Alder Springs an ideal early-season hike

The canyon walls of Whychus Creek, as seen here from the Alder Springs crossing, reveal thousands of years of geologic history.

People I see around town keep asking me when they will start seeing my hiking columns, so I guess I am a bit overdue. Today's selection is hardly unknown to Sisters hikers, but a lot has changed since I first wrote this one up in 2008. So it's a good time to remind folks about the excellent early-season hiking opportunity at Alder Springs.

Alder Springs is very nearly an all-season trail.  Still, while there will be no snow banks to clamber over at Alder Springs, this hike is not for everyone. In fact, Crooked River Grassland officials have designated it as "Most Difficult."

In reality, it's not all that bad. The problem, however, is that the hike into the deep canyon is all downhill. That means you'd better be in decent shape if you want to get back out. The trail begins on a dry, desolate ridge above Whychus Creek, where bitterbrush, sage and juniper eke out a meager existence.

During the first mile of the descent into the canyon, the ecosystem undergoes a transformation. As recently as five years ago, a hiker would have seen a transition to a greener and less arid landscape. However, due to a 1,600-acre wildfire in September of 2011, much of the green was wrung from the land; and the burned- over countryside no longer stands in sharp contrast to the arid lands at the top of the canyon.

Nearly five years later, recovery has begun; but it will be decades before this dry land can begin to mask the scars of the fire. Charred, skeletal junipers spread across the landscape. The burned-out husks of bitterbrush plants dot the rocky terrain. Once abundant wildflowers are scarce.

Here and there, an occasional arrowleaf balsamroot works to colonize the barren landscape; but, for the present, the majority of the area's wildflowers - which include yarrow, current, lupine, asters, Oregon sunshine, wild rose, sulphur buckwheat, narrow-leaved phacelia, and many more - will take more time to reach their former glory.

Unfortunately, one flowering plant that seems to be prospering in the denuded region is mullein. Mullein is an exotic weed imported from Europe. While not a "noxious" weed, it is non-native; and its dried-up stalks left at the end of its two-year life cycle are an unsightly blot on the landscape.

Alder Springs bursts forth from beneath a large rock outcropping below the ridge, where a crack in the volcanic basalt layer provides an outlet for the waters seeping down from the Cascade Range. Even in dry years, the springs provide a recharge of very cold water to the lower reaches of Whychus Creek.

As you descend the trail above the small creek formed by the Alder Springs outflow, you'll soon have the opportunity to learn just how cold that water is. If you intend to go all the way to the mouth of Whychus Creek, where it joins the Deschutes River, you'll have to ford the creek at the bottom of the canyon about a mile and a half from the trailhead.

The ford is a place where a little advance planning comes in handy. I recommend carrying river sandals or water shoes, along with trekking poles or a walking stick to help maintain balance in the swift current. The stream is a good thirty to forty feet across and about eighteen inches deep right now. The uneven bottom is covered with small to medium-sized rocks.

After crossing the ford, the mosaic effect of the fire is apparent. From there, it's about another mile and a half to the end of the maintained trail. On the way, the burned-over ground disappears; and most of the remaining trail downstream is untouched by the fire. Although this last stretch of trail is ostensibly "flatish," there are quite a few ups and downs and many rocks to step over and around.

The trail's end is marked by a serene open space near some large boulders beside the Deschutes River. This is an excellent spot for lunch or just a mid-hike break. The mouth of Whychus Creek is hidden behind a screen of alders just upstream of this site. If you don't look for it, it is easy to miss the fact that you're on the Deschutes River at that point.

To tell when you're approaching the site, keep your eyes on the skyline across the water. A beautiful, mammoth rock formation with a natural window looms over the confluence of the two streams. The rock walls of the canyon tell the region's geologic history. With successive deposits of conglomerate, volcanic tuff, and basalt flows layered one upon the other, the area's geologic secrets are exposed like diagrams of a textbook. The interesting and challenging Scout Camp Trail can be seen on the other side of the river.

The hike back out isn't nearly as bad as the "Most Difficult" warnings would seem to indicate; and, all in all, it is a very pleasant hike to take at this time of the year. The round trip to and from the mouth of Whychus Creek is about six miles and can be completed in roughly four hours.

To get to the Alder Springs Trailhead, take Highway 126 east from Sisters for six miles to Holmes Road. Turn left and stay on Holmes Road for about seven miles, and turn left again onto Road 6360. Cross a cattle guard at the top of the hill. Stay on the gravel road for a little more than three miles to a right onto Road 6370; a sign points the way to Alder Springs. The road ends at the trailhead after another half-mile.