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Cedar Flats Hike

From Portland Hikers Field Guide

Waterfall on Opal Creek
Waterfall on Opal Creek
Old mining car along the way to Jawbone Flats
Old mining car along the way to Jawbone Flats
The official trail ends with the crossing at Beachie Creek
The official trail ends with the crossing at Beachie Creek
Insert map image here
Insert map image here
  • Start point: Opal Creek Trailhead
  • End point: Cedar Flats
  • Trail Log: Trail Log
  • Hike Type: Out and back, part of the hike is a loop
  • Distance: 10.5 miles round trip
  • Elevation gain: 500 feet
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Seasons: All, but check conditions in winter first
  • Family Friendly: Yes
  • Backpackable: Yes
  • Crowded: Yes
  • GPS Track: View on map - Download

Contents

Hike Description

For the first part of this hike, you will be traveling on a gravel road. The road is used by the residents of Jawbone Flats only, so it is not likely that you will encounter any vehicles.

Although this is not a trail, after visiting here you may consider it one of the most scenic roads you will ever walk upon. You will travel through magnificent old growth, gaze upon the dazzling waters of the Little North Santiam, and view part of the mining history and artifacts of this bygone era. There are several footpaths for you to walk down to the water, a few flat camping areas, and you should be sure to stop at the Merten Mill area to view the old mining equipment and Cascada de los Ninos (or Sawmill Falls). Just beyond Merten Mill there is an outhouse and an option of staying on the road to Jawbone Flats or crossing the Little North Santiam River and taking the Mike Kopetski Trail up to meet up with the Opal Creek Trail near Opal Pool. Either way is highly recommended, but the trip is usually done as a clockwise loop.

After enjoying the charming rusticity of Jawbone Flats, leave town by crossing over Battle Axe Creek, and turn right at the Peloton Shed. An outhouse is available here if needed. You will find the trailhead just .20 miles up the road on your right at a sign for the Opal Pool. Take the trail down to get your first view of Opal Creek and just upstream from the bridge is the Opal Pool. Cross the bridge and turn left, heading upstream, and take the Opal Creek trail (aka Bear Trail) upstream. You will travel through an immense forest of Douglas-fir and Pacific Yew, filled with an understory of red and blue huckleberries, which ripen in September. You'll cross the creek several times on wooden footbridges, and arrive at Cedar Flats, a collection of ten-foot thick, 1000 year old cedars in a mile and half. Most people have lunch and turn back here, as the trail officially ends at the crossing of Beachie Creek shortly after Cedar Flats. Return the way you came.

For those enthralled with the Opal Creek area who wish to continue upstream, the Opal Creek trail continues across Beachie Creek but is not maintained. Follow a rough, unmaintained path through a grove of massive Douglas Firs and over a fairly steep slope to reach an unnamed 80-foot waterfall about a mile upstream. It is possible to continue bushwhacking up Opal Creek, passing 250-foot Opal Falls and finally reaching Opal Lake in approximately 4 miles. This bushwhack should not be done as a day-hike and is only recommended to those who either have a car-shuttle (there is a trail to Opal Lake that drops down from FR 2207) or have set up camp somewhere near Cedar Flats. Do not attempt this unless you are prepared and have bushwhacking experience.

Maps

Regulations or Restrictions, etc.

  • The gravel road/trail to Jawbone Flats is not wilderness, but every trail leading off of it is, so all normal wilderness rules apply: no groups larger than 12, no bikes, and leave no trace. Dogs must be leashed in Jawbone Flats.

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

  • 100 Hikes in Central Oregon , by William L. Sullivan
  • Exploring Oregon's History, by William L. Sullivan
  • 100 Hikes in Oregon by Doug Lorain

More Links

Contributors

Retrieved from "http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Cedar_Flats_Hike"
Portland Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.