The Old Salmon River Trail is a great place to introduce hikers to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest’s lush, mossy forests and scenic rivers. An easy trail that’s relatively flat, woodland wildflowers add to the beauty in early spring.

distance: 5 miles (out and back)
elevation gain: 200 ft.
difficulty: easy
best season: all year, depending on snow levels
drive time from Portland: 1 hour 15 minutes
parking pass: NW Forest Pass
hike description: OregonHikers.org – Old Salmon River

Trail Map

The Hike

This is an easy trail that’s great for a quick getaway, with plenty of lush green eye candy in the form of moss and ferns. It’s also right beside the Salmon River for most of the hike, although there is a short section of road walking when the river cuts off access to the trail. We started at the northern trailhead (the first pullout on the Salmon River Road) and hiked 2.5 miles to the southern trailhead (just before a bridge over the Salmon River), then turned around to head back to the trailhead.