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Vancouver, WA: Trapper Creek Wilderness Loop

wa

Star Star Star Star Star

Distance: 16.6 miles


Climb through towering evergreens to in-your-face Cascade views.

This off-the-radar pocket wilderness benefits from its proximity to the Cascades: The crowds go there, not here. So you can have your solitude and old-growth too on this 14.7-mile loop. And with elevations below 4,500 feet, the route often stays snow-free through October.

From the Trapper Creek trailhead, bear left onto Trapper Creek Trail #192. Climb through temperate rainforest past waist-high ferns. Pass the Big Slide Trail at mile 2.6; it’s a rough route built by the Mazamas. Stay left and descend into a gallery of towering hemlock, fir, and cedar. After a bridged crossing of Trapper Creek at mile 4.7, the trail rockets upward in a series of switchbacks, climbing 900 feet in .7 mile. Gassed? An off-trail rock slab to the right near mile 4.9 is a perfect rest stop, with views of a 100-foot waterfall.

The route soon flattens into a thicket of huckleberries (ripe in July and August), then dips to an easy ford of Trapper Creek at mile 5.4. Hang a right up the steep, deadfall-choked Shortcut Trail #132B at mile 6.3 to join the Observation Peak Trail #132A in .3 mile. Drop packs and bear right for the half-mile climb to the 4,207-foot summit, where a meadow offers near 360-degree views of Mts. St. Helens, Rainier, Adams, and Hood.

To end the day at Berry Camp, retrieve your gear and continue .4 mile down the Observation Peak Trail to a junction. Turn right to reach the site’s bear hang, fire ring, and pipe spring in .1 mile. The next day, follow the Big Hollow Trail #158 down through spruce and alder for 2.8 miles to join the Dry Creek Trail #194.

Just beyond, ford Bourbon Creek (usually simple and calf-deep; use care after heavy rain). Second-growth forest lines the mellow Dry Creek Trail, and ornate moss carpets the trees. Watch your step: The remaining 3.7 miles are prime rough-skinned newt territory. Look for the tangerine-bellied amphibians marching across the trail. Head back to the parking lot after rejoining the Trapper Creek Trail.

Gear up: REI; 1405 NW Johnson St., Portland, OR. (503) 221-1938; rei.com

Maps: Green Trails Lookout Mountain #396 and Wind River #397 ($7, greentrailsmaps.com)

Permit: Trailhead parking requires a Northwest Forest Pass ($5/day or $30/year; discovernw.org)

-Mapped by Ted Alvarez and Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan


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