On the Salmon River Trail

Perhaps this whole writing project here is just one big, continuous love letter to land. A public proclamation of how the light hitting certain mushrooms makes me squeal, or the way a glacial fed river rushing over rocks calms my entire being within seconds, or the fascinating relationship between moss and the Big Leaf Maple. The way I have grown to remember the shape of a certain tree over a certain bend in the path, and wonder if someone else noticed it too. If there is one place that deserves the bulk of that love letter, it is this one. The Salmon River Trail snakes through about 14 miles of the Mt. Hood National Forest, and follows the 33.5-mile Salmon River. It is one of my favorite places.

I was first introduced to this hiking, recreation, and wilderness area in 2014, right after moving to Portland. I was still acquainting myself to the new landscape and ecosystems, after living in Arkansas my entire life. I was in awe of how tall the conifers in these forests get, the thick moss cover, and huge Western Sword Fern covering the ground. It definitely felt like a scene from Jurassic Park. Ancient and otherworldly, the ground soft and squishy under the canopy. Even the downed trees were full of life, as they had been reincarnated into nurse logs. And I have never seen so many mushroom varieties as I have on this trail in the month of October! Every year, it never disappoints. While I enjoy living in Portland, getting out of the city and into the forest is essential frequent self care for me.

This trail sits in the Mt. Hood National Forest, which extends over 1 million acres, and includes Oregon's tallest volcanic mountain, Mt. Hood, which is 11,249 feet at its tallest point. The first 4 miles of this trail are the most popular. You start out on a flat traverse, through old growth rainforest, following the Salmon River. The trail eventually begins to climb, and you hit a high peak overlooking the Salmon River Gorge at about mile 4, and then many people turn and go back from here, myself included. I have never gone farther than that point. Chinook and Coho salmon, Steelhead, Rainbow and Cutthroat trout are all found in the Salmon river. There are several established dispersed campsites along the way for backpackers. The abundance of PNW native plants is amazing, and makes a wonderful outdoor classroom for anyone working on their plant ID or naturalist skills.

In the 1960s, the Forest Service planned a paved highway up into this canyon. It would have connected to Highway 26 as an alternative route to the current highway. This thankfully never came to be, as the canyon was included in the 1984 legislation that created the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness and will forever be protected. While part of this area is established wilderness, much of this area is under threat. According to the Oregon non-profit Oregon Wild, the forest management plan is outdated. Issues such as climate change, increasing visitors, and federal pressure to aggressively log the forest mean increased need for a new comprehensive management and conservation plan. Part of this strategy is advocating for legislation that would designate new Wilderness areas, Wild & Scenic Rivers, and National Recreation Areas around the mountain. According to Oregon Wild, The current plan for managing the forests around Mount Hood is over 30 years old and created when old-growth logging was a priority. Pushes for logging the area threaten endangered species, would degrade landscapes, and would increase fire risks. There are currently 178,000 acres in Mount Hood National Forest that qualify for Wilderness protections, including Boulder Lake, Still Creek, the Salmon River, and Tamanawas Falls.

While I am obviously not indigenous to this land, and have only called western Oregon home for a little over 12 years at this point, I know my work lies here. I have never felt so connected to a piece of land before. This land knows me, and I am always getting to know it. I seek out its trails in every season, learning its moods, and changing colors. I have dedicated myself to helping to protect it, through monthly financial donations to Oregon Wild, volunteer work, my research, and my monthly plant ID walks and nature hikes.

I mourn for our changing planet often, and for many reasons. I can tell that climate change is drying out my favorite rainforest. We recently had record low snowpack on Mt. Hood. It is difficult, devastating, and full of grief to watch the recent gutting of the Endangered Species Act in the U.S., and the steps being taken to rescind the Roadless Rule, which was created to protect 58 million acres of forest. I can only hope that others who love these places as much as I do feel moved and motivated to get involved in some capacity.

Have you hiked the Salmon River Trail? Do you have any favorite spots or stories to share? Feel free to get in touch.