| Date: November 6, 2006 | | Location Talburt Trail Hike | | Where: North Bank Habitat Management Area | I had sleuthed out this trail in the North Bank Habitat Management Area from some literature I had picked up at the BLM office in Roseburg a few weeks ago. Although I had traveled the North Bank Road several times, I had never noticed a trailhead. This time as I drove slowly along I spotted a sign in a wide spot off of the road. It looked a little confusing, as to whether the sign was indicating that the trail started there, or was the sign trying to direct people and horses west, down the road to a trailhead. But, I had just come that way and I had not seen any trailhead.
|  | It looked to me like there was a slightly used path behind the sign, so I took it. The route climbed steeply up the hill, across a marshy area, past a deer carcass, and into the trees where I was rewarded with a home made sign 'Trail'. The sign pointed up the hill, and flags of tape further guided me until the path joined an old road. Here the route was much easier to discern and it carried me up the side of the hills to some great overlooking views of the North Umpqua River.
|  | The bright yellows of the Bigleaf Maple provided outstanding color to the background green leaves of the Pacific Madrone, and darker green of the Douglas fir trees. The ground was crisscrossed with a spider web of game trails. Signs of deer, bear and coyote were easy to spot. I sat down under an oak tree and enjoyed my lunch with a view of the twisting North Umpqua River and Whistlers Bend County Park.
|  | For my route back I decided to stay on the old road, not take the path, and find where it lead. Sure enough it joined the road about ¼ mile west of my car. All to be found were a broken down old gate, and no signs to indicate a trail. Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes would have had a field day with this situation----a sign to indicate the direction towards the trailhead, but no sign to indicate the actual trailhead! Would it would be helpful to have a sign here? Yes, much as it would be helpful to allow the public to use the restrooms at the BLM office in Roseburg.
|  | | view of Whistlers Bend County Park |
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