For More Information Oregon Department of Forestry Forest Grove District Office 801 Gales Creek Road Forest Grove, OR 97116 (503) 357-2191 www.oregon.gov/ODF Be Prepared • Let someone know your plans • Lock your vehicle • Read trailhead signs • Pack plenty of water Protect the Forest • Stay on designated trails • Share the trail • Pack it in, pack it out • Check current fire conditions Elk Mountain Trail LENGTH: 4.3 miles, 1.5 miles to summit DIFFICULTY: Very Difficult Elk Creek Trail LENGTH: 4.0 miles DIFFICULTY: Moderate Kings Mountain Trail LENGTH: 3.8 miles, 2.5 miles to summit DIFFICULTY: Very Difficult Tillamook State Forest T R A I L G U I D E Kings Mountain, Elk Mountain & Elk Creek Trails Kings Mountain, Elk Mountain & Elk Creek Trails P a c k I t I n - P a c k I t O u t T i l l a m o o k F o r e s t Highway Gravel Road Hiking Trail Hiking & Mt Biking Trail Miles between points Trailhead Camping Private Land 1.4 Highway Milepost Markers N 0 0.5 1 State Land E l k C r e e k T r a i l West Fo r k E lk C reek E l k M ount ai n Tr ai l 0.8 2.0 4.0 Elk Mountain 2,788’ 1.5 1.3 Kings Mountain 3,226’ K i n g s M o u nta i n Trai l D o g Cr e e k 2.4 W i l s o n R i v e r T r a il W ils o n R i v e r Trail 0.1 25 miles to Tillamook MP 25 Kings Mountain MP 26 MP 27 W i l s o n 3.5 W i l s o n R i v e r T r a il R i v e r 0.1 Elk M o untain Trail E l k C r e e k Tra i l E lk C r eek Elk Creek S ou t h F or k W i l s o n R i v e r S o u th F o r k W i l s o n R i v e r R o a d MP 28 43 miles to Portland 6 6 **CAUTION** Use extra caution when driving on single-lane gravel roads in the forest. Drive slowly and watch for truck traffic. Be prepared for changing trail and weather conditions, steep terrain and loose rock. Printed on recycled paper 6/09
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For More InformationOregon Department of Forestry
Forest Grove District Office801 Gales Creek Road
Forest Grove, OR 97116(503) 357-2191
www.oregon.gov/ODF
Be Prepared• Letsomeoneknowyourplans• Lockyourvehicle• Readtrailheadsigns• Packplentyofwater
Protect the Forest• Stayondesignatedtrails• Sharethetrail• Packitin,packitout• Checkcurrentfireconditions
Elk Mountain TrailLength: 4.3miles,1.5milestosummitDiFFicuLty: VeryDifficultElk Creek TrailLength: 4.0 miles DiFFicuLty: ModerateKings Mountain TrailLength: 3.8miles,2.5milestosummitDiFFicuLty: VeryDifficult
tillamook State Forestt r a i L g u i D e
Kings Mountain, Elk Mountain & Elk Creek Trails
Kings Mountain, Elk Mountain & Elk Creek Trails
Pack
I t I n-Pack It
Out
Tilla
mook Forest
HighwayGravel RoadHiking TrailHiking & Mt Biking TrailMiles between points
Trailhead
Camping Private Land
1.4
Highway Milepost Markers
N
0 0.5 1
State Land
Elk Creek Trail West Fork Elk CreekElk Mountain Trail
0.82.0
4.0
Elk Mountain2,788’
1.5
1.3
Kings Mountain3,226’
Kings
Mou
ntai
nTra
il
Dog
Creek
2.4
Wilson River Trail
Wilson River Trail
0.1
25 miles toTillamook
MP25
Kings Mountain
MP26
MP27
Wilso
n
3.5 Wilson River Trail
River
0.1
Elk Mountain Trail
Elk Creek Trail
Elk Creek
Elk Creek
South Fork Wilso
n Rive
r
South Fork Wilson River Road
MP28 43 miles to
Portland
6
6
**cautiOn**Useextracautionwhendrivingonsingle-lanegravelroads
intheforest.Driveslowlyandwatchfortrucktraffic. Bepreparedforchangingtrailandweatherconditions,
steep terrain and loose rock. Printed on recycled paper 6/09
Trailhead AccessBothElkCreekandElkMountainTrailsareaccessedfromElkCreekTrailhead.
Elk Creek TrailheadTravelonOregonHighway6tomilepost28.TurnnorthontoElkCreekRoad,continuethroughthecampgroundandcrossthebridgetothetrailhead.ElkMountainTrailbeginsdirectlybehindtheinformationboard.ElkCreekTrailbeginsontheoldroadpastthelargebouldersatthefarendofthetrailhead.
Kings Mountain TrailheadThistrailheadislocatedonthenorthsideofOregonHighway6nearmilepost25.
