I haven’t walked the railroad at the lower end of the Salmonberry River since the Great Coastal Gale of December 2007, an event that made the Salmonberry section of the Port of Tillamook Bay line unusable for rolling stock probably for evermore. The last time I hiked this section, a tourist train came trundling by and we heard the guide announcing “a couple of hikers” as curiosities. Immediately, dozens of moon-like visages plastered themselves against the windows and gawked out at us. We were momentarily blinded by the flashes going off. This time I had the tracks to myself except for a couple of fishermen close to the mouth of the Salmonberry.
I began where the Lower Nehalem Road crosses the Salmonberry at its confluence with the Nehalem. There are a few dwellings along the river in this section and one cabin across the spate that can only be reached by zipline. Heading deeper into the canyon, I crossed and recrossed the Salmonberry three times on bridges built in the 1920s before reaching my destination, the old logging camp of Enright. Only the third bridge was slightly damaged in the 2007 flood, but as it sits 15 feet above current water levels, it’s rather terrifying to imagine the storms that put this rail line out of commission. The bridges still have the serrated grates placed there for hikers, but there are a few other places where the tracks are undercut and suspend in mid-air. Sections of the colorful fiber optic cable that parallels the line are also visible.
At one large slide, a well-established user trail heads off into the woods for 200+ yards in a detour. Elsewhere, the baby alders, Scots broom, and blackberry that sometimes clutter the track see occasional pruning by volunteers. Close to Enright, there are a couple of places with recent blowdown that is not too difficult to clamber over. The river itself is accessible from many spots along the way. I saw a couple of pairs of spawning steelhead, but the big winter rush should begin in a couple of weeks.
There’s plenty of railroad paraphernalia to see. A log car that attempted to surf a rapid lies fetched up on the rocks. At the Belfort Quarry, a rusting and grafittied tie inserter rots next to the tracks. At Enright, the water tank now sports colorful graffiti and 17 log cars languish on a siding, never to roll again. Below the water tank, sinking into the brush, are the remains of an abandoned boxcar. Of the two cabins at Enright (both still used and on private property), the second was the main office of the logging camp here; the camp was most active during the 1930s, when all the old growth was cut. In a couple of spots close to Enright, clearcuts come most of the way down to the right-of-way as a second generation of forest begins to serve the economy.
Lower Salmonberry River
- BrianEdwards
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Re: Lower Salmonberry River
Thanks for the photos of the equipment. Lots of history sitting around in that canyon
Clackamas River Waterfall Project - 95 Documented, 18 to go.
- Splintercat
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Re: Lower Salmonberry River
Thanks, Bobcat - that is going to be an amazing trail, if the stars continue to align in the effort to convert it. I hope the artifacts are left behind, too. That really adds to the whole experience!
-Tom
Beautiful!The last time I hiked this section, a tourist train came trundling by and we heard the guide announcing “a couple of hikers” as curiosities. Immediately, dozens of moon-like visages plastered themselves against the windows and gawked out at us. We were momentarily blinded by the flashes going off.
-Tom
Re: Lower Salmonberry River
Great pics, Bobcat! Good reminder for me to check this area out sometime. Looks pretty interesting.
Is it still feasible to hike all the way from Cochran to the Nehalem, btw? I'd heard rumors somewhere that one of the bridges along the route was washed out. Would be pretty cool to do a one-way thru-hike or overnight to see both Upper & Lower Salmonberry.
Is it still feasible to hike all the way from Cochran to the Nehalem, btw? I'd heard rumors somewhere that one of the bridges along the route was washed out. Would be pretty cool to do a one-way thru-hike or overnight to see both Upper & Lower Salmonberry.
- Billri9685
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Re: Lower Salmonberry River
I think I found the spot your talking about on google maps, but it's labeled Foss road. At about N45.7499 W123.6526. Does that sound about right?I began where the Lower Nehalem Road crosses the Salmonberry at its confluence with the Nehalem.
- TheAverageGuy
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Re: Lower Salmonberry River
Awesome pics! I love that hike. Enright is a bit creepy to me, especially with all the video surveillance signs all over the place.
I always want to take the zip line over and explore that cabin as well...
I always want to take the zip line over and explore that cabin as well...
Re: Lower Salmonberry River
What is the "right-of-way"?bobcat wrote:In a couple of spots close to Enright, clearcuts come most of the way down to the right-of-way as a second generation of forest begins to serve the economy.
Does this guarantee public passage through private land? If so, is it the RR track only? The usgs map shows the Enright site enclosed in a square boundary of private land
correct. Same road. The bridge across the Salmonberry is washed out so pick your side when driving there.Billri9685 wrote:I think I found the spot your talking about on google maps, but it's labeled Foss road. At about N45.7499 W123.6526. Does that sound about right?
lightweight, cheap, strong... pick 2
- Billri9685
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Re: Lower Salmonberry River
correct. Same road. The bridge across the Salmonberry is washed out so pick your side when driving there.Billri9685 wrote:I think I found the spot your talking about on google maps, but it's labeled Foss road. At about N45.7499 W123.6526. Does that sound about right?
Awesome! Thank you.
Re: Lower Salmonberry River
The Flood of 1996 followed by the Gale of 2007 were definitely a one-two knockout blow for that RR line.
Here's a summary of The Flood of 1996's impact, (although this flood as much more that just 'another storm'; it truly was a historic event):
"In 1996, another storm heavily damaged the Hillsboro–Tillamook line. A length of about 7 miles (11 km) of line was "nearly completely destroyed",[9] with two bridges washed out and "boulders the size of cars" washed through one of the line's tunnels by flooding on the Salmonberry River."
But, from the ruins of railroad, we've got a grand rails-to-trails project taking shape!
Here's a summary of The Flood of 1996's impact, (although this flood as much more that just 'another storm'; it truly was a historic event):
"In 1996, another storm heavily damaged the Hillsboro–Tillamook line. A length of about 7 miles (11 km) of line was "nearly completely destroyed",[9] with two bridges washed out and "boulders the size of cars" washed through one of the line's tunnels by flooding on the Salmonberry River."
But, from the ruins of railroad, we've got a grand rails-to-trails project taking shape!
Re: Lower Salmonberry River
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Last edited by mandrake on May 25th, 2017, 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.