East Metolius River Trail gets no respect

Like the late comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, the East Metolius River Trail "gets no respect." Guidebooks and Forest Service handouts rightly trumpet the glory of the Metolius River hike from Wizard Falls to Canyon Creek, as well as the loop trail on both sides of the river between the hatchery and Bridge 99. Ask about the East Metolius Trail between Wizard Falls and Camp Sherman, though, and you're likely to get a blank stare.

Occasionally, I'm asked about safe hikes for a person alone. This is one such possibility, especially the southern stretch between Camp Sherman and The Gorge Campground. For this hike, though, I started at the Wizard Falls Bridge and headed upstream.

If you have a car waiting at the other end, you can cut the total distance to five miles, rather than a 10-mile round trip. In this case, my expected ride fell through, but I was able to prevail upon a friendly passerby to give me a lift from Camp Sherman so I wouldn't have to walk both ways.

The first mile and a half of the hike went by in complete seclusion. I never saw another person, and the river had a definite "wild" feel to it. It was a hot day, but hiking at the river's edge was a "cool" place to be. Quite a few wildflowers were in bloom, such as blue flax, wild strawberries, arrowleaf groundsel, snowberries and tiger lilies, to name only a few. I also found bear scat, right in the middle of the trail!

This is a cooler and deeper part of the river canyon, with more moisture-dependent flora such as Douglas fir, vine maple, and bracken ferns. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of clear cold water rush by your feet, and it gives one pause to know that whether you're here or halfway around the world, awake or asleep, alive or dead, the river rushes on.

Continuing south (upstream), moss-covered vertical rock begins to appear on your left. You are entering the deepest part of the gorge, and the trail soon makes a sudden switchback to send the hiker sharply uphill and away from the river. Once out of the canyon, the trail follows the power line easement around a large plot of private land that occupies both sides of the river.

This is the least interesting part of the hike and takes you well away from the river for a time. There are some roads and cross trails, but signage is good enough to keep you on the right track. When the trail returns to within eyesight of the river, there are some beautiful views from the top edges of the gorge.

Soon the trail drops back to the river's edge at the Gorge Campground, the first of several Forest Service campgrounds and day use areas lining the river along this stretch. At this point, it's only about two miles to Camp Sherman. Friendly campers in their RVs and lounge chairs wave at you as you hike on by.

As I walked along the water's edge, I was reminded of my first experiences on the Metolius River. As part of Boy Scout Troop 218, we camped here in January during the 1950s and played capture the flag in the snow. One spring, we hiked from Camp Sherman to the headwaters during a flying timber ant hatch, catching the flying ants and throwing them onto the surface of the water, where hungry trout immediately devoured them. I never tire of visiting the Metolius.

As the trail nears Camp Sherman, there is a cluster of cabins built on leased Forest Service land, and you'll know that you're almost to your destination. On this entire stretch, you're rarely out of touch with civilization. So, if that is what you are looking for in a hike, start your outing at Camp Sherman and head north to the Gorge Campground; and return the same way for an easy four-mile round trip.

By the same token, the north end of the trail, between Wizard Falls and the first switchback out of the gorge, makes for an excellent three-mile round trip if you prefer a wilder, more secluded hike. Or, you can do like I did and hike both segments plus the power line detour.

To get to Wizard Falls, take Highway 20 west to the Camp Sherman turnoff (Road 14), and stay to the right when the road forks. The hatchery lies about five miles downstream of Camp Sherman.