TRAPPER CREEK WILDERNESS
WHERE: From Portland, take I-84 east to the Cascade Locks exit where you follow signs toward the Bridge of the Gods. Cross the Columbia River then go east on Highway 14 a couple miles past Stevenson where you will take a left (more of a veer left actually) onto Wind River Road: There will be signs indicating a recreation area and the city of Carson. Follow signs toward Government Mineral Springs where you will fork off Wind River after around thirteen miles. Soon you will see a Trailhead sign directing you to a gravel road on the right which goes for about half of a mile. The trailhead is about 16 miles north from the junction of Highway 14 and Wind River Road.
THE TRAILS : There are quite a few trails in this wilderness area. All trails lead toward either 4,207 foot Observation Peak or Soda Peaks Lake. Trail #132 goes up to Howe Ridge while trail #192 takes you along Trapper Creek for a longer and more gradual hike toward Observation Peak. The two may be used together for a loop of about 15 miles. Whichever route you take, make sure to take the Observation peak side trail which runs into trail #132: The views are outstanding. There are also several cut-off trails that bridge #192 and #132 but they are very difficult to follow at spots. Most the trails on the western part of the wilderness are very hard to follow as well. I actually got lost on trail #202 and the far western section of trail #192. The reward was seeing a herd of very large Roosevelt Elk. I know Elk aren't as glamorous as bear, however, when you surprise these huge beasts around a corner the ruckus that they cause will make your heart pound very hard. Aside from Saddle Mountain, these were the largest Elk I have ever seen. I saw the Elk near a relatively flat portion of trail #202 (the rim trail) west of Observation peak where I have heard that bears hang out due to the proximity of huckleberries. On the western edge of Trapper Creek trail #192 just after you cross the first arm of Trapper Creek, you will notice a meadow opening with many Cascade Blueberries and Huckleberry on the edge and bear prints all over. Soon after crossing Trapper Creek the trail goes down very steeply for over 1,000 feet of elevation loss. This is the most difficult portion of the trail and is not accessible to stock (the trail is too narrow, steep and winding). There is a beautiful view of Trapper Creek involved in a waterfall along this steep section.
There is a campsite where the Big Hollow trail meets the Observation Peak Trail (Berry Camp). There are also a couple sites at water level on the Trapper Creek Trail about 4-6 miles in from its trail head.
THE WOODS: There is one nice camping spot less than 1/4 of a mile before the trailhead on the right just before crossing the last bridge. There is also a couple nice camping spots near and on Observation Peak. Along the River are many Douglas Fir along with Red Alder and Western Hemlock with scattered Western Red Cedars. The forest bottom is covered with lumps and fertilizer made from dead logs and the multiple layers of vegetation characteristic of the Northwest's Old Growth Forests. The ground is so bumpy and full of vegetation that it is very hard to bushwhack far from the trail. As the elevation goes up the forests convert into a second growth sea of Douglas Fir. Another nice camp site is "Berry Camp" about 1 mile from the peak.
NOTE: After hiking the trail more recently (September 2003) I discovered it was a lot easier to follow. During the first trip I mistakenly followed the trail to a nice river campsite (I believe it was rendevous camp and didn't bother to back track back far enough to see what happened). I have also seen elk on two subsequent occasions hiking the trail system. Once they were roaming around Berry Camp as I woke up (they were following Bourbon creek downriver). The other time I saw a solitary male just west of Sisters Rocks viewpoint. On another occasion I saw a Spotted Owl near a high-point leading down from the rim trail to the major trapper creek crossing. Its hoots actually sounded like a dogs bark!
