Last weekend we ventured south of Salem to explore the Santiam Wagon Road. We were looking for a shady hike, both dog and family-friendly. (Translation: not too many people, not too much elevation gain, no sheer drop-offs, plus a cooling creek crossing or two.) Santiam Wagon Road fit the bill, plus some, on all fronts.
The wagon road – originally called the Willamette Valley Cascade Mountain Wagon Trail – served as the main road between Sisters and Albany for 70 years; it’s now on the National Register of Historic Places and a designated Oregon Historic Trail. Originally built by ranchers and businessmen who traded their labor for 800,000 acres of government land, the 102-mile stretch was used to move livestock eastward to pasture in Central Oregon, and on to market in eastern Oregon and Idaho. The route established by surveyors Andrew Wiley, John Gray and John Bradenburg followed earlier Indian trails from the Willamette Valley and over the Cascades. Toll was charged when the trail opened in 1867 and until 1915; the state acquired the road in 1925 but abandoned it in 1930. With the opening of Highway 20 in 1939, it was all but forgotten.
Today, there are many access points to the wagon road along HWY 20 and HWY 126; we opted to do the segment that starts just past the Mountain House (mile post 52.5 on HWY 20) and passes House Rock – a gigantic boulder, perhaps pushed downstream during a centuries-old seismic or volcanic event. The hike was about 6-miles round trip and took us on a meandering route through old growth stands in the Willamette National Forest, across a few bubbling creeks (where we stopped for lunch) and then dipped down to the banks of the South Santiam River – the perfect spot for a cooling dip before returning to the car.
The hike traversed a very well-preserved and well-marked section of the trail; it’s possible walk much further than we did, so you could make it a longer outing – or perhaps an overnight. It was incredibly peaceful – we saw only two other pairs of hikers on the trail and, near our turnaround point, encountered several groups of campers at House Rock Campground (which looks like a great car-camping spot). Trees along the way included Doug Fir (towering specimens perfect for tree hugging!), Western Hemlock, Alder and Maple; I imagine with that combo, it would also make a colorful fall hike. The only downside was traffic noise on HWY 20 for the first part of the hike, but after a while, it fades. All in all, a beautiful day in the forest – we’ll definitely be back!
Sally and Her Teacakes 