Be Prepared• Letsomeoneknowyourplans• Lockyourvehicle• Readtrailheadsigns• Packplentyofwater

Protect the Forest• Stayondesignatedtrails• Sharethetrail• Packitin,packitout• Checkcurrentfireconditions

Tillamook State ForestT r a i l g u i d e

Wilson River TrailJones Creek – Keenig Creek Trailhead

lengTh: 9.6milesdiFFiculTy: Moderate

Jones Creek TH to Footbridge TH–3.5miles

Footbridge TH to Keenig Creek TH–6.1miles

Pack

I t I n-Pack It

Out

Tilla

mook Forest

For More InformationOregonDepartmentofForestry

TillamookDistrictOffice5005East3rdStreet

Tillamook,OR97141-2999(503)842-2545

www.oregon.gov/OdF

WolfCreek

Ryan Creek

Cedar Butte Road

Wils

on

Wolf Creek Road

Wolf Point Road Cedar

Creek

Cedar Creek Road

Jones Creek

Trail

River

Bridge Creek

Wilso

n

Buck Creek

Archers RoadJordan Creek Road

Mue

sial

Cre

ek R

oad

Keenig Creek

JonesCreek

50 miles toPortland

TillamookForestCenter

MP22

MP21

Wolf Point2,440’

Footbridge

WilsonFalls

Bridge CreekFalls

3.5

1.0

River

MP19

17 miles toTillamook

MP18

KeenigCreek

1.5

3.6

Miles between points1.4

Highway Milepost Markers

HighwayGravel Road

N

Private LandState Land

Hiking & Mt. Biking Trail

Undeveloped CampingPicnic Site

Trailhead Visitor Center

0 1/4 1/2

Camping Bridge

6

6

Wilson River Trail

Wilson River

KeenigCreek

Footbridge

JonesCreek

KingsMountain

ElkCreek

6

6

6

TillamookForestCenter

Wilson River TrailOverview

**cauTiOn**Useextracautionwhendrivingonsingle-lanegravelroads

intheforest.Driveslowlyandwatchfortrucktraffic.Bepreparedforchangingtrailandweatherconditions,

steepterrainandlooserock.Printed on recycled paper 6/09

TRaIl InFORMaTIOn

Trailhead accessThistrailcanbereachedfromseveraltrailheads.

Jones Creek TrailheadThistrailheadislocatedattheJonesCreekDay-UseArea.TravelonHighway6betweenmilepost22and23.TurnnorthonNorthForkRoad,crossthebridgeandturnleftintotheJonesCreekDay-UseArea.Thetrailbeginsnearthetrailheadsignandheadsdowntowardtheriver.

Footbridge TrailheadTravelonHighway6tomilepost20andparkattheFootbridgeDay-UseAreaonthenorthsideofthehighway.

Keenig Creek TrailheadTravelonHighway6tomilepost18andturnnorthonCedarButteRoadanddriveoverthebridge.TurnleftontoMuesialCreekRoadandcontinue0.2miletothetrailheadontheright.

about the TrailTheWilsonRiverTrailisa20.6miletrailextendingfromKeenigCreektoElkCreekTrailheadsandmaybeaccessedfromseveraltrailheadsinbetween.ThisguidehighlightsthewesternportionofthetrailfromJonesCreekTrailheadtoKeenigCreekTrailhead.Aseparateguidecoverstheeasternpartofthetrail,whichextendsfromElkCreekTrailheadtoJonesCreekDay-UseArea.PartsofthistrailfollowtheWilsonRiver,andsomesectionsventureintotheforestawayfromtheriver.Visitorsmayenjoythistrailasonelongjourneyorinsections.TheOregonDepartmentofForestrymanagestheTillamookStateForestformultiplerecreationalopportunities.Shortportionsofthenon-motorized

Wolf Creek

WilsonRiverTrailtravelnearmotorizedtrailzones.Youmayhearsoundsofmotorcyclesandall-terrainvehicles.Pleasemakesuretoremainontheappropriatedesignatedtrails.

