Travels with the Original Easyrider®
2012 Edition

Hike The Elk Mountain - Kings Mountain traverse
Tillamook State Forest
Elk Mountain, el 2788'
Kings Mountain, el 3226'
An 8 hour, 11.66 mile hike with 4,200' total elevation gain

2012 RUNNING TALLY
Miles hiked= 244.14; Total elevation gain= 69,455'
July 1, 2012


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GETTING THERE: The Elk Mountain Trail starts just off Highway 6 which runs from
Tillamook to Banks. From Portland, take Highway 26 west to Highway 6. From this
intersection take Hwy 6 for 46 miles west to milepost 28 and turn right at a sign
for Elk Creek Forest Park. Drive in .3 miles to a parking area across a small bridge
about 100 feet.

We do this as a loop, starting at the Kings Mountain trailhead which is just a short
ways west of the Elk Mountain parking area.

No pass is required, however the road is gated in the Winter. You can park at the gate
or on the shoulder of Highway 6. This area is part of the Tillamook Forest and is
managed by the Forest Service. This particular trail is more or less maintained by the Mazamas.
There is a box at the summits of both Elk and Kings Mountains where you should
kindly sign the Mazama guest register.

Did the Elk Mountain - Kings Mountain traverse in the Spring of 2012 with my BCEP Team.




The Kings Mountain trailhead parking is at about MP 25 on the Wilson River Highway
(Oregon Route 6). There's enough room for a dozen or so cars and there is a
permanent privy on site. No pass is required at this time.

Travel up (north) for 0.1 mile until you come to a well marked 4-way fork. Turn
right (east) and travel parallel to highway 6 for about 3 1/2 miles. This is a
fairly level, easy to follow trail. Go left when you come to a well marked fork that
goes north and up, up, up to Elk Mountain. This is not a "difficult" climb although
there is some bouldering and exposure. I've seen dogs on this segment but I'll bet
they don't like it much.






Kings Mountain from the Elk-Kings traverse. There's lots of colorful weeds
out here for Julie.








This is a very easy trail to navigate when there is no snow up here. One last fork
about 2 1/2 miles before you get to the Kings Mountain summit.




Elk Mountain is that little bump in the center. As seen from the Elk-Kings traverse.



In another segment where you lose significant elevation while climbing to the top
of Kings Mountain... there is this very steep descent where the Mazamas have strung
up a well-anchored rope to help out. We didn't need it or use it but it's nice to
have it there all the same.

You can't tell from this picture but the trail is quite steep here.




A half a mile or so from the Kings Mountain summit.



We barely saw anyone on the trails today and there was no evidence that anyone had
done the Elk-Kings traverse today before us. So we come around the corner to the
Kings Mountain summit and it's wall to wall people. They all did the 2 1/2 mile
up-and-down knee buster Kings Mountain trail.






It was nice of the Forest Service or someone to schlep up this sturdy picnic table
for us to have lunch on. Turned out to be a very nice day. Warm and sunny by the
time we got to Kings Mountain. Got some nice, unexpected views at this particular stop.....








Back at Elk Mountain but I liked this shot.... Julie seemed to have a nice day
which of course made me (and Eloise) happy.




More pictures of the Elk - Kings traverse are HERE.




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