The first weekend of May made a good excuse to travel to the Clatsop State Forest on the west side of the Coastal Mountains.
The first stop was the Oregon Fish Hatchery on the North Nehalem River. It was too late in the year to fish for winter steelhead in the walk-in area above the hatchery. Instead, I took the short hike to the very pretty 35-foot Umbrella Falls.
The next stop was several miles north of the hatchery at the Soapstone Lake trailhead. This is a relatively easy hike – – – three miles roundtrip with 475 feet of elevation gain.
The area was logged around the turn of the last century. Some of the stumps are over 10 feet across at their base. It’s also good habitat for elk, deer and bear. In fact, I saw fresh bear sign on the trail in several locations.
And, as usual this time of the year there were many rough-skinned newts on and along the trail. Every step needed to be watched carefully.
Once I arrived at the lake I broke out a sandwich and enjoyed the wilderness experience. Surprisingly, not one other person was seen on the outing.

Umbrella Falls

Rough-skinned Newt

Fairy Lanterns (Wild Lilies)

Soapstone Lake

Cow-parsnip

Huge old Cedar Stump

Umbrella Falls

Soapstone Lake

Pleasant section of the trail

Thimbleberry

Umbrella Falls
Beautiful pictures! It all looks so inviting!
Thanks. It’s a wonderful little hike and not far from the Oregon Coast.
How wonderful! You always make me envious of where you live!
It’s a target-rich environment for a person that loves the outdoors.
Amphibians. I feel a tinge of sadness gazing at the newt as amphibians are highly endangered and vanishing across the globe.
The rough-skinned newts are very common to see this time of the year, even in the city.