Jones Creek Trailhead to Footbridge Trailhead

ThisportionofthetrailfollowsthenorthsideoftheWilsonRiverandHighway6.ThefirstmilemeandersalongtheriverpastJonesCreekCampgroundandtheTillamookForestCenter—anawardwinningvisitorcenterofferingexhibits,natureprograms,andfacilityrentals.IfyoureachtheWilsonRiverTrailfromthevisitorcenter,makesuretoreturnpriortoclosingtimebecausethegateswillbelockedafterhours.DownstreamfromthecenterthetrailmeetsCedarCreekRoadforabout100feet-watchfortraffic.Makesuretostayrightandavoidsidetrailsinthegroveofredalders.Atthe1.1milemark,anarrowlogbridgewithattachedhandrailcrossesCedarCreek.Thisspotisagreatplacetopeerintopoolsforsalmoninthefall,hearthecallofabeltedkingfisherorlookforsignsofbeaver.FromherethetraillevelsandpassesalargeSitkasprucetree,andseverallargestumps.ThetrailcrossesunderthepowerlinestwiceandthenclimbsawayfromtheWilsonRiverandhighwaysounds.Maidenhairfernsappearonmoistrockwallssurroundedbywesternredcedarandbigleafmapletrees.At2.0miles,WilsonFallscascadesfromahighledgeandflowsacrosstherockytrail.ThisisagooddestinationspotforthosewhowouldliketohaveashortertripandreturntoeithertheJonesCreekDay-UseAreaortheTillamookForestCenter.Ifalongertripisdesired,continue1.3milesonthetrailcrossingseveralbridgeswhileenjoyingthedenseforestandsmallstreams.Visitorswillcometoajunctionwithtwooptions.ThefirstleadsacrosstheWilsonRivertotheFootbridgeTrailheadin0.3mile,andtheotherleads6.1milestoKeenigCreekTrailhead.

Tillamook Treasures

Footbridge Trailhead to Keenig Creek TrailheadToreachtheWilsonRiverTrailfromtheFootbridgeTrailhead,parkattheadjacentFootbridgeDay-UseAreaonthenorthsideofthehighwayandfindthesidetrailuptotheroadandtothefootbridge.Crossthefootbridgetotheconnectortrailthatleadsdownhilloverthedryriverbedandintotheforestfor0.3miletoajunctionwiththeWilsonRiverTrail.Thetrailtravelswestoveralogbridge,anduptoarockbluffwithniceviewsoftheriverbelow.Theroutedropsintothenextdrainage,andsoonintersectstheWolfCreekRoadin1.0mile.Followtheroadnorth500feetandpickupthetrailheadingdowntothecreek.Alogbenchoffersaplacetorelaxandenjoythemajesticviewofmossybouldersandlushfernsabsorbingthetricklingwater.ThisisagoodplacetohavelunchandturnaroundifyouhavenotarrangedashuttlefromKeenigCreekTrailhead.Severalmajesticwaterfallsspilldowntheruggedhillsidesinthenext3.6milesbetweenWolfCreekandCedarButteRoad.Becausethisareaissteep,bepreparedforchangingtrailconditions,sheerdrop-offsandlooserockespeciallyduringheavyrains.FromWolfCreek,thefirstmileascendsquicklyandthenturnsintoamoregradualclimb.Alongthewaysmallwesternhemlocktreesdottheforestflooralongwithmassivenurselogsthatprovidewildlifehabitatandcreatenichesforplantstogrow.Afterreachingavista-filledridgeline,thetrailfordsthefirstofmanystreamsthatmarksthebeginningoftheRyanCreekwatershed.

indian-pipe (Monotropa uniflora)Thesepeculiarflowersgrowinconiferousforestsatlowelevation,andmaybespottedalongthistrailinmid-June.Theflowersarewhitebecausetheydonotcontainchlorophyll,whichmeanstheyarenotabletoproducetheirownfood.Thisplantisanindirectparasitecalledamycoheterotroph—itobtainsenergyfromafungus,whichinturngetsitsenergyfromalivingplant.

Forthenext2.8milesthegentlyrollingtrailiscarvedoutofsteephillsidesandcrossesbeautifulcascadingwaterfalls.AsyounearCedarButteRoad,enormoussnags(standingdeadtrees)jutoutofthegroundservingasareminderofaforestfullofbigtreesthatexistedpriortotheTillamookBurn.FromCedarButteRoad,theroutebeginsa1.5miledescenttotheKeenigCreekTrailhead.Thetrailtraversesanumberofswitchbacksandarecentclearcutharvestarea.Severaltreesremainintheopenareafornaturalseeddispersal,anddebrisonthegroundcontributestoorganicmatterneededontheforestfloor.