Cummins Ridge Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
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- Start point: Cummins Ridge West Trailhead
- End point: Cummins Ridge East Trailhead
- Hike type: In and out
- Distance: 12.1 miles
- Elevation gain: 1820 feet
- High point: 2,185 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
Contents |
Hike Description
The 9,000-acre Cummins Creek Wilderness, created in 1984, has only one official trail that goes through it: this is the is Cummins Ridge Trail #1366 which bisects the wilderness by running the ridge crest along its spine. The first half of the route is along an overgrown forest road, while the upper half follows a trail that ends at the Cummins Ridge East Trailhead at 2,175 feet above sea level. The ridge forest here was probably more diverse before Euro-American settlers arrived, but is now almost all Douglas-fir up to 150 years in age. Much larger rotting snags in the forest attest to the results of the devastating Great Yaquina Fire of 1849, one of a series of settler-caused fires fanned by September east winds that absolutely incinerated most coastal forest from Tillamook Bay to the Siuslaw River between 1845 and 1853. It is instructive to ponder the effects of such conflagrations as you hike this easy wilderness trail with no real viewpoints but which offers a sense of quiet and lush remoteness.
Start on up the trail, immediately entering wilderness as you pass a welcome kiosk. Salmonberry, sword fern, wood fern, and alder hem the trail, while the slope forest includes Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, and hemlock. Quite soon, you’ll notice mainly Douglas-fir, which took over what was a more diverse forest after the big mid-nineteenth century burn. Forest blooms include candy flower, hedge-nettle, creeping buttercup, and false lily-of-the-valley. You’re hiking just below the ridge crest, and slope on the right drops steeply to Bob Creek. After you pass through a thicket of young spruce and evergreen huckleberry, you'll continue to ascend very gradually. After 1.2 miles, the trail briefly reaches the ridge crest but soon traverses the south side again.
The road bed becomes grassier and more open, and you’ll pass a slump in a cutting which has taken out a few alders. Look for deer and elk tracks in the tread. After 2.7 miles, the tracks begins to drop – this is a good place to turn around if you’re just out for a shorter hike. Soon you’ll see an old track leading off to the right. In these woods, Douglas-fir shades an open understory of Oregon grape and sword fern. After 3.0 miles, the trail begins to rise and peels off the road bed at a small cairn.
Now you’re on a real trail which traverses the south side of the ridge under Douglas-fir and hemlock with a few old burn snags. After 3.75 miles, you’ll reach an oxalis-carpeted saddle with partial views north over the Cummins Creek drainage. The trail ascends a slope of salal and sword fern, drops again, and then rises through a thicket of young hemlocks. As you descend gain, the salal becomes waist high, and the trail wraps itself around to the north side of the ridge for the first time. You’ll get another view north through a break in the trees and, after 4.7 miles, come to another saddle. From here, you’ll be rising along the south side of the ridge crest before gradually descending. On the next gentle traverse up, you’ll pass the biggest snag on the trail. In these parts, anemone and iris bloom in late spring. Listening carefully, you may be able to hear Bob Creek running below. You’ll come to a thicket of alder and salmonberry on the ridge crest and then pass the wilderness sign and welcome kiosk before arriving at the Cummins Ridge East Trailhead.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Green Trails Maps: Oregon Coast Central #456SX
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, Cummins Creek Wilderness, Drift Creek Wilderness, Rock Creek Wilderness
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Siuslaw National Forest
- Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series: Oregon Central Coast
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Wilderness rules apply
- Welcome kiosk at trailheads
- Do not leave valuables in your vehicle (especially at west trailhead)
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Cummins Ridge Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Cummins Ridge Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- 120 Hikes on the Oregon Coast by Bonnie Henderson
- Day Hiking: Oregon Coast by Bonnie Henderson
- 75 Hikes in Oregon’s Coast Range and Siskiyous by Rhonda & George Ostertag
- Central Oregon Wilderness Areas by Donna Ikenberry Aitkenhead
- Siuslaw Forest Hikes: A Guide to Oregon’s Central Coast Range by Irene & Dick Lilja
- Oregon’s Wilderness Areas by George Wuerthner
- Oregon Coast Camping & Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Sean Patrick Hill
- A Walking Guide to Oregon’s Ancient Forests by Wendell Wood
- Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
More Links
- Cummins Ridge Trail #1366 (USFS)
- Cummins Ridge Trail-Cummins Creek Wilderness (wanderingyuncks)
- Cummins Ridge, Oregon (Landscape Imagery)
- Cummins Ridge Trail #1366 (Hiking Project)
- Cummins Creek Wilderness-Siuslaw National Forest (Old-growth Forest Network)
- Cummins Creek Wilderness (USFS)
- Cummins Creek Wilderness (Wilderness.net)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)