Lone oak, McCubbins Meadow, Lower White River Wilderness (bobcat)

Slender godetia (Clarkia gracilis), McCubbins Meadow (bobcat)

White River, Lower White River Wilderness (bobcat)

Vernal pool in McCubbins Meadow (bobcat)

Deer in McCubbins Meadow (bobcat)

Suggested route in red; boundaries of the Lower White River Wilderness in yellow (not a GPS track) (bobcat) Courtesy: Google Maps

• Start point: McCubbins Meadow Trailhead
• End point: South McCubbins Meadow
• Hike Type: Loops
• Distance: 5.2 miles
• Elevation gain: 780 feet
• High point: 2,650 feet
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Seasons: Spring into Fall
• Family Friendly: In the meadow only
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: No

Hike Description

NOTICE: The entire Lower White River Wilderness was burned by the 2020 White River Fire. Please check current closures in the Mt. Hood National Forest before planning an outing.

The small Lower White River Wilderness (2,806 acres) was one of the federal wildernesses created in 2009 under the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act to protect a pristine section of the White River Canyon. The wilderness falls under two jurisdictions: the Mt. Hood National Forest for the western section and the Bureau of Land Management for the eastern section. There are no official trails although a few short stretches of abandoned road remain. Thus, the wilderness is little visited, and most people dip their toes into it at its very western edge at Keeps Mill Campground (see the Clear Creek to Keeps Mill Hike). This hike, however, allows you to explore two salient features of the wilderness: the pristine canyon bottom along the White River and the more easily accessible prairie in the BLM section on its southern rim. When not in the wilderness itself (there are no boundary signs), you’ll be walking in the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s White River Wildlife Area. Also, all areas below the canyon rim are part of the federally designated Wild and Scenic River. Getting down into the canyon involves a true bushwhack and close encounters with tangles of vine maple, rock walls, scree, and fallen trees. However, you could opt out of the canyon scramble and still pass a very enjoyable day exploring the different sections of McCubbins Meadow. Elk and deer are common here, and you may just want to sit in the deep shade of an oak and watch what comes (checking occasionally for ticks, of course).

McCubbins is not the official name of this prairie, but it is close to McCubbins Gulch and the OHV area named for that feature. Members of the McCubbin family herded sheep in the area in the 1880s.

Cross the cattle grid, and follow the road track as it passes through a rather scrappy woodland of Douglas-fir, grand fir, and ponderosa pine. The trail, sometimes a little brushy, veers right and comes to an overgrown fenceline and gate. This is the boundary with private property, so go left, keeping to the north side of the fence. You’ll be heading due east, with an extensive manzanita thicket to your right. Pass a fence corner posted No Trespassing, and continue east on the edge of a woodland with the thicket to your right. Next, drop gradually between the woods and a ponderosa plantation until you spot a lovely oak wood to your left. Head through this grassy woodland until you reach the open expanse of the northern section of McCubbins Meadow.

Walk into the center of the meadow. Death-camas blooms here in the spring, and there is a view northwest to Mount Hood on a clear day. A few western juniper, ponderosa pine, and white oak dot the prairie. If you plan to do the bushwhack down to the White River, follow the north edge of the meadow to its northeast corner and descend. In a few yards, you’ll see very obvious game trails running laterally along the slope. Take one of these that appears to be heading down. At some point, you should intersect an elk trail that plunges vertically down the steep slope. This you will attempt to follow all the way to the river. The elk avoid the small cliffs, but you will still have to deal with brush, especially vine maple and wild rose, as well as tangling vines of honeysuckle. You will get glimpses of the more open northern slope of the canyon and its bands of rimrock. Before you reach the river itself, you be picking your way down a band of lichen- and moss-encrusted scree. When you reach the White River, go right. There will be points of access to the water but no safe crossing until perhaps late summer. Bushwhack as far as you like downstream: there are a few short east sections, but most of the way is brushy. After ½ to ¾ mile, you may decide to head back up to the rim so you can spend more time enjoying the open expanse of McCubbins Meadow. The ascent is going to be more difficult, in some ways, than the descent because you may not find a suitable game trail to lead you up. The canyon is only 550 feet deep, however, so perseverance will get you to the rim eventually!

Once back in the meadow, head left to enter the band of oaks that separates the northern from the much larger southern section of McCubbins Meadow. Skirt the eastern side of the meadow, where you should pick up a trail that takes you past a burned section of the canyon slope. Here, you can get views across to the more open north slope and Smock Prairie in the White River Wildlife Area. The very southern section of the meadow, which is also part of the Lower White River Wilderness, holds very shallow vernal pools, usually dry by mid-spring, and a series of Mima mounds.

Circle around to follow the western edge of the meadow. Behind the oak fringe are Douglas-firs and ponderosa pines. There are more vernal pools in the center of the meadow. These drain via perennial channels into the very lush western meadow. (All of these meadows were once natural pastures for sheep and, more recently, cattle.) At the west edge of lush pasture, you’ll see where a road comes in. This is the access point for hunters that come here in the fall (deer, elk) and spring (turkey): it does require an ODFW parking permit.

Head north through the trees from the west meadow, reaching the band of oaks that divides the southern from the northern sections of McCubbins Meadow. Once back in the northern section, you can try to pick up your line of entry at the beginning of the hike, or continue north to the northwest corner of the meadow before heading into the woods. Get your last views of Mount Hood from here. Once in the forest, hiking is relatively easy. You’ll need head west and gradually uphill at first before turning south to intersect the abandoned road section that you started on. Don’t get distracted by other, more overgrown tracks, and make sure you don’t head north and back down into the canyon!

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• Lower White River Wilderness Map (BLM)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Barlow Ranger District
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood

Regulations or restrictions, etc

• No trails except game trails; orientation skills required

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for McCubbins Meadow Hike

• Lower White River Wilderness 06-11-17

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for McCubbins Meadow Hike

Guidebooks that cover this hike

• none

More Links

• Lower White River (BLM)
• Lower White River Wilderness (USFS)
• Lower White River Wilderness (BLM)
• Lower White River Wilderness Story Map Tour (BLM)
• Lower White River Wilderness (Wilderness.net)
• White River Wildlife Area (ODFW)
• White River Wildlife Area Map (ODFW)
• White River Wildlife Area Management Plan (ODFW)
• White River Country (Grant’s Getaways)

Contributors

• bobcat (creator)