Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

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dayhiker
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Joined: July 22nd, 2008, 4:48 am

Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

Post by dayhiker » August 11th, 2011, 6:26 pm

I found this hike in "Old Growth Hikes: Washington & Oregon Cascades"

A bit late , even for this year for this hike, for flowers. This 10.2 mile loop is about 4 miles off the Dufur Road (FS 44).

The trail starts at Fifteen Mile Campground which was so nice I thought of camping there, if my hike went very quickly.
I did not try to capture it in a photo, but it has three no fee spots, one right on the creek.

I follow the books counter clockwise route, since the start that way did not have water. I was thinking of camping on the other side of the loop/creek where there was water, or as it turned out filling up with water before climbing up that ridge.
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After hiking 1/4 mile (seemed more like a 1/2 mile) you come to a jct for the Cedar Creek trail, which actually follows the ridge dividing Cedar Creek & Fifteen mile creek (ie. you never see Cedar Creek)
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Here you can see Mt Adams, and the trail on the opposite ridge. (further away than it appears here since I zoomed in on it)
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Mt Adams

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Looking back to the NW. Is the high point lookout mountain?
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Clouds form next to Mt Adams
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Drier area to the east
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Campsite
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Hammock between two very large Ponderosa Pines
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Moon shot, too lazy to get back up when it was darker.
At the bottom of the loop at the crossing fifteen mile creek again.
I met a 70 year old mountain biker who told me he volunteers with the FS.
He said he wasn't suppose to tell people of the road he set out on just behind the trail, after we talked for quite awhile.
I don't know if it is the same road I saw near where the trail gains the ridge top, or the road one hikes along a bit later.

I did find water just beyond where I camped the next morning soon after entering a more heavily wooded area.
There weren't any views to speak of on the second half of the loop, even the open area where I camped, had only views across to the other ridge, or across the ravine that the trail ascends to gain the ridge top.
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Clouds form next to Mt Adams

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mattisnotfrench
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Re: Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

Post by mattisnotfrench » August 11th, 2011, 8:22 pm

This is a fantastic hike. FANTASTIC. First report I've seen on here of it in quite some time.

Sounds like you had a good time!
Author of Extraordinary Oregon!, PDX Hiking 365, 101 Hikes in the Majestic Mount Jefferson Region, and Off the Beaten Trail. Website: www.offthebeatentrailpdx.com

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bobcat
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Re: Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

Post by bobcat » August 12th, 2011, 7:35 am

I love the hikes on this side of the MHNF. Best time to go is late June through mid-July. Last time I did this loop, we found tracks of a cougar and her cubs on the ridge and startled a bear down by the creek. The habitat diversity is astonishing and there are at least nine species of conifers here.

John

dayhiker
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Re: Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

Post by dayhiker » August 12th, 2011, 3:04 pm

I did see some tracks:
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The back track is about two paces(right left right?) from the front one
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I added my footprint for size, next to the front two tracks.
I noticed these in the middle of Cedar Ridge, but on the way back I realized they were also at the start of the hike, and on both ridges (maybe just someone's dog following a mountain bike, or even some sort of mtn. biker's special shoe?).

I also noticed what looked like a Bear's digging next to a rotten log.

Earlier would be better for flowers, and it was rather cool for August with a nice breeze, so I was a bit lucky.

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mayhem
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Re: Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

Post by mayhem » August 12th, 2011, 5:22 pm

Cool report but I'm confused on the name? 15 mile loop is only 10 miles? Is there some history to this name?
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retired jerry
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Re: Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

Post by retired jerry » August 12th, 2011, 6:50 pm

Fifteen Mile Creek is fifteen miles from The Dalles, Eight Mile Creek is eight miles,...

if you go on highway 197 the distances are somewhat less - maybe it was on an older curvy road?

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bobcat
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Re: Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

Post by bobcat » August 13th, 2011, 8:40 am

@dayhiker: Here's my humble opinion on your tracks:

Picture #1: dog (claw marks, and toes all same size - but may be coyote)

Picture #2: middle: definitely cougar and probably the left print, too (I can't see claw marks); right print is going the other way, probably coyote and not dog because the outer toes are bigger than the middle ones.

Picture #3 is a close-up of #2; the bootprint gives some scale; if the cougar print is about 4" it's a full adult; if it's 3" a "teenager".

Those are just some criteria I go by, but there may be other opinions.

John

dayhiker
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Re: Fifteen Mile Creek Loop

Post by dayhiker » August 13th, 2011, 3:09 pm

Thanks bobcat.

I don't know if the lens would distort the length at the sides versus that in the middle. I marked off with red lines the equivalent length on the boot as on the middle print, trying to line the print up with my boot I get about 6" to 7"

=====

As far as the trail name goes , I can't find anything on it, so I would go with Retired Jerry's info.

Edit looking on my TOPO software, I notice there is also a three mile and five mile creek which seem to be consistent with Jerry's info.

I think the trail name has been shortened to Fifteen mile trail (ie. dropping the creek). On this loop you are on that trail for only 5 miles, and the Cedar ridge trail for another 5 miles. The Fifteen mile trail follows fifteen mile creek part of the way (hence the name?), then climbs up to the ridge above it, and then comes back down to the creek. It continues on past the campground , where I started and lookout mtn. trail splits off somewhere from that part of the trail. The 70 year old said it the lookout mtn trail ends before it gets to lookout mtn on a road , and I drove part of 4420 further on, after finishing the hike and saw where fifteen mile trail reached that road, it had arrows pointing in both directions, but I did not see where it crossed the road. Anyway that trail seems to be named after the creek it follows part of the time?

Edit my TOPO software on the otherhand shows the trail going SW (Rd 4420 is to the north) along Fret Creek to Oval Lake, and just beyond that is the trail to LookOut Mountain, which if it hits a Rd it would be right at Lookout Mtn.? or that Rd is not on my map.
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