2014 Edition
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Hike the Crown-Zellerbach Trail
An approximately 34 mile round trip hike
I did this in segments that started on December 16, 2010
Part one -
Chapman Landing to the Nahalem Divide Summit
Part two -
Nehalem Divide Summit to Pittsburg
Part three -
Camp 8
Part four - The Crown-Zellerbach Nahalem Divide Trail Tunnel
Crown Zellerbach Nahalem Divide Train Tunnel (East Portal)
Crown Zellerbach Nahalem Divide Train Tunnel (West Portal)
Part five -
Camp 8 to Vernonia, linking up with the
Banks-Vernonia Linear Park Trail
GETTING THERE AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
So I'm back in 2014 to see how much this trail and hike has improved over the
past four years.
Segment one:
Chapman Landing to the "official" CZ trailhead
Segment two:
The "official" CZ trailhead to the Nahalem Divide Summit
Segment three:
The Nahalem Divide Summit to Camp 8
Segment four:
Camp 8 to the Vernonia trailhead
Segment five:
Camp 8 to the Pittsburg trailhead
Segment six: The Nahalem Divide trail tunnel
East Portal
West Portal
Segment seven:
Connecting the Banks-Vernonia and Crown-Zellerbach Trails
Segment eight:
Scaponia County Park
The Nahalem Divide summit. This is the highest point on the C-Z trail.
The bridge is on the S-V highway. You're never more than a few thousand
yards from the Scappoose-Vernonia Highway at any point along this trail although at
some spots it would be quite a bushwhack to get to it.
The trailhead turnout and the summit is pretty obvious. There is ample parking
here. You are likely to see people here, especially on weekends. Most will not
venture more than a mile or so from the summit.
This is a wide, easy to follow trail. Getting lost out here would not be easy.
This time of year, a headlamp or two would be advised as well as water. It's unlikely
that you will see anyone beyond a half mile or so from the summit so be prepared.
At 0.91 miles from the Nahalem Divide Summit overpass bridge, the trail to the
tunnel West portal will be on your left. Even as recently as a year ago, this
trail was very faint and difficult to find. I guess a lot of people have been
viewing my web site because the trail is now quite pronounced and well traveled.
You do have to look for it but if you know what you are looking for, the fork
is very easy to spot. This time of year, you can see the tunnel entrance as
soon as you start down the trail.
This blowdown is fairly recent and sort of spoils the view. I kinda doubt anyone
is going to come along with a chain saw to get it out of there.
There's a nice little waterfall to the left of the tunnel opening.
It was very exciting to find this portal several years ago. The East portal
was not well documented when I first found it but four years ago only a few
locals even knew where the West portal was. Most of the people I talked to in
2011 about this tunnel had no idea what I was talking about.
Now that I've found it, and now that it's no longer a hidden, not well known
historic site, visiting here has become a little ho-hum for me.
The tunnel opening is a LOT bigger than it looks in these pictures. The local who
showed me the trail to this portal last year walked through the length of the tunnel
(which is not something I would advise doing). A cave-in is probably unlikely but
it's a very long, dark tunnel. You'll need a few VERY strong battle lantern type
lights. Also, there is a lot of fallen debris on the tunnel floor which mostly
can't be seen due to the deep water. You could easily find yourself up to your knees
or higher in water. The chances of twisting or breaking an ankle is certainly
possible.
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