Snow Camp Trail

Snow Camp is better known for its lookout, but there is also a hiking trail of the same name. The Snow Camp north trail head is at FS route 3680 and travels just south of the lookout, across Windy Valley Creek and onto FS route 1407. The first part of the trail starts out at 3900 feet and travels through a spectacular old growth forest. It then moves out into an area burned by the 2002 Biscuit Fire, a destructive blaze that burned more than a half-million acres in Oregon and California. In this section, there are few trees and the trail can be obscured by low growing bushes. Above the trail is the lookout, located at the peak of the 4,223-foot Snow Camp Mountain. After passing below the lookout, the trail heads down into Windy Valley crossing the creek at 2800 feet and 3.5 miles from the beginning. There is not a bridge over the creek, so hikers have to be prepared to wade through water that flows most of the year. The hike continues up towards the south trail head, topping out at about 3200 feet onto FS route 1407. The entire route is about 5 miles one-way.

Just after passing below the lookout is a trail that rises up to the cabin. The cabin is reservable through the Forest Service. Please respect the privacy of those who have rented the cabin. There is another trail that heads to the south and it is a relatively short one to Panther Lake.

Driving to either trail head can be a challenge. The condition of these gravel roads can vary, so be certain to check with the Forest Service for conditions. Most of the time, the site can be reached using an standard automobile. However, these roads are subject to weather damage, and after a single storm they can become nearly impassible. Use of a 4-wheel vehicle or higher clearance vehicle is frequently recommended. The north trail head is more easily reached from Gold Beach, while the southern one is more easily reached from Brookings and the Chetco River. The car route between the two is closed in the fall although either route can be reached all year around. The roads are subject to heavy snow and are not maintained in the winter.

Download kmz file of this hike for use on Google Earth. Download GPX file of this hike for use in your GPS. These two files cover the hike from the northern trail head to the Windy Valley Creek and do not cover the southern trail head.

For more information, contact the Gold Beach Ranger District information center. The map below is for the north trail head.