People enjoy different hikes for different reasons. Some like to get to a summit to enjoy the views, some like wildflower meadows, and others like finding huge trees. Count me in for all of this, but my ideal hike definitely includes both beautiful forests and a free-flowing river or stream (or multiple!) There’s something about how much more lush the vegetation is along a stream, the sound of burbling water as you hike along, or dipping your hands into icy water to splash on your face at a rest stop. In researching Oregon’s Ancient Forests, I had a chance to hike along (or to) many, many beautiful streams - admiring both the ancient forested corridors I hiked through and also the wild nature of these streams stacked with log jams, collecting spawning gravels, and spilling over boulders.
It’s not too hard to find a trail to hike beside a designated Wild & Scenic River in Oregon - we have over 2,100 miles of these waterways protected under the federal Wild & Scenic Rivers Act across the state, making Oregon second only to Alaska. As such, these streams are protected from dams and mining, and the corridors (often forested) that surround them must be managed to protect the fish, wildlife, recreation, and other public values they are designated for. Several of the hikes featured on Oregon’s Ancient Forests are along Wild & Scenic Rivers: from the Rogue River headwaters to its famous lower rafting stretch; Fifteenmile Creek on the east slope of Mount Hood to Central Oregon’s treasured Metolius and Deschutes; and the Ponderosa-pine lined Malheur and Imnaha Rivers in eastern Oregon - these Wild & Scenic River hikes were some of my favorite.
But in a place with as many spectacular wild rivers as Oregon, those designated as Wild & Scenic make up just 2% of our waterways. Sure, not all streams are worthy of Wild & Scenic status, but thousands of more miles meet the criteria for these protections - they are free-flowing, on federal public land, and possess at least one Outstandingly Remarkable Value (ORV).
It’s therefore no surprise that it’s also not hard to find ancient forest hikes along UNprotected wild and scenic rivers. In fact, there are 43 such hikes in my book - now proposed for Wild & Scenic designation by Senator Wyden in his newly River Democracy Act of 2021.
It’s no coincidence that many of our remaining ancient forests can be found along rivers and streams on our federal public lands. Streamside protections in place for decades on public lands have helped keep ancient forests intact and safe from logging. Unfortunately, these strips are often narrow, with logging happening just outside. With the newly proposed Wild & Scenic Rivers, though, each stream will get a protected buffer of ½ a mile on each side, where protection and restoration of the unique qualities of each stream would take precedence.
While the trails and hikes in the book are by no means exhaustive of the lovely trails you’ll find alongside the nearly 4,700 miles of newly proposed Wild & Scenic Rivers, I’d venture to guess they are some of the best. So grab your book (you can get it here if you don’t already have one!) and get out and explore some of these gorgeous hikes!
Hike name (#) | Wild & Scenic rivers & streams | Wild & Scenic status |
---|---|---|
Cape Perpetua & Gwynn Creek (7) | Gwynn Creek | proposed |
Kentucky Falls (9) | Kentucky Creek, North Fork Smith River | proposed |
Lower Rogue River (13) | Rogue River | existing |
Illinois River Trail: Buzzard's Roost (14) | Illinois River | existing |
Babyfoot Lake (15) | Babyfoot Creek | proposed |
Redwood Nature Trail (16) | Chetco River and Emily Creek are both nearby | existing, proposed |
Oregon Redwoods Trail (17) | Moser Creek | proposed |
Oregon Caves NM (18) | Cave Creek, Lake Creek | proposed |
Sucker Creek (19)* | Sucker Creek | proposed |
Grizzly Peak (21) | Walker Creek, Gaerky Creek originate here | proposed |
PCT: Hyatt Lake (22) | Burnt Creek, Left Fork Creek, and others streams nearby | proposed |
PCT: Green Springs Summit to Hobart Bluff (23) | Keene Creek | proposed |
Salmon River (25) | Salmon River | existing |
Boulder Creek & Boulder Lake (27) | Boulder Creek | proposed |
Fifteenmile Creek (28) | Fifteenmile Creek | existing |
Clackamas Riverside Trail (29)* | Oak Grove Fork, Clackamas River | proposed, existing |
Memaloose Lake (30)* | Memaloose Creek | proposed |
South Fork Breitenbush (33)* | South Fork Breitenbush River | proposed |
Crabtree Valley (34) | Crabtree Creek | proposed |
Three Pyramids (35) | North Fork Park Creek | proposed |
House Rock (36) | South Santiam River, Latiwi Creek | proposed |
Browder Ridge (38) | Gate Creek | proposed |
McKenzie River Trail: Fish Lake Creek to Great Spring (39) | Fish Lake Creek | proposed |
McKenzie River Trail: Carmen Reservoir to Tamolitch Falls (40) | McKenzie River | existing |
Tidbits Mountain (41)* | Calapooia River originates on slopes | proposed |
Delta OG Nature Trail (43)* | Delta Creek | proposed |
Shale Ridge (44) | North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River |
existing |
Black Canyon (48) | Waldo Lake | proposed |
Island Lakes (49) | Ray Creek, Gold Lake, Salt Creek | proposed |
Upper Middle Fork Willamette: Indigo Springs (51) | Indigo Creek, Middle Fork Willamette River | proposed |
Brice Creek (52) | Brice Creek | proposed |
Fairview Creek (53) | Fairview Creek | proposed |
Tokatee & Watson Falls (55) | North Umpqua River | proposed, existing downstream |
Twin Lakes (56) | Twin Lakes Creek | proposed |
Upper Rogue River Trail (60) | Rogue River | existing |
Union Creek (61) | Union Creek | proposed |
South Fork Rogue River (62) | South Fork Rogue River | proposed |
Brown Mountain (64) | South Fork Little Butte Creek | proposed |
Metolius River (65) | Metolius River | existing |
Benham Falls (66) | Deschutes River | existing |
Cultus River & Benchmark Butte (67) | Cultus River | proposed |
North Fork Walla Walla (74) | North Fork Walla Walla River | proposed |
South Fork Walla Walla (75) | South Fork Walla Walla River | proposed |
Dutch Flat Creek (78) | Dutch Flat Creek, Van Patten Creek | proposed |
South Fork Desolation Creek (79) | South Fork Desolation Creek | proposed |
Sheep Creek (83) | Sheep Creek, North Fork Malheur River nearby | proposed, existing |
North Fork Malheur (84) | North Fork Malheur River | existing |
Malheur River Canyon (85) | Malheur River | existing |
Myrtle Creek (86) | Myrtle Creek | proposed |
North Fork Catherine Creek (89) | North Fork Catherine Creek | proposed |
Imnaha River (90) | Imnaha River | existing |
Eagle Creek (91) | Eagle Creek | existing |
*Note: These trails or access to them are closed due to the 2020 fires. Updates can be found here.