BADGER CREEK NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL

WHERE:    From Portland take Highway 26 to Highway 35 south to forest service road 48 just past the White River Snow park.  Follow for approximately 25 miles (all paved) to service road 4810 just past Rock Creek Reservoir.  Take a left on 4810 and follow for just over 2 miles to 4811 where you will take a right.  Follow 4811 for about a mile to FSR 2710.  Take a right on 2710 and follow about 2 miles to the Boney Crossing Campground where you are supposed to park.  The trailhead is just down the road across a bridge about .1 mile from the campground.  Alternately if the snow level is coming down but there is still snow on forest road 48 you can stay on 26 and catch forest service road 43 on the left just a little ways past the Timothy Lake turn off.  Follow FSR 43 for about six miles where runs into 48.  Take a right and follow previous directions.

THE TRAIL:  This trail begins with relatively dense populations of Ponderosa Pine and Oregon White along with stands of Cedar (I believe they are Alaska Cedar although I was unaware they occurred at such low elevations as 2,000 feet.  The first couple miles passes underneath some beautiful rocky ledges before the forests begin to bring in more Douglass Fir, and Western White Pine as the elevation increases eventually leading to Mountain Hemlock.  Campsites occur every 1 to 2 miles and they are all nicely placed riverside campsites before the trail lifts leaves the river about 7 miles up.  The campsite and Pine Creek is especially nice (6 miles from the trailhead):  The site is right next to the river with a view of Pine Creek feeding into Badger Creek fifteen feet away.  At the 7 mile point the trail junctions begin with the first crossing Badger Creek and heading up to what looks like an old dwelling on the map.  Stay on Badger Creek trail for another 5 miles and you will reach the windy Badger Lake.  If you want some thigh burning alternatives there are cut-off trails that lead to such places as flag point viewpoint.  I was also surprised to see a Black-tail deer, as opposed to a Mule deer 6.5 miles up the trail:  The deer did not even seem to be a cross breed which was surprising this far east of the Cascade crest in mid-May.  Perhaps the snow at the crest has delayed migration.