Posted by Darren White on August 23, 2007 at 7:02 PM
Does anyone know what the waterflow is like in either of these creeks around Hood?
Posted by Erik Lundh on August 23, 2007 at 9:11 PM
Low and slow this time of year.(and not very photogenic)
Posted by Tom Kloster on August 23, 2007 at 11:57 PM
Especially Cast Creek - I peeked across at the falls yesterday, and they're just a trickle. There's also the problem of getting to the creek with the Old Maid Flat bridge out.
Clark Creek is glacial, so it should be fine... is that the one you were thinking of, Darren?
Tom
Posted by Bryan Swan on August 24, 2007 at 12:02 AM
Clark Creek is glacial, so it should be flowing fairly well.
Posted by Darren White on August 24, 2007 at 11:06 AM
yeah I would love to get up to Clark Creek but having never been there before I am not sure where to start......any ideas would be greatly appreciated !
Posted by Tom Kloster on August 24, 2007 at 11:34 AM
Here's a loop hike that I wrote for Portland Hikers:
This hike takes you past Heather Creek, and there are two more waterfalls downstream from the falls immediately below the Timberline Trail, if you're up for a bit of bushwhacking. You can see them from the far side of Clark Canyon - they are no more than 1/4 mile below the trail, through huckleberries and low ash thickets. The shortest trip to Heather Creek is to follow this loop from the unofficial trailhead on the Meadows access road, near Umbrella Falls. This saves you some hiking - and makes for about an 8-mile out-and-back to Heather Creek (albeit, under ski lifts during the mid-section). There are also several other alpine streams along the way, possibly with wildflowers. This would normally be a bit late, but with the flowers generally blooming late this year, the streamside bloom might still be underway up there.
Tom
Posted by Tom Kloster on August 24, 2007 at 12:10 PM
Aha! I dredged up this old photo from some waterfall trip planning a few years ago - these are the Heather Canyon waterfalls, as viewed from across Clark Canyon. You can see the Timberline Trail crossing the slope to the right of the upper falls, and the route to the lower falls simply follows along the east rim of the canyon. The upper and lower are the nicest, but the whole stream is very pretty, albeit with the occasional ski junk here and there. It's also pretty upstream from the trail, with the top of Mount Hood peeking into the canyon.
Discussion
6 repliesClark Creek is glacial, so it should be fine... is that the one you were thinking of, Darren?
Tom
http://portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Hood_River_Meadows_Loop_Hike
This hike takes you past Heather Creek, and there are two more waterfalls downstream from the falls immediately below the Timberline Trail, if you're up for a bit of bushwhacking. You can see them from the far side of Clark Canyon - they are no more than 1/4 mile below the trail, through huckleberries and low ash thickets. The shortest trip to Heather Creek is to follow this loop from the unofficial trailhead on the Meadows access road, near Umbrella Falls. This saves you some hiking - and makes for about an 8-mile out-and-back to Heather Creek (albeit, under ski lifts during the mid-section). There are also several other alpine streams along the way, possibly with wildflowers. This would normally be a bit late, but with the flowers generally blooming late this year, the streamside bloom might still be underway up there.
Tom
Tom