Hike #1: Lower Saltzman Maple Loop

Trailhead: Lower Saltzman. Take Hwy 30 towards the St. John's bridge and turn left onto NW Saltzman Rd. Continue up the gravel road until you reach the gate. Saltzman Road is the main road beyond the gate.

What I listened to in the car: On Being, James Martin: Finding God in Everything. Jesuit priest with bad catholic jokes and reflections on Ignatian spirituality and being a friend to god.

Companions: Tumalo and Chester, an old cocker spaniel my dad dog sits for sometimes.

Trail Map showing Saltzman and Maple Trails

Trails hiked on: Saltzman Road, Leif Erickson Drive and Maple Trail

Miles hiked: 3.1, 1.5 hrs

Unique miles hiked: 2.7 (it's a lolly pop loop so I don't count the .4 miles from the trailhead to the Maple intersection)

Weather: Cold and frosty! High of 34 today but very sunny.

Amenities: Poop bags are often found by the garbage can just beyond the gate. No water or toilets. Go before you go.

Notes:

This is one of my very favorite trails and one I have a goal to hike on 4 times this year in the four different seasons.  This hike starts and ends on Saltzman Road, one of the roads that run east/west (uphill/downhill) through the park. This road is graveled and wide, making it great for a mud-free hike or when walking with a number of friends and you don't want to spend the whole hike staring at each others backs. The loop is made by taking the Maple Trail, a lovely trail that goes through some cedar forest, some more open alder and maple forests and crosses a number of creeks.

Coming up to the intersection of Saltzman and Leif Ericson

From the parking area and along much of the first part of Saltzman road you can look down through the trees and see the industrial port area along the Willamette River. The road climbs gently through a maple/douglas fir forest and there are a number of snags where you can see woodpecker activity. After 0.4 miles you come to the intersection of the Maple Trail but to do this loop you will continue straight. I'm sure we'll go left on the Maple trail before too long, though. The road continues to ascend through the forest and crosses a couple creeks. Today I heard pileated woodpeckers and  a douglas squirrel but possibly my coolest wildlife encounter in Forest Park ever happened along this trail. Two years ago in the fall I came across a Pacific Giant Salamender in the road. What strange creatures they are!

The view of the St John's Bridge from Saltzman Rd

After 1.25 miles you reach the intersection of Saltzman Road with Leif Ericson Drive. Leif Erickson runs north/south through the park (approximately along an elevation line, though there is elevation gain along the road) from NW Thurman St all the way to NW Germantown Road. This intersection of the two roads is marked by a large open gravel area and a picnic table. There is also a map of the park mounted there, maintained by the city and the Forest Park conservancy. These maps are amazing and I am ever grateful for them!

Continue following the gravel road to the right (the roads get convoluted, but to the right is Leif Ericson). I stopped and snapped a picture of the St. John's bridge and North Portland through the winter bare branches. It'll be interested to see how little of that view is available once the foliage comes in. The stretch of Leif Ericson between Saltzman Road and the Maple Trail is flat and dark. Today there were interesting ice formations in the puddles and the air was frigid.

A creek along the Maple Trail

The Maple trail is on the right in a grassy clearing. In the summer it can be hard to see the trail but the sign is quite visible in the winter. Trail maintenance crews have been doing an excellent job with the first part of the Maple Trail here, laying gravel and fixing the first wooden bridge. The trail winds up and down and around the ridges and gullies just down elevation from the roads we hiked up on. It was cold and still today but the sunlight on the far ridges and tree tops was beautiful. One of my favorite parts of the trail is the last wooden bridge where the creek seems to flow out from under a big fir tree. There was ice on overhanging vegetation along the creek today. Did I mention it was cold?

It was a lovely first hike of the year and an excellent way to start off my challenge. Happy 2015!!