Opal Creek Wilderness Area – Jawbone Flats, Cedar Flats – October 6,2014
10.5 Miles
This hike follows a gravel road for the majority of the hike. Not my favorite surface for a long hike but the surrounding scenery is so amazingly beautiful you forget about the gravel. I would consider this hike easy except for the distance so labeling it as a moderate hike. It is flat all the way to Jawbone Flats.
Traveling through massive old growth and some of the most beautiful turquoise blue water I’ve seen in Oregon.
Along the way you’ll pass an old mine that is now boarded up. Seems they were mining for gold but mostly found silver, copper and zinc.
The water is so clear but deeper than it appears. We sat and enjoyed our snack while watching some mushroom hunters trying to find a place to cross the creek. Realizing it was too deep they gave up. I’m not sure how they reached the other side to begin with but if they kept walking along the trail on that side they would have found the bridge that crosses over.
This is a hike I would like to do again, there are cabins in Jawbone Flats that you can reserve and I imagine a great adventure in the winter, snowshoeing in and staying for awhile.
