Look Underwater at This Mt. Hood Area Hike

Spring is a great time to explore the trails and viewing window at the Wildwood Recreation Site near Welches.

I can’t count how many times I have driven through the small town of Welches on my way to an adventure on Mount Hood and cruised past the entrance to the Wildwood Recreation Site. Maybe it was because my three young kids are fussing in the car or I’m counting down the miles until I can stop for a cup of coffee in Rhododendron. It took me years of driving past this area before I finally decided to pull off and explore the trails. If you are looking for well-maintained, kid-friendly trails and an opportunity to spot a variety of wildlife, don’t pass up Wildwood! Springtime — after the snow melts and before wildflower season is in full swing — is a great time to visit.

There are two trail options at Wildwood Recreation Site: the ¾-mile, paved Streamwatch Loop, and the gravel-and-boardwalk, ¾-mile Wetlands Trail. These stroller-friendly and ADA-accessible trails take you through unique habitats and interpretive signs that teach you about the area. 

The Streamwatch Loop begins near the parking lot beside a steel fish statue. It is a paved trail that takes you past interpretive signs with information on salmon and a 3-D topographical map of the local geography. The highlight of this trail is the salmon-viewing window, which allows you to peer into the underwater world of river creatures in Sixes Creek. Although you won’t see salmon redds in the spring (make sure to come back in the fall), keep an eye out for crayfish and a variety of small fish swimming past. Cross the wooden bridge over the Salmon River. There is a spacious river access area after the “Big Fish of the River” sign. Dip your bare feet into the shallow water of the Salmon River on warm spring days before finishing the loop. Want to hike through a different habitat? Hop over to the next trail located in the same parking lot area!  

The Wetlands Loop begins near the parking lot as well. In the springtime, listen for frogs and be on the lookout for beavers (or chewed sticks that mark their presence). To start your hike, cross a long wooden bridge over the Salmon River. The boardwalk section of the trail has several spur trails to interpretive signs. In order these spur trails are: cattail marsh, beaver dam, ghost forest, skunk cabbage corner and wetland stream. Do you see those giant leaves in the marshy area? A highway of skunk cabbage fills a channel along the forest edge. After the wetland streams spur, you can choose to extend your hike by taking the Boulder Ridge trail or stay to the right to continue on the Wetlands Trail. You get a view and small access point (no beach area) to the river before the trail loops back to the long wooden bridge at the start of your adventure. 

My three boys are fascinated by mushrooms and, year-round, are on the lookout for a variety of fungi bordering the trails of Wildwood Recreation Site. Grady, my 6-year-old, has an especially keen eye for conks and coral mushrooms. He will disappear off trail and I’ll find him by following the excited yelling of, “Mama! Mushrooms!” 

Keep an eye out for wildlife as well. Last spring on the Wetland Loop we read one of the interpretive signs: “a red-legged frog startled me by jumping across my path and off into the marsh.” This sign turned out to be prophetic because on our way to the parking lot my oldest son, Nolan, found a giant red-legged frog! We had been studying frogs with our homeschool nature group, but this was the first time we saw a red-legged frog in the wild.

If you are looking for an accessible hike with a variety of habitats, and a spot to play by the river, don’t drive past Wildwood Recreation Site.

Wildwood Recreation Site is open from mid-March through Thanksgiving weekend from 8 am to sunset. If the gate is closed during winter, look for the alternate trailhead parking area off Highway 26 and hike an extra 0.5 miles into the park.

Looking for more outdoor adventures? Check out more kid-friendly hikes here!