Weldon Wagon Trail

Saturday's stroll was a leisurely 6 mile round trip along the Weldon Wagon Trail, about 10 minutes from the house. We'd driven by the brown 'hysterical' sign a million times, right there on State Hwy 141 in Husum, just before Wet Planet rafting company, but never even stopped to read what it was.

Turn right at the sign, then follow the road apiece. You'll come to a widening in the road, with parking on the left and another brown Weldon Wagon Trail sign on the right. Follow that sign, but look out for the right turn sign a few hundred yards up the trail.



The Weldon Wagon Trail was a wagon route built in 1911 that linked the Sanborn Rd to the town of Husum, and was used to transport apples from the orchards. It has been abandoned since 1923, when the apple boom slowed a bit, and there were better ways to get apples to town than hauling them on this rugged, narrow road. There are a few places where you can see the pair of ruts from the wagon wheels. Mostly, it's just the outer rut which is now the main path.

The view of the Husum valley was fantastic. It was a little hazy, though, so once again, you can't see Mt Hood, which we really could see!

The trail runs through the 315 acre White Salmon Oak NRCA and the Quercus garyana are about a week away from leaves.


The wildflowers are all over the place, with the balsam root ready to explode all over the hillsides. All that empty space down the slopes between the lines of oak has clumps of balsam root budding like crazy.


There were waxy yellow Western Buttercups, pretty purple flowered Columbia parsley, yellow blooms of desert parsley, tiny blue-eyed Mary's, blue buttons, and delicate mountain lady slippers which were hiding in the more woodsy areas. My camera batteries gave out before I could get pictures of them all!


I hear the balsam root and lupines will be fantastic in a couple of weeks. I think I'll go back.