3/30/2023 0 Comments Elk mountain![]() You'll make several short switchbacks down, head along a ridge, and then drop off of it below a mossy wall. The trail switchbacks and traverses a precipitous slope. There’s a steep scramble down from the summit as you continue. Sign the Mazamas summit register if you wish. Serviceberry blooms here in the spring, and tiger lilies display in early summer. Take in the great views to Kings Mountain across the forested bowl between the two peaks. The path levels on a shady ridge, from which it’s a short hop up to the summit. Descend steeply to a saddle, and then head steeply up again. From here, you'll get your first view of the summit of Elk Mountain. Then you drop down the side of the ridge below a rocky outcrop. The trail levels on a Douglas-fir ridge with a 2,500 foot sign near a waterless campsite. Switchback to get more open views and keep steeply up. Drop a little, and then find your way up a short scramble section. The path drops to a saddle again, and then you’re ascending to get views to the east across a stand of alders. Scramble through a narrow cleft, and climb up another steep section of trail to get more views. You'll drop to another little saddle and then continue steeply up. The old snags are now shaded by Douglas-fir, ocean spray, red huckleberry, and bracken. The trail drops to a small saddle, and then rises precipitously again for more views. Then head up steeply on a rocky spine to a clifftop viewpoint over Highway 6 and the Wilson River. At a paintbrush/desert parsley meadow, there are open views to the west. ![]() The trail switchbacks, and you'll see large decaying stumps left from the Tillamook Burn. Here, go right (it's 1.4 miles to the summit) in a Douglas-fir, vine maple, salal, and sword fern woodland. The trail rises in lush woods under a canopy of red alder before a steeper section takes you to the Wilson River-Elk Mountain Trail Junction after 0.2 miles. Take the Elk Mountain/Wilson River Trail up past a sign. There are two trails out of the trailhead. The road continues over a bridge to a parking area. To first tackle Elk Mountain, start just past the Elk Creek Campground. Most people prefer to do the loop counter clockwise, beginning at either the Kings Mountain Trailhead to do the Wilson River Trail section first or at the Elk Creek Trailhead. The Mazamas have adopted these trails, so they are well marked and well maintained. Carry water - there are (almost) no sources of water along the trails. The loop can be done most months of the year, depending on snow depth, but you'll want to tackle it in good weather. This challenging loop takes in both peaks, connecting them via the Wilson River Trail and trail connections on the back sides of both peaks that involve a couple of scramble sections. Elk Mountain and Kings Mountain are two popular hiking destinations in Oregon's Coast Range.
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