The trail to the summit of Kings Mountain is steep – with 1,000 ft of elevation gain per mile for 2.5 miles – that’s STEEP.

I’ve driven by this trailhead on Highway 6 countless times… on the way to the coast or to explore trails along the Wilson River. Kings Mountain and Elk Mountain are known as rugged, steep and difficult hikes so I didn’t think I’d ever do it. Until now. It pretty much matched what I expected in terms of being difficult, but it was do-able and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The lower forest is full of giant ferns, which is pretty much my favorite type of forest, and the views from the top were better than I imagined.

When we reached the top, we signed the summit register (thank you Mazamas!) and continued a short distance ahead to an open ridge. With sunny skies and temps in the low 50s, it felt like an early summer day in January.

Distance: 5 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 2,500 ft