For More InformationOregon Department of Forestry

Forest Grove District Office801 Gales Creek Road

Forest Grove, OR 97116(503) 357-2191

www.oregon.gov/ODF

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 TrailElk Creek – Jones Creek Trailhead

lengTh: 11.0 milesDiFFiculTy: Moderate

Elk Creek Trailhead to Kings Mt. Trailhead – 3.7 miles

Kings Mt. Trailhead to Jones Creek Trailhead – 7.5 miles

Pack

I t I n-Pack It

Out

Tilla

mook Forest

coho (silver) Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)RiversthroughouttheTillamookStateForestsupportnativesalmonandtrout.CohosalmonprefersmallstreamsandtravelupriverfromOctobertoJanuarytospawn,whileyoungfryheaddownriverinthespring.TheTillamookForestCenter,SmithHomesteadDay-UseArea,DiamondMillOHVStagingAreaandNehalemFallsCampgroundaregreatplacestoseethesemajesticcreatures.TheOregonDepartmentofForestryismakingleapsforfishbytakingmeasurestorestore,maintainandenhancesalmonhabitat.

Tillamook TreasuresTillamook Treasures

Kings Mountain Trailhead to Jones Creek TrailheadThissegmentofthetrailoffersamazingviewsofsteepruggedcanyonsinaremotesetting.

ToaccessthetrailfromKingsMountainTrailhead,followKingsMountainTrailfor0.1miletotheWilsonRiverTrailjunction.AtthejunctionturnleftontothewestboundsegmentoftheWilsonRiverTrail.Theinitial0.3milefordsthefirstofseveralstreams,crossesanoldroadandclimbsgraduallyalongrollingterrain.Thetrailmeetsawoodenbridgeandfollowsaseriesofswitchbacksuphill,risinghighabovetheWilsonRiverHighway.Asyounearthe1.0milemarkandtheridgecrest,takeintheviewofDouglas-firtreesblanketingtheslopes.Overhead,lichendanglesfrombigleafmaplebranches.

Thetraillevelsoutandskirtsbelowtheridgelineforthenext2.0miles.Visitorswillexperienceopen,exposedslopeswithdistantviews;large,charredsnagsriddledwithpileatedwoodpeckerholes;andtwomassivebasaltformationsrisingupfromthecanyonfloor.Nearingthe4.0milemarktheroutedivesintoadenseforestbeginninga1.8miledescenttotheNorthForkoftheWilsonRiver.Asyoumeanderthroughswordferns,youmayhearsoundsofmotorcyclesandall-terrainvehiclesfromDiamondMillOHVStagingArea.Atthe5.5milepoint,agracefularchedbridgespans110feetacrosstheNorthForkoftheWilsonRiver.Takeamomenttopeerintotheblue-greenwatertoseeifyoucanspotanyfish.

ToreachJonesCreekTrailheadin1.9miles,crossthebridgeandveerleftalongtheriver.MakesuretobringacameratocaptureLesterCreekFalls.In0.5milethetrailcrossesNorthForkRoad,andclimbsintotheforest.Thenext0.9milerisesoverasmallcrestandcrossestheroadforasecondtime.Theremaining0.5miledownhilltotheJonesCreekDay-UseAreapassesseveralwesternthatchinganthillsandsevenmagnificentlegacytreesthatsurvivedintheTillamookBurn.

**cauTiOn**Useextracautionwhendrivingonsingle-lanegravelroads

intheforest.Driveslowlyandwatchfortrucktraffic. Bepreparedforchangingtrailandweatherconditions,

steep terrain and loose rock. Printed on recycled paper 6/09

knownascicadasareoftenhearddrummingoverheadintreebranches,waterouzelsdipinthecreeksandlizardsscurryoverrocks.

Atthe2.0milemark,thetrailpassesthroughagroveofaldertreesasitcrossesDogCreek.LookforscratchesonthetreetrunkswhereRooseveltelkhaverubbedtheirantlers.Thenextmileoftrailfollowsthemountainside,dartinginandoutoftheforestcanopy.

