Looking for a lovely forest hike without crowds and without a long drive? Those can be few and far between in the summertime, especially in the populous western half of Oregon. It seems that more people are hiking these days, but we have lost many westside trails to wildfires in recent years, putting more pressure on the trails that remain. It’s good to see so many people enjoying the outdoors, but that far-away-from-everything feeling doesn’t come so easily.
Lying in the Cascade foothills east of Salem, the park is reached via the Cascade Highway out of Silverton or from Highway 22 out of Salem (go north from the Stayton/Sublimity exit). Look for Silver Falls Highway, a peaceful country drive through fields and forests.
Today’s hike in the Howard Creek area has shorter and longer options, depending on your fitness level and how much of the forest you would like to see. The longer option also has more elevation change (read: climbing) but is well worth the extra time and effort. Expect a few muddy areas after a rain, especially with the longer version, but overall the trail here is well-maintained, and parts of it are graveled…