N
The Bump
LACE UP YOUR
B00(TS)!
W
E
S
FOUR HAUNTED HIKES
AROUND OREGON.
BY MIC H E LLE D E VO N A
The sweltering hell of summer is long gone.
October in Oregon sees the rain return,
which for some means cozying up on the
couch with a book. But for those still craving
outdoor adventure, here are four reportedly
haunted hikes around the state.
1. Oaks Bottom Loop Hike: 2.3 miles
Inside Portland: Heading south on 99E/Southeast
McLoughlin Boulevard, make a slight right onto SE
Milwaukie Avenue, then a right onto SE Bybee Boule-
vard and continue on SE 13th Avenue. Turn right onto
SE Sellwood Boulevard, left onto SE 7th Avenue, then
turn right into Sellwood Park.
JADE SCHULZ
This hike takes you through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, an
urban wetland known for birdwatching. From the Sellwood
Park trailhead, you’ll descend a bluff and take the footpath
through a fi eld of cottonwoods. You’ll wind around Wapato
Marsh, passing by the wildlife mural on the Portland Memo-
rial mausoleum, which became the fi rst crematory west of the
Mississippi when it opened in 1901. Eventually, you’ll turn left
onto the Springwater Corridor and head toward Oaks Amuse-
ment Park. The amusement park is allegedly haunted by a
young man and a little girl who died there long ago, accord-
ing to Ghosthunting Oregon by Donna Stewart, and visitors have
reported seeing fl oating balls of light. According to Stewart,
one park visitor said she felt a cold hand on her shoulder and
then a whisper saying, “let’s go.”
2. Fort Stevens Loop Hike: 10 miles
Two hours from Portland: Take 26 West to 101 North.
Drive for 13.7 miles and then turn left on Highway 104
toward Fort Stevens/Warrenton/Hammond. After 1.4
miles turn left onto Delaura Beach Lane before merg-
ing right with Ridge Road. Keep straight for 3.5 miles
and then turn left toward Fort Stevens Park, where
you’ll bear a right into the park. Day use parking per-
mit is $5.
Fort Stevens has been around since the Civil War, when it was
used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River. This loop
trail starts at the military museum, which highlights the fort’s
history then passes through dunes and a marsh where you’ll
find the rusted remnants of a 1906 shipwreck. You’ll then
pass a coastal lake and head inland to continue on a paved
trail where you can explore old ramparts and Battery Russell,
a fortifi cation named after a Union Army major killed in the
Civil War. There are accounts of a man dressed in a 1940s-era
military uniform walking the trail with a lantern in hand. The
campground near it has been called “Oregon’s most haunted”
and campers have claimed to hear footsteps near their tents in
the night, with no one to be seen.
3. Tillamook Head Traverse Hike: 6.3 miles
4. Oregon Caves Loop Hike - 1.2 miles
90 minutes from Portland: Take 26 West to 101 North
and turn left at Avenue U in Seaside. Then make a
left onto Edgewood street and continue straight onto
Ocean Vista Drive and straight onto Sunset Boule-
vard, which you’ll follow until you hit the trailhead.
5.5 hours from Portland: From I-5 South take Exit
55 for Hwy 199 toward Crescent City. Drive about 30
miles and turn left on Hwy 46 for 19.3 miles until you
reach the day-use parking area for Oregon Caves.
Cave tour fees are $8.50 for adults and $6 for children.
FYI: You can only access the caves via a guided tour.
This is a beautiful trail during warm summer days, but the
cooler months bring lingering fog, dark clouds and coastal
storms. Beginning at Tillamook Head trailhead, you’ll
ramble through a thick forest of spruce, hemlock, alder and
fern, and then hit switchbacks before descending to a rustic
campground, where you’ll see creepy abandoned WWII
bunkers. You’ll then come to a viewpoint for Tillamook Rock
Lighthouse, perched eerily on a rock island. Opened in 1881,
it was known as “Terrible Tilly” due to the constant storms
that batter the structure and two deaths that occurred there,
one a surveyor and the other a lighthouse keeper. It’s now
decommissioned, but those who’ve worked there report hear-
ing ghostly cries. Another macabre detail: From 1980 to 1999
the lighthouse operated as a columbarium, otherwise known
as a place where urns are stored.
Dark caves are inherently scary, and this trail that burrows
deep within the Siskiyou Mountains is no diff erent. Oregon
Caves National Monument was discovered in 1874, and its
marbled cave system includes crazy column-like formations
and intricate fl owstone passageways. Come Halloween, there’s
a fun yet gimmicky Haunted Candlelight Tour, where you are
encouraged to dress up. While on the guided tour you’ll see
the Oregon Caves Chateau, a hotel built in 1934 that’s sup-
posedly haunted by a ghost named Elizabeth who died after
falling from the window of room 310.
Willamette Week OCTOBER 11, 2017 wweek.com
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