*(Click
on above link for directions and information.)
(Click
on photos for enlarged or companion views.)
Cascade Head Road (USFS RD 1861) is closed from
January 1 through July 15 so the Preserve's upper trail is not accessible during those months,
unless one wishes to access it from the lower trail. In that event it is necessary to hike the entire Preserve trail
in one day. Although the trail is
reportedly only 2 and 1/2 miles long, it seems much longer. Also as one must park at Knight Park to
start on the lower trail, another mile is be added to the hike. Starting on the
lower trail the hiker is immediately aware that it is steep and realizes that
ascending and descending will both be arduous.
In the spring and summer
Cascade Head Preserve Trail is lush and the same wide variety of trees, bushes, shrubs
and wildflowers that are seen in other Siuslaw Forest trails can be seen on the
forested sections of the Preserve, however that does not diminish its beauty
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However, the Preserve Trail is unique. After about a mile the trees and shrubs
suddenly thin and disappear. Hikers
find themselves on an almost treeless coastal prairie with a magnificent view
of the Pacific to the west and north, as well as a view of the coast and the
Salmon River Estuary joining the Pacific to the south. The views are uninterrupted by any signs of
civilization, except for perhaps another hiker or two or an occasional boat on
the Salmon River. This is one of the sights that draws hikers to this trail
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Entering the Prairie |
Salmon River Estuary |
Salmon River and Estuary |
The prairie's grasses are verdant in the spring
into summer and two rare wildflowers bloom there: the Cascade Head Catchfly and
the Hairy Checkermallow. Sometimes the
rare flowers are growing intertwined with more common flowers such as Lupine.
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Cascade Head Catchfly |
Hairy Checkermallow |
Lupine and Checkermallow |
A contrast to the spring and summer green of the prairie is the drabness of late
fall and winter where the only color is green chaparral and occasional late
blooming wildflowers such as Pearly Everlasting, Thistle, Yarrow or Goldenrod.
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The prairie trail passes through a small lush "oasis"
that is a welcome sight on a hot day when backpack thermometers can reach 86 or
90 degrees. It is a good place to eat
lunch or just to rest and view the ocean through the trees. At this point hikers can continue through
the prairie as it grows progressively steeper, or return to the lower trail,
cautiously navigating the root-laced trail as it sharply descends.
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Oasis |
Oasis View |
Root-Laced Descent |
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