Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

46 страница из 142

DIRECTIONS Drive 76 miles north and west of Portland on U.S. Highway 30 to a junction with Gnat Creek Road shortly after milepost 78. Turn right, following signs to Gnat Creek Campground, and drive 0.1 mile on this good gravel road to the large trailhead parking area just before a bridge over Gnat Creek.

After climbing a set of wooden stairs, the trail heads west (upstream) amid a dense, moss-draped, second-growth forest of western hemlocks, Sitka spruces, and western red cedars. The winding but well-built trail remains entirely in forest with lots of mushrooms, deer and sword ferns, salmonberry bushes, and forest wildflowers to keep your interest along the way. Several huge stumps allow visitors to marvel at the size of the trees that once grew here and to mourn the loss of these ancient giants. Views are nonexistent, but the trail passes several places where hikers can look down on the clear, rippling waters of Gnat Creek, which flows about 30 feet below the trail. The only easy access to the water comes at 0.9 mile at a lovely spot on the banks of the creek that makes a perfect picnic location.