About the TrailsThesetrailscanbeenjoyedseparatelyorcombinedtomakeloopoptionsofvaryinglengthsanddifficulty.TheWilsonRiverTrailconnectsKingsMountainandElkCreekTrailsofferinghikersanotherloopoptionforanextendeddayhike.
Elk Mountain TrailThistrailisextremelysteepandnarrow.Reachingthesummitrequiresgaining1,900feetelevationin1.5miles,challengingeventheexperiencedhiker.Becausethistrailisstrenuous,makesuretopackplentyofwaterandbepreparedforchangingweatherconditions.TherewardforthishikeisthebeautifulviewstretchingfromMt.HoodtothePacificOcean.
ToreachElkMountainTrail,climb0.2mileontheWilsonRiverTrail.ThejunctionforElkMountainTrailturnsupwardandviewsoftheWilsonRiverCanyonsoonappear.Afterskirtingafalsesummit,
hikersaregreetedwiththerealElkMountainsummitofferingameadowfullofbeargrass and Indian paintbrushflowersinthesummer.Asummitregisterisavailableforhikerstorecordtheirthoughtsandexperiencetothetop.
Fromhere,hikerscanchoosetoretracetheir
stepsdownthemountainorcontinueontoeitherElkCreekorKingsMountainTrails.Tomakealoop,followthesignnearthesummitwherethetraildivesdownward.Becautious,asthenextmileisloosescreethatoftenrequiresusingyourhandstoguideyoualongthecraggyridgeroute.Onemilebeyondthesummit,ElkMountainTrailbeginstofollowanoldroad.ContinueonemoremiletoreachthejunctionwithKingsMountainTrail.Totheleft,KingsMountainsummitis1.3arduousmiles,orhikersmaycontinueonElkMt.Trail0.75milestoElkCreekTrailwhichreturnstoElkCreekCampgroundin4.0miles.
Elk Creek TrailThistrailislocatedontheoldElkCreekRoadthathasbeenconvertedtoatrail,andisopentomountainbikingandhiking.ThetrailfollowsthemainforkofElkCreekwheresteelheadspawnandriverottershavebeenspotted.Afterthe0.5milemark,thetrailpassestheconfluenceofElkCreekandtheWestForkElkCreek.Redalderandswordferninthevalleybottomdominatethisportionofthetrail.Lookforthesmallyellowmonkeyflowernearseepsalongthecanyonwall.
TheroutecontinuesalongtheWestForkforabout1.0milebeforeitbeginstheascentoutofthecanyon.Asthetrailleavesthestreamside,Douglas-firbecomes
theprimarytreefortherestoftheroute.Thetrailswitchbacksandbeginsclimbingtothewest.Thetrailthenturnsnorthforabout0.75milebeforefinallyswitchbackingtotheridgelineandthejunctionwiththeElkMountainTrailin4.0miles.
Elk Mt. Summit (Photo:BradFrench)
Wildflowers, like this gentian, are abundant in the spring and summer.
Asthenameoftheareasuggests,elkareoftenspottedhere.Fallisruttingseason,whenthemalesareshowingtheirantlersandcallingoutformates.Bothantlersandcallsdefinethehealthandsizeofabull.Large,straightantlersdenoteastrong,fitelkandalowpitchcallsignifiesabroadchest.Inthewinterthemaleslosetheirantlers,buttheygrowbackbythefollowingspringtorepeatthecycle.Lookforevidenceofantlerrubbingsonredaldertreesalongthetrail.
Makesuretoreadandsignthesummitregistertobeamongthosewhohaveconqueredthemountain.AmbitioushikerscancontinuehikingontoElkMountainorElkCreekTrails.
The1.3milesoftrailbetweenKingsMountainSummitandElkMountainTrailareevenmorechallenging.Sectionsofthissegmentaresteep,narrowandtraversealongnarrowledgesrunningaboveandbelowcliffswithsheerdrop-offsinsomeareas.Thistrailcanbedifficulttoseeandfollowinplaces,particularlyduringthewinterorininclementweather.
Kings Mountain TrailThistrailisachallenginghike.InordertoreachthesummitofKingsMountain,hikersfacea2,546-footelevationgainin2.5miles,butthepanoramicviewsfromthetopareworththeeffort.Thetrailisasteepbutgradualclimbthatinsomeplacescanbeascramble,makingsturdybootsandplentyofwateressential.
Theyoungforestyouwalkthroughatthebaseofthemountainwasplantedafterthe1945Tillamookfire.Nearingtheridge,youcanseesmallertreesthatwereseededbyhelicopterduringthereplantingefforts,alongwithstandingdeadtrees,sometimescalled“grayghosts.”
Signsalongthetrailallowhikerstonotetheirelevation.Ashortdistancefromthesummit,apicnictableisapleasantsightandaninvitingplacetorestbeforetacklingthefinalverysteeppushtothetop.
TrAIl InForMATIon
Tillamook Treasures
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