Autumn is one of the best times of the year to explore the Pacific Northwest. The air turns crisp and cool, mosquito season is over (a big win in my book!), mushroom hunting season ramps up, and the deciduous leaves of our native shrubs and trees brighten as they change colors. It is absolutely a favorite time of year for me to hit the trail! But where to go?
Though it is difficult to go wrong when selecting an autumn hike in Oregon, there are several hikes that I have found especially welcoming this time of year. Here are a few of my top picks for my home state to be curious about .
1) Silver Fall State Park
Silver Falls is a classic Oregon hike. It is beautiful any time of year, but fall is one of my favorite times to visit, especially on a drizzly day. Giant bigleaf maple trees turn a bright yellow in the fall and litter the ground along with a myriad of other deciduous leaves of various colors and shapes. When the wind picks up, leaves fly down from overhead before finding their way onto the soft earth or dancing along in the waters of Silver Creek. The smell of the Earth is richer in the rain and who doesn’t love a bit of mud or a good splash-able puddle?
Location or Nearest Town: Near Silverton, OR. Trail of Ten Falls starts at South Falls; parking permit is required.
Distance: 7.2 Miles for the Trail of Ten Falls (highly recommend). There are many shorter options as well. Check out the Oregon State Park’s Silver Falls Map to learn more.
Difficulty: Moderate.
When to go: Mid to Late October is typically best for fall colors. I also recommend visiting when there is a bit of rain in the forecast.
Why go? Fall colors juxtaposed against dark green conifers. Silver Falls is also a great place to look for a diverse array of mushrooms. Oh, and then there are the waterfalls!
Trail Curiosity: Fall Leaves!
Leaves in the spring and summer are rich in chlorophyll, an important mixture of compounds that, not only make leaves green but is essential for plants to perform photosynthesis—the light-requiring process they use to produce food. During the fall, with less light available, some plants will halt photosynthesis and, instead, break down their chlorophyll in preparation for winter dormancy—a process known as senescence. During senescence, nutrients are redistributed away from leaves to seeds and buds for the following spring.
Without chlorophyll around, other pigments in leaves become visible. Classes of compounds, like carotenoids and flavonoids, which give leaves an orange or yellow hue respectively, are unmasked in the fall, while others, like red inducing anthocyanins, may even ramp up production in years with a lot of sun. And voila! We have a forest of eye candy!
Because the timing of foliage color change is triggered by changes in day length and decreased temperatures, the timing of color change is predictable. A tourism site called Smoky Mountains publishes a fall foliage prediction map each year to help tourists get the timing right. Other factors, like, sunny days, nighttime temps, as well as moisture conditions can also affect the vibrancy of the fall show.
2) Ramona Falls
The hike to Ramona Falls near Mount Hood is a Portland favorite. The trail features a mossy green forest and mountain views, culminating with access to the lovely Ramona Falls—her water tendrils cascading down a basalt cliff at trails end. Though the hike is accessible much of the year, except for winter, fall is an especially enjoyable time to visit. Why? Because relentlessly pushing up from the duff are countless mushrooms of spectacular variety. Tall or short, symmetrical or irregular, purple or brown—there is much to admire about the biodiversity of mushrooms in the area. In short, fall is mushroom season.
Location or Nearest Town: Mount Hood Wilderness area. Near Rhododendron, OR. Start at the Ramona Falls Trailhead.
Distance: 7.1 miles with additional miles possible.
Difficulty: Moderate (Caution: do not cross the Sandy River when water runs at dangerous levels).
When to go: October to early November.
Why go? Mountain views, a crystal-clear creek, and, of course, Ramona Falls. And in the fall so many mushrooms!
Trail Curiosity: Mushrooms!
Fungi are ubiquitous. Especially in a forest. Creating massive networks of mycelium, growing on and inside plants and their tissues, floating in the air as spores—fungi are all around us. They are found in nearly every ecosystem on the planet, and we are more closely related to kingdom fungi than kingdom plants. Despite this, we hardly give notice. That is until they mushroom.
Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi—releasing spores that are carried by wind, or by other means, to a final resting place. If conditions are suitable, a new fungus will begin to grow. Fungi hedge their bets by producing a lot of spores—sometimes numbering in the trillions.
The spores of a fungi can also be used to help identify a mushroom. Many people create spore prints for this purpose. Others make prints as a form of art. Making a spore print involves placing a mushroom cap gill side down on paper, usually half black and half white, and covering it with a glass cup for 24 hours. When time is up and the cap is removed, a ghostly image of the top of the mushroom cap is left behind.
