Willamette National Forest at Opal Creek Wilderness

When I was a teenager, I worked at Camp Cascade Basketball Camp, just below Opal Creek. After feeding the kids breakfast, I often jogged up toward Opal Creek. When I worked on Capitol Hill for Congressman Mike Kopetski, he was a leader in getting the Opal Creek Wilderness established and protected. I am, and will forever be, very honored to have been a small part of that initiative. When I worked at Wieden & Kennedy, we did a retreat at Opal Creek and did many team building exercises in nature. I love Opal Creek. Sadly, in late-summer of 2020 The Beachie Creek Fire started in the Opal Creek Wilderness and burned nearly 200,000 acres and The Opal Creek Wilderness is closed for now. I am courting down the days to get back to this special spot. In the meantime, I have parked a beautiful photo of the footbridge from the camp which leads to the the popular 11-km (7-mi) Opal Creek Trail, also known as Kopetski Trail.

Explore more … The 20,454 acre Opal Creek Wilderness features steep and rugged forested hillsides. The eastern portion of the area encompasses the headwaters of two major creeks (Battle Axe Creek and Opal Creek) which join to become the Little North Santiam River. The western portion of the area is dominated by two prominent peaks, Whetstone and Henline mountains, which offer scenic vantage points and were once used as fire lookout sites.

The area is forested with Douglas fir, Pacific silver fir and Western hemlock plant associations. Western red cedar and Pacific yew occur in wet lowlands while higher ridges have some Engelmann spruce and mountain hemlock. Common hardwoods include big leaf maple and red alder. Understory vegetation includes huckleberry, vine maple and rhododendron. Various bird species, deer, black bear, cougars and elk use the wilderness area in the summer months.

There are eight trails totaling 36 miles. These are remnants of the early day prospecting and fire access routes. Most are single destination, in-out trails with little opportunity for loop travel. Many end at old lookout sites which provide some views. Other trails traverse both the Opal Creek Wilderness and Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area.