Hiking Project Logo

Grouse Mountain Trail #3081

Intermediate
 5.0 (4)
  1. Areas
  2. OR
  3. …Northeastern Oregon
  4. …Umatilla National Forest
  5. North Fork Umatilla Wilderness
Plan with onX Backcountry
Previous Next

“A ridgeline trail overlooking the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness. ”

Greg Brown
Your Rating: Rating Rating Rating Rating Rating      Clear Rating
Your Difficulty:
Your Favorites: Add To-Do · Your List
Google Map
Zoom in to see details
Map Key

1.9

Miles

3.0

KM

Point to Point

4,184' 1,275 m

High

3,874' 1,181 m

Low

292' 89 m

Up

356' 108 m

Down

7%

Avg Grade (4°)

45%

Max Grade (24°)

Dogs Off-leash

Features Fall Colors · Spring · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Snow will frequently block access from November to mid-May.

Need to Know

No restroom at trailhead.

Description

Access to the trailhead is easy in any vehicle. Heading east on the Weston-Elgin Hwy 204, turn onto McDougal Camp Road just past milepost 14. The road become Forest Service #3715. Drive on a good graveled road for about three miles to the end. The ZigZag Spring trailhead has been recently repaired and trail directional signage added.

The first portion of the trail is officially Lick Creek Trail USFS # 3070. The trail heads west through a short forested section where the trail diverges with Lick Creek heading down canyon to the Umatilla River. There is a spring about 100 yards from the trailhead which is a good source of water. The trail opens up to the ridge line and can be rocky in places. The views at the end of the trail will make the effort worth it.

This is particularly beautiful in the spring (May/June).

Flora & Fauna

Spectacular spring wildflowers. A field of Avalanche Lillies can be seen right after the snow leaves the slopes in May.

Contacts

Local Club: Blue Mountain Land Trust

Land Manager: USFS - Umatilla National Forest Office

Shared By:

Greg Brown
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  5.0 from 4 votes

#1

in North Fork Umatilla Wilderness

#760

Overall
  5.0 from 4 votes
5 Star
100%
4 Star
0%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#1

in North Fork Umatilla Wi…

#23

in Oregon

#760

Overall
4 Views Last Month
1,297 Since Sep 26, 2018
Intermediate
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
0%
Add a Photo

Photos

Looking east into the Lick Creek drainage
Nov 6, 2019 near Athena, OR
Looking east with trail in view
Sep 27, 2018 near Athena, OR
View of trail on ridge line. Note small snow patch in mid-May.
Sep 27, 2018 near Athena, OR
View to the SW into the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness
Sep 26, 2018 near Athena, OR
Indian Paint Brush among the wildflowers. View looking south into the NF Umatilla River Wilderness.
May 30, 2021 near Athena, OR
Spring bloom of Indian Paint Brush.
Jun 8, 2021 near Athena, OR

2 Comments

Sort by: Oldest Drop down
Newest Oldest Popular
loading

Weather

Current Trail Conditions

Unknown
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

May 7, 2020
Darius Fleck
Grouse Mountain and Lick Creek trails are terrific right now, however there are large snowdrifts that block road about 1.5 miles from trailhead. I… 6mi
Apr 18, 2020
Shelly Urlacher
walked on a snowy McDougal camp road for 2.6 miles to the trailhead. X-country skis would have been nice. Only patches of snow on the trail. worth it! 7.6mi — 5h 00m

Nearby Recommended Routes