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BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF ON ANY HIKE:
DON'T depend on these notes alone for a hike! Always STOP by the Ranger Station
and ASK about the specific trail as to conditions and exactly HOW to find it.
Tell them WHERE you are going and WHEN you will return. If you are in such a BIG
hurry, then leave a note at the trailhead. If you are in too much of a hurry to
do that, then you should GO HOME and watch television, not hike, not camp, not
ride, not out here on the...
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SANTIAM WAGON ROAD
TRAIL SYSTEM

A variety of settings can be experienced on the Santiam Wagon Road, depending on the segment selected for travel. This trail/road is proposed to be developed, in some cases for multiple users, including hikers, horse riders, mountain bikers, and drivers of vintage vehicles or wagons.

LENGTH: 19.5 miles
Topographical Map: Upper Soda/Harter/Echo
Elevation: 1,500 - 3,200 feet

Because the Santiam Wagon Road parallels and crosses Highway 20, there are many access opportunities, depending on your ability and activity. Besides the trailheads listed below, there are other access points such as:
Forest Road 2000-245 (Burnside Road): 32 miles east of Sweet Home
off Highway 20, turn right and travel on spur 245 for 1.5 miles;
Lost Prairie Picnic area: 38 miles east of Sweet Home, off Highway 20. div

MOUNTAIN HOUSE TO LATIWI [Formerly: SQUAW] CREEK ROAD
Hiking Trail Horse Trail Bike Trail
Description:
Length: 3.3 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Probably the most intact piece of the original Santiam Wagon Road, this segment will provide you with a true sense of early travel. The road parallels the South Santiam River and winds through lush old-growth forests and crosses several tributaries along the way. Look for the old mill pond, now grown in with red alder. Very hard to find. Easier to find is the connection with the House Rock Loop trail a bit after milepost 1. Take it to take a look at the falls on the South Santiam. Impressive in spring.

To get there:
From Sweet Home, travel east on Highway 20 for 23.4 miles. Trailhead parking is located just east of the Mountain House restaurant.

LATIWI [Formerly: SQUAW] CREEK ROAD TO SEVENMILE TRAILHEAD
Hiking Trail Horse Trail Bike Trail
Description:
Length: 3.3 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
A mixture of dense second-growth and patches of old-growth forest shrouds you while you traverse the sideslope of Sevenmile Hill. The eastern half of the trail follows the original route of the wagon road. This segment was immortalized in stories of the first transcontinental auto race in 1905, when trees were attached to vehicles to slow their descent of Sevenmile Hill. The western half is a new trail that contours the hillside.

How to get there:
From Sweet Home, travel east on Highway 20 for 30.3 miles, then turn right on spur road 2000-024 (Leonard Slate Road). The trailhead is at the end of the spur. Dispersed sites have been built at the trailhead which will accommodate horse trailers and camping.

SEVENMILE TRAILHEAD TO TOMBSTONE PASS
Hiking Trail Horse Trail Bike Trail
Description:
Length: 4.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
This moderate to easy hike, along former segments of the Santiam Wagon Road and newer logging spurs, mixes the present with the past. Young conifer forests dominate the setting as the trail ascends to Tombstone Pass. You will be rewarded with occasional views of Iron Mountain, and Green Mountain. Mountain bikers may be especially attracted to this segment as other logging roads shoot off the road toward the north and south.

How to get there:
From Sweet Home, travel east for 30.3 miles, then turn right on spur road 2000-024 (Leonard Slate Road). The trailhead is at the end of the spur.

TOMBSTONE PASS TO HACKLEMAN CREEK ROAD
Hiking Trail Horse Trail Scenic View / Vista Point Bike Trail
Description:
Length: 6.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
This developed route uses existing forest roads that tie back into the original wagon road location east of Lost Prairie Campground. This portion offers the most manageable terrain for vintage vehicles and wagons. You can experience some awesome views of Three Fingered Jack and the Old Cascades to the north.

How to get there:
From Sweet Home, travel east on Highway 20 for 34.6 miles to the SnoPark at Tombstone Pass.

HACKLEMAN CREEK ROAD TO FISH LAKE
Hiking Trail Horse Trail Bike Trail

Description:
Length: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
On this segment you experience an intact portion of the Old Santiam Wagon Road that passes through mature forests in the Hackleman Creek area. Travelers are advised that fishing is closed in this segment of Hackleman Creek and are asked to dismount mountain bikes and horses as they travel through Fish Lake Guard Station. This station was a major stopover for early travelers. It also played a dominant role in the early days of forest service management of the area.

Note: No trailhead on Highway 126. Travelers are asked to return to Hackleman Creek Road trailhead or arrange to have someone meet you at the juncture of the trail with the highway. A connecting trail to Lava Lake SnoPark that loops back to the trailhead is planned.

How to get there:
From Sweet Home, travel east on Highway 20 for 39.8 miles and turn right onto Forest Road 2672 (Hackleman Creek Road). Follow road signs to the trailhead on the left.

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Other trail and area information sources:

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HELP:If you have personal knowledge of any of these trails and find the information here to be wrong or inaccurate, please email me as soon as possible so that I may correct it. Please note date of observance and general trail condition. Thanks! div

DISCLAIMER: I would not bet my life on the accuracy of this information,
even though I did try to make it as accurate as possible. So, I'd appreciate
it if you would drop me a note about any excesses, errors, or omissions. Thanks!

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Any ORIGINAL material Copyright © 2007-2008 Thomas G Stewart (TomTek)
Last edit: 10/06/05 11:41am