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Cascade Streamwatch Trail at Wildwood
By Kelsey Samsel | Hiking
The Cascade Streamwatch Trail is part of Wildwood Recreation Site in Welches, Oregon. If you are staying at Whispering Woods Resort, you only have to drive about five minutes down the road to get there.
This all-purpose site is about 550 acres and has a couple of walking and hiking options. In this article, we will be talking about the easier Cascade Streamwatch Trail. The trail takes you along a natural stream and gives you a close-up view of wetland ecosystems.
When you park, you will see a pavilion near the bathrooms where you can take a look at the trail map. Walk a few hundred feet to the left of the pavilion to get to the Streamwatch Trail entrance.
You will quickly come to a large bridge which has incredible views of the Mt. Hood National Forest to the left and right. The bridge runs over the Salmon River and it’s the perfect place to snap a photo.
The Cascade Streamwatch Trail is really easy to follow and it’s fun to walk down each separate boardwalk to the different viewing areas. Each area has an information board with different facts about local animals you might see.
You will also find information about local flora, aka, some really interesting plant life.
The amount and type of wildlife you see will depend on the season and the time of day. For example, we saw a Blue Heron on one of our visits and it was pretty amazing.
In addition to the large plaques, there are several smaller plaques along the way with information about certain animal species that live in the greater Mt. Hood National Forest.
The Cascade Streamwatch Trail is only 3/4 of a mile long and takes about 30-45 minutes depending on how long you stop at each viewing area. As a result, almost no one is excluded from enjoying this beautiful walk.
When you come to the end of the trail, you can continue on to the more challenging 4.7 mile Boulder Ridge Trail which takes you into the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness. Alternatively, you can head back to your car if you’re not up for the bigger challenge.
We still haven’t hiked the entire Boulder Ridge Trail, but we will definitely post about it when we do. We recently made it about halfway up before turning back because it was so hard and we were running out of time. It was almost as hard as when we hiked Mitchell Point earlier this summer.
Wildwood is one of the most accessible nature areas in the Mt. Hood Region. It’s a great way to experience the Mt. Hood National Forest without doing an intense hike. The park is right off Hwy 26 so it’s easy to get to and it’s only $5 for a day pass.
Buy your day pass at Whispering Woods Resort or at the Wildwood entrance. There’s a pay station that you can’t miss. There’s also a ton of parking so you don’t have to worry about not getting a space.
Another great thing about Wildwood is that you can bring your dogs! You have you keep them on a leash but it’s a great place to take a walk. Our dog loves it there.
We can’t wait to see your photos of Wildwood and The Cascade Streamwatch Trail. Tag us in your Instagram photos by adding #discovermthood to your post.
Type of Trail: Flat trail on a wooden boardwalk.Length: 3/4 MilesDifficulty: Very EasyCost: $5 day pass for passenger vehicles; $10 for vans; $20 for buses
Hours: Early spring to fall, 8:00 a.m. to sunset. Other seasons, park at the Wildwood Recreation Area Winter Trailhead.
Extra Details: The trail is ADA accessible and dog-friendly (as long as they are on a leash). Remember to bring bags for waste disposal.