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

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For the recommended loop, however, backtrack downhill to the ridgetop junction with the Wilson River Trail. Turn left (back the way you came), walk 100 yards to the junction with the trail you came in on, and then bear right, going downhill on the Wilson River Trail. This maintained trail has a much gentler grade than the way you came up, so it is easier on the knees. The trail winds down lazy switchbacks and long traverses always in the forest but with occasional views through the trees of Kings Mountain. After about 1.3 miles the trail crosses a small seasonal creek on a bridge a little above an unseen waterfall and, shortly thereafter, reaches the junction with the jeep road you turned onto on the way up. Cross the jeep road and retrace your steps to the Kings Mountain Trailhead.

TRIP 10 Kings Mountain

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Distance 5.5 miles, Out-and-back Elevation Gain 2800 feet Hiking Time 3 hours Optional Map Tillamook State Forest Usually Open Late March to November Best Time Mid-May to mid-June Trail Use Dogs are allowed, but it’s too rocky and rough for most. Agency Forest Grove District, Tillamook State Forest Difficulty Difficult

HIGHLIGHTS If you take only one hike in the upper Wilson River drainage, make it the trail up Kings Mountain. The peak is one of the highest in the northern Oregon Coast Range, and the views from the open meadows atop its 3226-foot summit are terrific. On a clear day you can see, not only the extensive green hills of the Coast Range, but also the Pacific Ocean and even distant snow peaks in the Cascades, including Mounts Hood and Jefferson. The advantage of this hike over neighboring Elk Mountain is that while the total elevation gain is greater, the grade, while still steep, is less exhausting and the trail is better maintained. Finally, the flowers are more abundant in the large meadows atop this peak, so you can luxuriate in views and in the smell and color of the blossoms.