Salmon River West Trailhead
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.27800, -121.93927
- Elevation: 1600 feet
- Driving time from Portland: 1.5 hours
Hikes starting here
- Old Salmon River Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Salmon River Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
Driving Directions
The Salmon River Trail once began near the community of Welches, but when a road was built up the canyon to begin logging operations in the 1960s, the trail was truncated. Sections of the lower trail still parallel the road, and are described in the Old Salmon River Hike. This trailhead is for the main portion of the trail, where it heads into the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness. The trailhead starts near one of the many infamous "bridges to nowhere", built to serve logging road networks that were never fully developed. There are undeveloped camp spots at the far end of the bridge, but no water or toilets. Portable toilets are provided seasonally at trailhead parking area. This trailhead is called the "West Salmon Trailhead" by the Forest Service, a confusing name, given that there is a string of Salmon River trailheads west of here that make up the Old Salmon River Trailhead.
The trailhead can be reached from Highway 26 by driving one mile past the Welches shopping center to Salmon River Road, on the right. Follow Salmon River Road for five miles, past several marked trails along the Old Salmon River Trail on the right, to large parking area on the left, at the base of a bridge crossing the Salmon River.
Page Contributors
- Splintercat (Tom Kloster) (primary)