Clackamas River Trail #715
Updated: Jan 12
Trail Name: Clackamas River Trail #715
Waterfall Name: Pup Creek Falls
Waterfall Coordinates: 45.14678, -122.10563 Waterfall Elevation: 1290′ Elevation Range: 885′ to 1356′ Distance: 8.5 miles *point to point; Indian Henry TH to Fish Creek TH
Elevation Range: 950' to 1566'
Ascent/Descent: +3934 ft / -4344 ft Trail Type: Point to point
Permits/Fees: Northwest Forest Pass for parking Note: This hike can be done in many different ways. It’s a point to point hike along the Clackamas River past Estacada, OR.
Location: Near Hwy 224 in Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon, U.S.A.
Administration: Mount Hood National Forest
Ranger District: Clackamas River Ranger District Date accessed: 8-11-19 *this date is when I did the whole length of the trail from point to point; I’ve done it too many times to count doing only sections of the trail
UPDATE 2024: This trail is still closed due to the substantial damage to it from the 2020 fires. I'm not very optimistic that this trail will reopen anytime in the near future or at all. The Forest Service website states "CLOSED due to extensive damage, destroyed bridges, and slide areas from the Riverside Fire. Please do not attempt to use this trail, as staff and partners are working hard to make repairs."
The Clackamas River Trail is the main hiking trail along the Clackamas River. There are multiple ways to hike this point-to-point trail. I’ve gone 2 miles, 4 miles and 8.5 miles. There’s also the option of doing the whole trail as an in-and-out which would make it 17 miles. I really love this trail because I can make my mileage whatever I want it to be.
This trail will always hold a special place in my heart because it’s what’s given me my life back. At the start of the summer (In 2019) I decided I wanted to try working up to the point I could maybe hike again. I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it, but I wanted to try. I grew up hiking and I always loved it. I truly thrived doing it, but after being bedridden from a chronic illness for 2 winters and barely able to move during the summers, hiking seemed like another thing to add to the list of things I’d probably never be able to do again.
After I went to a treatment program in the fall of 2018 I was starting to see some real progress. I could walk without immense pain and was able to start dong a yoga class once a week. So in June I decided I wanted to try to get to the point I could hike the whole length of the trail, all 8.5 miles of it. I wanted to do it in a healthy way, where I wasn’t paying for it after the fact pain wise. It was very uncomfortable at first and I felt pretty discouraged because I was only able to start doing half a mile. But I kept going out 2-3 times a week and just doing what I could do each time.
I was slowly able to add more distance. By the end of June I was able to go 4 miles without paying for it afterwards. I continued hiking throughout the rest of the summer. The second week in August was when I decided I wanted to try hiking the whole length of the trail since I was planning on heading off for college soon and wanted to complete my goal before I left.
When I used this as my training trail in 2019 and 2020 (pre-fire) I usually did this hike as an in-and-out from one end with whatever mileage I was wanting to do for the day (usually 3 or 4 miles round trip). I’ve done this kind of training hiking from the Fish Creek end & Indian Henry ends. Most of the time I hiked from the Fish Creek Trailhead because it was only 15 minutes away from my house.
I really liked both ends of the trail because of how different they were. The Fish Creek end followed along the Clackamas River and was visible most of 1.5-2 miles I’d tend to hike one-way down the trail. The first part was pretty flat and then it descended up a ways above the river.
The Indian Henry end started in the forest and work its way up pretty high past some pretty rock cliffs. Then it dropped down to the river pretty quickly after about 2 miles. It’s such a beautiful forest to hike through because there were a couple seasonal, small waterfalls and the greenery of the forest is incredible. The Indian Henry end didn’t have as good views of the river as the Fish Creek end until it drops down to river level after 2 miles into the trail.
So in August, I hiked the length of the trail point-to-point for the first time, which took me around 4 hours to go the 8.5 miles. (Most of the online sources I found say it’s 7.5 miles point-to-point, but when I tracked it with my Fitbit it recorded 8.5 miles.) We dropped a car off at the Fish Creek Trailhead, then my dad drove my mom and I to the Indian Henry Trailhead where he dropped us off. I wanted to start from the Indian Henry side because a little ways into the trail there’s a long downhill section and I didn’t want to have to hike up it at the end if I started from the Fish Creek end.
It felt like quite the daunting goal, doing the whole trail, because a week before I’d wiped out and hurt my knee pretty bad dirt biking. A rock punctured my knee and it leaked some of the fluid that helps the knee move smoothly. I’d been limping around due to the injury, but decided to at least try and hike the trail because the pain was tolerable so long as I wasn’t climbing steps. I ended up being able to hike the whole trail, bum knee and all. The more I hiked the less it bothered me thankfully.
Pup Creek Falls was located smack dab in the middle of the trail. So it’s a little over 4 miles one way from both ends of the trail. So even just to do an in-and-out hike to the waterfall would still make it 8 miles round trip. There is a spur trail that goes up to Pup Creek Falls. It’s about 0.2 miles off the mail trail (one way). It’s a very well worn path and there is a wood pole that’s right beside the trail. It was easy to spot and pretty hard to miss. It felt like such an accomplishment to finally get to see the waterfall with all the hiking I’d done on each ends of the trail. It felt like a dangling carrot while I was working up my ability to hike again. Pup Creek falls was beautiful and the moss that coated the rocks near it were so vibrant.
I really could go on and on talking about this hike since I’ve hiked the ends so much. The only thing to really note is there are some steep drops, so if you don’t like heights there are a couple areas along the trail where there’s a good drop and only about 2 feet of trail in width.
I was so excited and proud of myself once I completed the trail. It gave me hope in what I can do and gave me back hiking.
The process of getting to the point I could hike this trail reminded me that I can reach my goals with patience and determination. It doesn’t matter the speed at which I accomplish them, just that I keep taking one step forward. It was also a good reminder of how important to listen to my body and learn the difference between pushing myself and overdoing it.
Map
My Wild Adventure is not responsible for your safety, any possible injury, or anything that happens if you choose to follow anything on this website. Maps are not intended to be used for navigational purposes, but to give an overview of the route taken. By going outdoors you are solely responsible to know your strengths and limitations, be aware of current conditions and proceed with the appropriate caution. My Wild Adventure is not responsible for your choices and the outcome. Reference my disclaimer for more information on being responsible outdoors.
Comentarios