Elk Creek Hike – Oregon Coast Range

The Elk Creek Trail is a quiet, forested route in Oregon’s Coast Range on an old logging road that parallels Elk Creek before ascending a ridge of Elk Mountain.

distance: 8 miles (out and back)
elevation gain: 2,100 ft
difficulty: strenuous
best season: fall, spring
drive time from Portland: 1 hour**
parking pass:** nonehike description: OregonHikers.org: Elk Creek Hike

The Hike

This is a great forested hike for conditioning in the spring, with trilliums in bloom and ferns starting to unfurl. We hiked to a junction with the Elk Mountain Trail and headed back the same way for a total of 8 miles with 2,100 ft gain.

This sign is for the Wilson River Trail, which turns and crosses Elk Creek after half a mile to reach the Idiot Creek trailhead. For this hike, we continued on the Elk Creek trail instead.

Elk Creek is always a pretty sight.

Trilliums alongside the trail

Oxalis was just starting to bloom

This mossy rock wall was dripping with water cascading down.

We were surprised to see a couple of snow patches next to the trail so late in the season.

At our endpoint, we stopped to have lunch here before turning around and heading back the same way.