OregonHikers.org: McCall Point Hike

From the Rowena Crest Trailhead, the trail crosses a flat area for 1/10 of a mile then picks up a faint old road. The old road is followed for another 2/10 of a mile to an intersection with another old road. This second old road shows a lot of construction effort as it circles a small point and begins to slab along the base of a rockfall. There are places where the road has been blasted out of the underlying rock. This is probably a remnant of the wagon road that was built from The Dalles to Hood River in the 1870s. There are amazing views to the east including the Historic Columbia River Highway and a continuation of this wagon road, switching down the opposite side of the valley.

March 31, 2020

Once again, I am really missing my copy of the OSU/ODOT report on the old 1872 Dalles to Sandy River Military Road, but know that they cited the route as being further south, now being used by the Sevenmile Hill Road. However, I do know that there may have been a few divergences, though I doubt this is one. There were other old roads in the area.

For now, I am leaving this off of the Wagon Road index, pending further research and clarification.

"This National Scenic Byway enhancement project ... also improved the beginning of the trail from Rowena Crest to McCall Point... Oregon Parks and Recreation Department was the lead agency, in partnership with ODOT."

Links

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