"The McCord creek trail, which leaves the Columbia river highway one mile east of Warrendale and goes to the top of Elowah falls, a distance of 1 1/2 miles, was constructed in 1935 by the CCC boys who were stationed in the Benson state park camp near Multnomah falls."

Sometime, probably in 2012 or 2013, a section of the original Elowah Falls trail that was cut off and abandoned by the construction of Gorge Trail #400 was discovered and cleared.

"Some trail-gnome seems to have 'unearthed' it in just the past year or so. Glad she/he did..."

"...spotted it a couple of years ago and we actually saw a guy with loppers working on it. He said he didn't want the old trail to fade away so was he trying to rehab it. It sure is a beautiful section with the stonework and everything."

Oregon State Archives: A 1940 Journey Across Oregon

At the eastern end of the McCord Creek Bridge,152.6 m., is a petrified stump that is believed to have matured long before the Cascade Range was thrust up.

Left from the eastern end of the bridge on a trail along the creek to ELOWAH FALLS.

"The trail leaves the Columbia river highway at the east end of the McCord Creek bridge near a large petrified tree. The forest service recently had the CCC build an attractive fence of unpeeled cedar posts, woven wire and rock retaining wall around the tree to protect it from vandals who were breaking off pieces of the tree for souvenirs."

ODOT: HCRH Trail Dedication Guided Tour

Site 10: Petrified Wood

Trees were caught in the mudflows that formed the Eagle Creek Formation sandstone and conglomerate rock. Petrified wood is often exposed in the Eagle Creek Formation. Petrified wood is formed when, over a long time, wood material is replaced by quartz minerals. Petrified wood often retains the pattern of the original wood.

One vertical petrified tree, originally 10 feet tall, once stood in the road cut on the old Columbia River Highway just east of McCord Creek. The petrified tree became a tourist destination and tourists broke off pieces of the tree to bring home for souvenirs. In the 1930s, the Civillian Conservation Corps constructed a trail to Elowah Falls and placed a cage around the petrified to tree to protect it. During construction of I-84, the petrified tree was moved to Portland State University. During trail construction here in the switch back area, we encountered petrified wood during the rock slope excavation.

There is no existing trace of any trail south along the east bank of the creek, and cliffs make that location seem unlikely for a trail.

Most likely, the original trailhead and the initial part of the trail, were blasted away with the construction of the eastbound freeway lanes. Unless the switchbacks are the ones pictured below, later on the trail...

"At Elowah Falls, a few hundred yards past the bridge at the base of the falls, you'll see a little path branching off the main trail seemingly going nowhere, Yup, now where it is, and 'nowhere' is where you'll find two picnic tables that time forgot. Are these two remnants of a picnic are at McCord Creek Bridge's east end?? Did they once have a nice Columbia view back in the 20s before all these trees grew up around them? They're definitely forlorn, forgotten and mossy."

Many speculate that the picnic area seen below is a remnant of the old trail, when this would have been much easier to access from the highway. Scott Cook calls this "a little 'picnic area that time forgot' 200 yards past the falls -- a mossy remnant from the Scenic Hwy's heyday". (Curious Gorge, 33)

However, I believe that this is a much later addition, and that it was meant to be a campsite for backpackers following Gorge Trail #400, dating only back to the 1980s.

While it is possible that the wood could remain in such decent condition since 1935 or so, it is very unlikely, considering the condition of the old, original fences along other segments of the highway (the few where they remain).

May 7, 2020

I can't remember the source, but at some point since first creating this page back in the day, I heard that these tables most likely date back to the construction of the #400 Gorge Trail. According to this theory, these tables were set up as a break area for workers building the trail. Less exciting than an old, forgotten picnic area left over from the original CRH heydays, but more believable considering the condition of the tables.

"After leaving the highway the trail makes three switchbacks, which take the hiker to a view point where Elowah falls can be seem plunging into the canyon and forming McCord creek."

"Leaving the view point, one descends to the base of the falls by a series of short switchbacks."

After the old viewpoint, the trail switchbacks down to rejoin Gorge Trail #400 just east of the falls.

Near this junction, looming above Trail #400, is a very large rectangular block of basalt that almost looks like it was man made, or man carved, at least. I've never paid much attention to it and I don't think I have any photos of it.

However...

"There was a developed viewpoint on that rock at one time, some of the old fence posts and cable wire guardrail are still there. I'm pretty sure its a natural formation even though it looks oddly squared off on the corners. Really wouldn't have made much sense in there being any sort of building there because it's a good 50-70 feet above the creek and there isn't any evidence (or room) for flumes to have been run down from the east side of the falls to provide it with water."

"McCord creek can be crossed on a rustic bridge."

"Along the trail to both Elowah and Upper McCord Creek Falls can be seen several sections of old cast iron and wooden pipes which were used to flume pressurized water water to the Crown Willamette Paper Company mill along the Columbia River."

"The trail then follows the south bank of McCord creek toward the highway, passing another large petrified tree imbedded in the bank."

"Then by a series of switchbacks the trail begins to climb toward the top of Elowah falls."

The trail continues up the hill... Follow it here:

CLICK HERE for the UPPER MCCORD CREEK TRAIL

Links

"Here is a 1936 Oregonian article describing the trail, the Flume pipeline, and a bit about the petrified tree stump that once graced the McCord Creek bridge before being removed for the I-84 bridge widening: Mc Cord Creek petrified trees and pipe trail, May 1936 (http://curiousgorgeblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/mccord-creek-petrified-trees-and-pipe-trail-may-1936.pdf)"

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