Nurse Log on the Trail
8/01/2021: Rough drive in. Still, worth it. Easy going down and just take your time coming back up. Beautiful at the creek.
Per U.S. Forest Service: Drift Creek Wilderness is located in the Oregon Coast Range, 7 miles north of Waldport and south of Newport, Oregon. Towering Sitka spruce and western hemlock that sometimes reach seven feet in diameter shade the Coast Range's largest rainforest stand of old growth. The steep canyons of rock-splattered Drift Creek may give you the impression of mountainous country, but the forested hills rise only slightly above 2,000 feet. Soaked by as much as 120 inches of annual rainfall, moss and ferns as thick as six inches cushion the ground along numerous streams shadowed by overhanging bigleaf maples.
Roosevelt elk and black bears share this lush territory along with northern spotted owl, woodpeckers, bald eagles, banana slugs, salamanders and many others. In fall, Drift Creek comes alive with spawning chinook and coho salmon as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout.
The Drift Creek Wilderness (5,798 acres) is one of three wilderness areas established on the Siuslaw National Forest and the largest on the Coast Range. There are two main trails, the Horse Creek Trail and the Harris Ranch Trail.
Key: Ferns, Douglas-fir Forest, Western Redcedar, Old Growth Forest, Bigleaf Maples, Rough Road, Streams, wildflowers
Marg’s Notes: Blackberry Campground – Harris Ranch to Drift Creek
Packed up & headed north. Next campground was between Waldport & Corvallis on Alsea highway. Nice road & pretty drive. A very nice campground. Site 15. Right above the river. A few skeeters. Got there ~noon & set up tent, then left for hike. More logging roads! Started hiking ~2pm. Downhill to start again! Another pretty hike thru old growth. Lots of people backpack this. Nice camping spots by river. More crawdads in the water. Had a nice rest there before heading out. Hot, muggy uphill out! Total hike took 3h & 40m. So was ~5:45 when we were done. Met some people hiking in to camp. Had Happy Hour in the shade overlooking the river at our campsite! slept well!!!
Snacks for dinner