| Date: October 29, 2008 |
| Location Bald Hill Hike |
| Where: Bald Hill Park, Corvallis |
In researching for a place to hike in the mid-Willamette Valley the other day, I was looking close at the Benton County Parks website when I came across Bald Hill, which is located on the west side of Corvallis. We decided to check it out and get in some hiking on Wednesday on our way back to Thompson's Mills from Dallas. There are at least three different trailheads and I picked the southern trailhead off of Reservoir Road.
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The start of the route was on a paved path the runs for 2.5 miles along the foot of Bald Hill on the eastside. However, we choose to turn off of the paved path in a short distance and take a graveled path that switched-backed up the side of the hill.
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It was a pleasant climb up through young oak trees, eventually breaking out near the top on the west side. Fog prevented us from what I suspect is normally an outstanding view of the area.
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Our route down was on an old road that is now a horse trail. The surprise of the day was Jeanette spotting a large bird, which swooped down across the trail and perched on a limb, with a small rodent in possession. I got a photo and we later identified it as a Barred Owl.
We will be returning to Bald Hill to hike more of its trails in the near future.
Statistics for the day:
Distance - 3.0 miles
Accumalitive climb - 500 feet
Time - 1:45
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| Newt Crossing |
