Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. Douglas Lorain
HIGHLIGHTS This path provides a welcome link allowing hikers to make a challenging loop hike that connects Kings and Elk mountains (Trips 10 and 12). As a separate hike, this lower-elevation trail is a pleasant leg-stretcher with attractive forests, several splashing creeks, and some nice viewpoints. Since it is at such a low elevation, this trail provides a nice alternative for hikers looking for a scenic place to walk in early spring or even midwinter, although the path will be muddy then.
To do this hike as a one-way trip, it is better to begin from Elk Creek, as that involves a total elevation loss of about 400 feet. As part of the Kings and Elk mountains loop trip, however, it is more likely that you will do this trail from the Kings Mountain end, so that is the way it is described here.
DIRECTIONS Drive west on State Highway 6 toward Tillamook. Near milepost 25, look for the brown sign with the hiker on it and the parking lot for the Kings Mountain Trailhead on the right. For the upper trailhead at Elk Creek, turn north off Highway 6 near milepost 28 and drive the gravel access road to Elk Creek Campground for 0.3 mile to its end just beyond a bridge over Elk Creek.
The Kings Mountain Trail begins in a lush forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and red alder most of whose branches are covered with hanging mosses. Just 0.1 mile from the start is a junction. The Kings Mountain Trail veers off to the left, while the Wilson River Trail goes to the right.
The trail almost immediately hops over a small creek and then begins the gentle ascent that will dominate the entire route. An abundance of vine maple in the understory makes this section particularly attractive in mid- to late October. The path goes around the south side of a small pond and marshy area and then crosses the outlet creek for the marsh.
As you hike you will probably see the knobby tire tracks of mountain bikes and the paired crescents of deer hooves. You may also see the makers of these tracks, the former more common on weekends, the latter on quiet weekdays. As for sounds, in addition to birds and wind in the trees, you will often hear traffic on Highway 6 to the right, but the noise is never terribly intrusive.
Beyond the pond you make an extended contour of a forested hillside above the road and then dip into a canyon to cross a jeep road and rock hop across good-sized Dog Creek. Two switchbacks and more climbing now lead you to a rocky, open hillside above the highway. As you hike, keep an eye out for large, old stumps, many still showing that loggers cut slots for springboards. The daring woodsmen then stood on the precarious springboards so they could cut higher on the tree trunk.
The rest of this easy trail alternates between forested hillsides overlooking the road and small side canyons with trickling creeks that provide opportunities to cool off by dunking your head. The trail ends with a short climb to a saddle where there is a poorly marked junction with the Elk Mountain Trail. You continue straight and drop a few hundred yards to the Elk Creek Trailhead.
TRIP 12 Elk Mountain Loop
| Distance | 8.5 miles, Out-and-back | |
| Elevation Gain | 2500 feet | |
| Hiking Time | 4 to 5 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 All your hard work on that stair-climber at home will come in handy on this thigh buster. The trail up Elk Mountain is short, but it’s brutally steep. Fortunately, the flower show is excellent, and inviting views stretch over hundreds of square miles of hills and valleys. Be aware that this trail can be treacherous, especially downhill, because of loose gravel and extremely slippery mud. Boots with good traction are a necessity. There is no drinking water along the route, and since you will do a lot of sweating, you’ll need to carry at least two quarts of water per person on a hot day.
DIRECTIONS Drive west on State Highway 6 toward Tillamook. Near milepost 28, turn right on the well-marked gravel access road to Elk Creek Campground. The trailhead is at the end of this 0.3-mile road, just after you cross a bridge over Elk Creek.
The trail starts with a moderately steep climb of 0.1 mile in mixed coniferous and deciduous forest to a junction at a saddle. The path going straight is the Wilson River Trail (Trip 11). For Elk Mountain you turn right on a trail marked with a large blue dot painted on a tree. The path climbs steeply, sometimes through red-alder and Douglas-fir forests, but mostly up open, rocky areas on the spine of a narrow ridge. The views are frequent and superb, especially looking down the Wilson River Canyon and up to the ramparts of Elk Mountain. Flowers are numerous in May and June. Look for starflower, salal, paintbrush, lomatium, wild rose, thimbleberry, and a host of others.
At several points this ridgetop route loses elevation, but it is quickly regained. Steep climbs are the hike’s dominant feature. The terrain is very wild, although you never fully escape the sounds of well-traveled Highway 6, almost directly below.
View of Kings Mountain from north ridge of Elk Mountain
The route continues to resemble going the wrong way on a very steep downhill ski run, until the 2500-foot level. Here you level off a little, pass a small, waterless camp, and then traverse the west side of a rocky spine. Another series of steep uphills and open ridgetop viewpoints finally take you to a small open spot atop 2788-foot Elk Mountain. As expected,