4A
Ԃ
APPEAL TRIBUNE
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017
Life in the
Valley y
sanews@salem.gannett.com
PHOTOS BY ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL
A snowshoe route follows the upper North Santiam River near Marion Forks.
Roadside snowshoeing
Snow transforms forest service road into snowshoe path
with views of Santiam and Jefferson near Marion Forks
North Santiam Snowshoe
ZACH URNESS
STATESMAN JOURNAL
DETROIT — The best thing about this
year’s low-elevation snowpack is that it
opens a huge swath of mountain terrain
for exploring.
Little-known forest service roads
become winter pathways when a white
blanket covers the 3,500-foot range, as
has happened this season.
These unofficial routes offer a short-
er drive from Salem along with a better
chance at solitude than at nearby San-
tiam Pass sno-parks.
Last week, I checked out one of
these unofficial routes beginning on
Parrish Lake Road, southeast of Detroit
and Marion Forks in the Cascade Moun-
tains. The route follows the North San-
tiam River to views of Mount Jefferson
on a peaceful and moderately difficult
journey.
The idea for the trip came from Lee
Slattum, longtime trip leader and snow-
shoe chair for the Salem-based outdoor
club The Chemeketans.
“The North Santiam snowshoe is an
easy-access snowshoe for those who
want relatively flat terrain through a
winter wonderland usually undisturbed
by others,” Slattum said.
The route was 4 miles round-trip,
with 400 feet of climb to a viewpoint for
Mount Jefferson. I’d call it a moderate-
ly difficult outing, since you’ll likely be
breaking trail. The amount of downed
trees make it best for snowshoes, rath-
er than skis or a snowmobile.
I started at Parrish Lake Road, just
past milepost 73 on the side of Highway
22. A decent-sized parking pullout is
normally plowed, opening up space for
about three or four cars.
With snowshoes on, I began hiking
up the snow-covered road, and in a
short distance, I arrived at a bridge
over the North Santiam River. The
source of Salem’s drinking water looks
pretty different covered in snow and
ice, and it makes a nice moment to start
the trip.
Just over the bridge — at mile 0.3 —
I arrived at a junction with little-trav-
eled Forest Service Road 400, branch-
ing off to the right. There’s no sign
marking the road, but it’s easy to see
and follow.
It’s difficult to imagine what the
road looks like in summer, but in win-
In a nutshell: A snowshoe route that follows
the upper North Santiam River to views of
Mount Jefferson begins at a pullout on Parrish
Lake Road and follows little-traveled Forest
Service Road 400.
Permit required: No
Trailhead elevation: 3,101 feet
Upside: Views of snowy North Santiam River,
quiet snowy forest, solitude, easy-to-follow
road and Mount Jefferson views
Downside: Occasional noise from Highway
22, low elevation means good snow isn’t a
given, plus you’ll likely be breaking trail,
which is more work
Distance: 4 miles to Jefferson viewpoint
Climb: 400 feet
Map: Willamette National Forest, Detroit
district
Directions: About 1 hour and 25 minutes
from Salem. Follow Highway 22 east from
Salem past milepost 73. Park on the side of
Highway 22 at a pull out in Parrish Lake Road.
Once you reach Marion Forks, it’s about 9
miles. There’s room for three to four cars in
the pullout.
Trailhead coordinates: N44 31.529 W121
59.668
A pullout on Parrish Lake Road begins a snowshoe route along the North Santiam River.
ter, it’s very narrow, with snowy trees
bending inward as you hike. It feels
more like a trail than a road. There are
views of the Santiam for a while, but
eventually, you’re just following the
road.
For the next 1.5 miles, I broke trail in
deep powder. The road is never steep,
but you can tell you’re hiking uphill.
One of my favorite things about
snowshoeing in fresh powder are the
animal tracks. Snowshoe hare, deer and
animals you can’t identify can be fol-
lowed by their footprints in the snow. I
saw numerous tracks, including one
animal, probably a deer, whose legs
post-holed some 2 feet deep into the
snow.
Poor fella.
The viewpoint for Mount Jefferson
is a little tricky to find.
After 2 miles, I came to an opening
on the road, with wide space on the
right that probably serves as a turn-
around for vehicles in the summer.
On my left, above the road, was a
lightly forested ridgeline heading gent-
ly uphill. I scrambled up the ridgeline
and almost right away could see views
of Jefferson, stark and bright white to
the east. It made a nice spot for lunch.
The road continues for a few miles,
but I used the Jefferson viewpoint as
the turn-around spot.
The upside of this route is clear —
views of the North Santiam, quiet
snowy forest, an easy-to-follow road
and Jefferson views. The downside is
occasional traffic noise from Highway
22 and the occasional boredom of snow-
shoeing up a road.
Overall, I’d call it a trip worth tak-
ing.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors
writer, photographer and videographer
in Oregon for eight years. He is the
author of the book “Hiking Southern
Oregon” and can be reached at zur-
ness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503)
399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @Zach-
sORoutdoors.