthWest]

I walked it top-down about 10-15 years ago. It ends up at the old mill site on the flat at the confluence of the two creeks. It is crossed a number of times with logging roads built in the 60's.

I wouldn't recommend it as "fun", nor, for that matter as especially scenic.

Hmmm.... That doesn't sound like the same hike as the one described by Pablo or the forest service. Was it in the Strawberry/Huckleberry wilderness? Of course 10-15 years is a long time. Forests change a lot in that amount of time. I would imagine that any logging road would be completely overgrown by now.

I might still head up there and report back.

[pablo]

I walked it top-down about 10-15 years ago. It ends up at the old mill site on the flat at the confluence of the two creeks. It is crossed a number of times with logging roads built in the 60's.

I wouldn't recommend it as "fun", nor, for that matter as especially scenic.

Hmmm.... That doesn't sound like the same hike as the one described by Pablo or the forest service. Was it in the Strawberry/Huckleberry wilderness? Of course 10-15 years is a long time. Forests change a lot in that amount of time. I would imagine that any logging road would be completely overgrown by now.

I might still head up there and report back.

If you go up that way, look out for the $1200 Canon HD video camera I lost in a fight with a bunch of rhododendron.

C.C. Hon's description sounds right looking at the map and I believe he's referring at the end of his description to the northern part of the route - didn't know about the mill but I did know that lower part had been logged. The Salmon Mtn hike is in the D & R Lowe's 50 Trails book where they talk about the trail "eventually dies in an old clearcut". Wish I'd been able to do the whole thing. Here's a map:

[ElphabaNorthWest]

I actually had been thinking of coming at it from the other direction. Starting at the twin springs campground and taking the Plaza trail north until it intersected the salmon mountain trail. (That's the route recommended by the forest service map). I don't think I'd go through the unmaintained section. It sounds painful.