community
Crown Zellerbach Trail is a Gem
“We did all the design work in house and designed
the abutments and did the surveying our selves,” says
C r i n k l a w .
“Then we used our
Rain-
ier District
Main-
te-
the Trail ends at the top of Knott Street and is extreme-
ly steep and rough. Crinklaw says the County has
done some preliminary survey work and has applied
for grant funding to complete some additional trail
building work. Plans include construction of a series
of switchbacks to ease the descent.
Crinklaw acknowledges that the connection
from Knott Street to Vernonia Lake is not ideal.
Currently users have to travel from the
end of Knott Street onto a portion of
Highway 47 and cross the Ne-
halem River at the Green Bridge before
accessing Vernonia Lake and connection to
the Banks -Vernonia State Trail. Crinklaw says
the County is researching the feasibility of get-
ting an easement to follow an old railroad grade from
Knott Street to the Coon Creek Mainline logging road
to create a safer connection. This would allow users to
reach the Green Bridge by way of Pebble Creek Road,
a county road as opposed to the state highway.
Trail access is readily available at several loca-
tions along Scappoose-Vernonia Hwy.. Crinklaw says
there is hope to expand several of those locations to be
official parking areas including an area near Chapman
Grange Road and another area on Walker Road.
Heading from Vernonia you
can access the trail near mile marker
3 on Scappoose Vernonia Road at
the Pebble Creek Mainline near Elk
Creek, where a major culvert instal-
lation occurred last summer. From
here users can head west and gain
access to a great view of Vernonia
from the ridge or head east towards
Randy Carlton sent us
Where Do
You Read
the Voice?
this picture during a
recent trip to California.
Carlton was reading his
copy of Vernonia’s Voice
at IN-N-OUT BURGER in
Reading, CA. His fellow
firefighters will notice
the absence of Randy in
the photo.
(503) 475-3563 fell
http://www.wolfgangthegundoctor.com/
Wolfgang@WolfgangTheGunDoctor.com
SELF LOADER
LONG LOGGER
CUSTOM LOGGING
Lowell J.
Mitchell
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Lessons & Bookings
Jewelry - Glasswork
Featuring the finest in northwest art
www.spiralzsalon.com
STEVE
HM: 503-429-3400
CELL: 503-313-9006
NRA fertified, ORE foncealed farry
Permit instructor
www.greydawngallery.com
e x -
c i t e d
a b o u t
the possibil-
ity of expansion
of the trail network. He
i s
already part of a working group
that
is
planning a connection to the Banks-Vernonia Trail
from Tillamook. Hyde also says that a trail has been
mapped that would connect the CZ Trail with Forest
Park in Portland.
The Crown Zellerbach Trail is really a gem
and an asset to Columbia County. It provides recre-
ational opportunities to all types of users and a chance
to travel though historically rich and culturally signifi-
cant region.
WELLER & SON’S
The Gun Doctor
Pottery - Custom Framing
the Camp 8 area.
Between mile 5 and 6 users can access the trail
at Scapponia County Park and head east towards the
summit. This seven-acre primitive campground is
marked with a large sign along the highway.
When you reach the summit of Scappoose-
Vernonia Hwy. there is parking between mile mark-
ers 8 and 9 at Pisgah Lookout Road. Users can head
downhill in either direction from this access point.
At the bottom of the hill there is a parking area
near Chapman Grange Road just before mile 13 This
is one area that Crinklaw hopes can be expanded for
more parking.
An unmarked access point is at the Ca-
ter Road turn off just past mile marker
14. From here you can easily travel
west for a quarter mile to the east
to the Alder Creek Bridge and be-
yond.
There is also parking at Walk-
er Road between mile 15 and
16, at Wikstrom Road at
mile 18, and at the in-
tersection of Highway
30.
Commission-
er Hyde is
a l s o
59229 Nehalem Hwy. South
flean, Lube, Safety fhecks & Repair
All Work Fully Guaranteed
Photography - Bronze
11
503.429.7408
Sick or Cranky Firearm? I Can Help!
879 Bridge St. (503) 429-2787
2012
continued from page 10
n a n c e
crew to do the
construction, which
included the excavation
and building the abut-
ment forms and pouring
the concrete. The Parks
Department is pretty
proud that we were able to
get this project done.”
The Alder Creek crossing is beautifully con-
structed with large boulders lining the approach from
the west and is a wonderful enhancement to the trail.
In addition, a crossing was installed Mollen-
hour Creek in the Chapman area which included an
open bottom fish passage culvert. At Elk Creek, the
County partnered with the Upper Nehalem Watershed
Council to provide some funding as part of a stream
habitat improvement project and used some surplus
bridge planks from ODOT to construct an inexpensive
crossing.
Crinklaw says Columbia County will next fo-
cus their trail development work on the Knott Street
connection on the Vernonia end of the trail. Currently
Grey Dawn Gallery
july10
(503) 235-8996
www.loweljmitchell.com
lowelljmitchell@gmail.com
buyer and seller of musical instruments
DENNIS
HM: 503-429-2810
CELL: 503-313-9044
1264 G ST.
VERNONIA, OR 97064
O.P.L. CERTIFIED
O.P.L.H. CERTIFIED
ROAD BUILDNIG
LAND CLEARING
EXCAVATION
We saddle shoe. Do you?
Muffy’s
950 Bridge Street
Vernonia, O8 97064
503.429.5050 or 866.524.5050
www.muffys.com
World Headquarters Vernonia, Oregon
