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Date:  July 24, 2010

Location  Siltcoos Lake Trail Hike

Where:  Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

 

 For this hike we fled to the coast with friends Michael and Melissa Garguilo to escape the heat of the 90s in Elkton. The plan was to picnic at the Oregon Dunes Overlook and then spend the afternoon hiking on the beach, but with a cold fog and wind on the beach and tempatures in the 50s we opted to hike a little inland on the protected Siltcoos Lake Trail.

Jeanette, Melissa, & Michael at the trailhead

This is essentially a hike in dense forest. Towering trees block out most of the sunshine and wind, moss, ferns and salal fill in the understory. The trail leaves busy Highway 101, climbs through a saddle and drops down to some campsites on Siltcoos Lake. There are six campsites, which are mainly accessed by boaters, but are entirely appropriate for backpacks as well.

Jeanette, Melissa and Michael at a lake-side campsite

Several junctions in the trail give you options for a loop; we choose to make a counter-clock-wise loop. Our return route took us past a number of impressive old giants that have managed to escape both fire and logging.

Michael with giant old Western Red Cedar

Jeanette's pedometer gave us credit for four and a half miles of hiking for the day. Tempature at leaving the trailhead parking lot was 57 degrees. Arriving in Elkton it was 93 degrees.