Besides performing an essential function for the fungi, mushrooms are magnificent to behold. From behemoth king boletes to the dainty (and illegal) liberty caps, the biodiversity of mushrooms in Oregon’s forests is spectacular. There are the popular edible mushrooms, like honey-colored Chanterelles and the fleshy white or brown Matsutake to forage for. Poisonous mushrooms, like the bright-white destroying angel and the greenish and white gilled death caps, to avoid. And many more mushrooms to admire.
3) Old Salmon River Trail
The Old Salmon River Trail is a blissfully easy river walk. With a gentle grade it is appropriate for all ages and most ability levels. The trail runs along the Salmon River on one side and the hardly used Salmon River Road on the other. The path is flanked by mossy, green vegetation, and towering old growth trees that gives a sense of being more remote than it is. The rush of the river near the trail adds to the tranquility, as does the wildlife that call the watery corridor home. In the fall, Chinook Salmon may be seen spawning in the rushing waters of the wild and scenic Salmon River.
Location or Nearest Town: Near Welches, OR. Start at the Old Salmon River Trailhead.
Distance: 5 miles round-trip or arrange a shuttle for a shorter walk.
Difficulty: Easy.
When to go: September to October to see Chinook Salmon spawn in the river.
Why go? Old growth trees, mushrooms, and fall color. This hike really has it all, including the chance to see Chinook Salmon spawning in the fall.
Trail Curiosity: Spawning Salmon!
Chinook Salmon, like other salmonid species, are anadromous fish—born in freshwater, but spending most of their lives in the Ocean, before returning to their natal stream to spawn. They are also called “king salmon” due to their massive size—sometimes reaching up to 50 pounds. With spotted purple backs and silver sides, they are distinguishable from other salmon by a darkened gum line.
The migration of a Chinook to and from the Ocean is full of challenges—from predators to pollution to dams—very few make it back. Those that do return, bodies darkened with a deep red underbelly and fins—are ready to spawn.
The female prepares a redd, or “nest”, by flipping her body sideways and slapping her tail against pebble sized rocks. Her silvery sides shimmering, as she cleans out a depression in the gravel. She lays thousands of eggs into the redd while, simultaneously, a male release his milt—a sperm containing fluid—fertilizing the eggs. Their purpose complete, both parents will die within a couple weeks of spawning. Several weeks later the eggs will hatch, and the cycle will begin again.
4) Scott Mountain Loop
The Scott Mountain Loop begins at scenic Scott Lake. It is worth walking down to the lake before beginning the loop to view the Three Sisters above Scott Lake’s glassy waters. Once on the trail there is much to appreciate, including a subalpine forest of fir and mountain hemlock, several large swimmable lakes, and excellent views of the surrounding mountains.
In the fall, patches of huckleberry shrubs turn a vibrant red along the trail, contrasting against the greens and yellows of the forest. The trail starts at over 5,000 feet of elevation, so as you move up trail to even higher altitudes be prepared to find early snow lingering on the trail. Upon reaching the open meadow summit of Scott Mountain, you will encounter views of many of the nearby Cascade volcanoes, including Mt. Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, and the Three Sisters—with any luck, freshly capped in white.
Location or Nearest Town: Off the McKenzie Highway; Near Sisters, OR. Start at the Benson/Tenas Trailhead.
Distance: 7.7 miles for an out and back to Mount Scott summit or 9.7 miles for the loop. A shorter easier hike to Benson Lake or Tenas Lakes is also possible. Please note you must have a Central Oregon Cascades Permit to hike here.
Difficulty: Difficult with Easy shorter options.
When to go: Late September to Early October after the first snow in the mountains.
Why go? Swimmable lakes, green subalpine forest, and mountain views!
Trail Curiosity: Weather Transitions!
Autumn is a time of transition—it is fleeting, sometimes bittersweet. The heat of summer wanes in favor of cool temperatures, clouds, and even some snow showers in the mountains. For many it is the best time of year to be outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, claiming that “the weather is perfect!”
One of the major factors that influences climate and weather patterns on the planet is sunlight. The Earth orbits around the sun at a tilt, such that at different times of year, depending on where you live, you may be facing the sun or turned away from it. The Fall Equinox, usually around the 22nd of September, marks the day where the Northern Hemisphere starts to tilt away from the sun as it gradually changes in its position in orbit. Without the direct sunrays of summer, the days grow shorter, and the temperatures start to drop—sometimes rather sharply. This leads to the first freeze and mountain snowfall. Winter is on the way, especially in the mountains.