JEFFERSON PARK VIA WOODPECKER RIDGE

Woodpecker Ridge stats:

• Distance: 12.2 miles out and back

• Elevation Gain: 1,900 feet

• Trailhead elevation: 4,479 feet

• Trail high point: 5,889 feet

• Season: late July – October

• Best: September – October 

• Pass: none needed for day use, Central Cascades Wilderness Overnight permit for backpacking

• GPS Track: September 2024

• On the traditional lands of: the Molalla and Tenino peoples

Directions:

• From Salem, drive east on OR 22 for 60.5 miles (or exactly 11.8 miles past the Breitenbush turnoff in Detroit) to a junction with Woodpecker Road (FR 040).

• Turn left here and drive this narrow gravel road for 5.4 miles to the signed Woodpecker Ridge Trailhead. There are several parking spots on both sides of the road.

Hike: The Woodpecker Ridge Trail was a quiet, off the beaten trail approach to Jefferson Park before the 2020 fires. I wrote about the hike in the first edition of 101 Hikes in the Majestic Mount Jefferson Region. Since the publication of that book, the Woodpecker Ridge Trail and Pacific Crest Trail burned severely in the 2020 Lionshead Fire, and most of this hike passes through a skeleton forest of trees that were consumed in the fire. Much of what I said in the first edition of the book is still true about this route, however. This hike is still a quiet, little-known alternate route into Jefferson Park, and it is still perhaps the easiest route into the park. Jefferson Park remains mostly unburned, and is still achingly beautiful. 

Before we get to the hike, there is something else I have to tell you about. Before you reach Jefferson Park, you need to cross Russell Creek. From early July to the middle of August, the crossing of Russell Creek is among the most difficult in the state of Oregon. Though usually tame in the morning, afternoon snowmelt from the Jefferson Park Glacier swells Russell Creek into a raging torrent, one that is extremely dangerous when running high. Absolutely avoid this hike on hot days in July unless you plan on backpacking or establishing a car shuttle – and in that case, plan on beginning your day early in the morning, when the crossing is manageable for most hikers. Or you could just wait until September and October, when the area is deserted and the crossing is generally not difficult at all.

The hike begins on the rocky, gullied Woodpecker Ridge Trail. The fire burned over the slopes here at a lower severity than on the Pacific Crest Trail, and there are even some sections of unburned forest along the ridge. This trail gets better maintenance now than it did before the fires, and is now a well-traveled, well-maintained trail all the way to the PCT. The Woodpecker Ridge climbs and drops at a mostly gradual rate to a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail at just 1.6 miles from the trailhead. Turn left here.

The Pacific Crest Trail is as it is elsewhere – well-graded, well-maintained and easy to follow. You will see turquoise Whitewater Lake below the trail just after you turn on to the PCT. Just 0.5 mile past the Woodpecker Ridge junction, pass a shallow tarn with a gorgeous reflection of Mount Jefferson’s summit spires. Pikas meep! at you from the rockslide above the lake, warning of intruders. The forest here burned hot during the fires and this is a rather ghostly spot now, but the reflection of Mount Jefferson above is still hard to beat. Beyond the lake, the PCT continues through severe fire damage along the slopes of the mountain. Life is returning to these slopes after the fire, and you will note lots of new flowers and very small trees sprouting from the ashes of the fire. As you approach Russell Creek, keen eyes can spot magnificent Russell Creek Falls in the canyon below. The falls was never visible before the fire, and only a few intrepid waterfall hunters had ever visited the spot. For a much better view, look for a wide bench just below the PCT that used to be a campsite before the fire. Listen for the falls, then head off-trail in the direction of the canyon wall. You’ll have a better view within a couple of minutes. Just watch your step near the canyon wall, as the slopes are steep. You don’t need to get too close to the edge for a good view of the falls. Trail crews should build a short trail to this viewpoint, as the falls is absolutely majestic, and stands at an impressive 151 feet tall.

Beyond the falls, the trail drops to the aforementioned crossing of Russell Creek. All things considered, crossing Russell Creek is not that difficult unless the creek is running high. There are often rocks that provide passage with dry feet. If you are not sure of the route across, scramble upstream until you find a wider, flatter spot at which to cross. If you are not certain of your ability to make it across the creek, there is no shame in turning around here.

Once across the creek, look back for a better view of Russell Creek’s deep canyon, tumbling out of the glaciers high up on Mount Jefferson. From here, you will leave the fire damage behind at last and continue another 0.5 mile to a junction with the popular Whitewater Trail, where you turn right. Another 0.9 mile of increasingly beautiful scenery leads you to Jefferson Park, where you can choose your own adventure to enjoy this most special of places. Return the way you came, unless you decided to set up a car shuttle to one of the other trailheads that access Jefferson Park.