TRaIl InFoRMaTIon

Trailhead accessThistrailcanbereachedfromseveraltrailheads.

Elk Creek TrailheadFollowHighway6tomilepost28.TurnnorthontoElk CreekRoadandcontinuethroughElkCreekCampgroundandcrossthebridgetothetrailhead.

Kings Mountain TrailheadTravelonHighway6nearmilepost25.Thetrailheadisonthenorthsideofthehighway.

Jones Creek TrailheadThistrailheadislocatedattheJonesCreekDay-UseArea.TravelonHighway6betweenmilepost22and23.TurnnorthonNorthForkRoadfollowingthesignstoJonesCreekCampground.Proceedoverthebridgeturningleftintotheday-usearea.Thetrailbeginsnearthetrailheadsignandheadsdowntowardtheriver.IfyouaccesstheWilsonRiverTrailfromtheTillamookForestCenter,makesuretoreturnpriortoclosingtimebecausethegateswillbelockedafterhours.

about the TrailThistrailcanbeenjoyedasonelongjourneyorinsections.TheWilsonRiverTrailisa20.6milelineartrailextendingfromElkCreektoKeenigCreekTrailheadsandmaybeaccessedfromseveraltrailheadsinbetween.ThisguidehighlightstheeasternportionofthetrailfromElkCreekTrailheadtotheJonesCreekDay-UseArea.AseparateguidecoversthewesternpartofthetrailthatextendsfromJonesCreektoKeenigTrailheads.PartsofthistrailtravelalongtheWilsonRiver,andsomesectionsarefarfromtheriver.TheOregonDepartmentofForestrymanagestheTillamookStateForestformultiplerecreationalopportunities.Asectionofthenon-motorizedWilsonRiverTrailtravelsnearamotorizedtrailzoneandadjacenttotheDiamondMillOffHighway

Vehicle(OHV)StagingArea.Youmayhearsoundsofmotorcyclesandall-terrainvehiclesfromDiamondMilltotheJonesCreekDay-UseArea.Pleasemakesuretoremainontheappropriatedesignatedtrails.

Elk Creek Trailhead to Kings Mountain TrailheadThisportionoftheWilsonRiverTrailisagreatoptionforElkCreekcampersandday-usevisitors.

ThetrailbeginsadjacenttoaninformationsignwithafairlysteepclimbalongthesideofElkMountain.AfterpassingthejunctiontoElkMountainin0.1mile,thetraillevelsoff.Hikersandmountainbikerswilldiscoverrockyoutcrops,viewsoftheWilsonRivercorridor,andplentifulwildlifeundertheforestcanopy.Largeinsects

Rock outcrop from the trailAt3.2miles,alushmeadowappearswhereelkliketobrowse. Thisisagoodplacetoturnaroundifaround-tripisplanned.Otherwisecontinue0.5miletoreachKingsMountainTrailhead.Foralongerouting,crossKingsMountainTrailandcontinuetotheJonesCreekDay-UseAreaandtrailhead.

0.1Diamond Mill Road

Road

North Fork

Jones Creek

North

Fork

Wilson

River

Lester

CreekWilson

Wilson

Ben Smith Road

River

River

Kings Mountain Trail Trail

Dog Creek

Elk Mountain Trail

Elk Creek Trail

Elk Creek

South

Fork Road

Diamond Mill

1.9JonesCreek

22 miles toTillamook

TillamookForestCenter

SmithHomestead

MP23

MP24

5.5

MP25

KingsMountain

MP26

3.5

MP27

0.1Elk Creek

MP28

43 miles to

Portland

Miles between points1.4

Highway Milepost Markers

Highway Gravel Road

N

Private LandState Land

Hiking & Mt. Biking TrailHiking Trail

OHV Staging AreaPicnic 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