Welcome!
To the first installment of an all new blog series, Outings! You can read the full series introduction here, but the gist is this:
Each Sunday I’m going to visit a park or trail in my town, and then write up a review to share every Wednesday (basically, I needed an excuse to get outdoors consistently this off-season and I need more photographs for the blog.). The review will include my rating and insights, as well as those of any companions, including my dog, Simon.
So buckle up, because this inaugural Outing has set the bar pretty damn high.
Croisan Scenic Trail
This “pocket” trail is maintained by the Salem Area Trail Alliance, which is a super cool thing I didn’t know existed until just now. This volunteer organization builds, maintains, and advocates for trails in and around our city. Pretty dope.
Now, back to the trail itself.
According to SATA, Croisan Creek Trail is “about a mile long, including branches and spurs.” Which I’m assuming they mean a mile in one direction, because I got some discrepancies.
AllTrails (A wonderful app for finding and tracking trails for all kinds of adventures) says it is 1.5 miles Out & Back, to which my FitBit agrees.
Real quick, here’s some lingo breakdown for you. There are several different “types” of trails:
- Loop
- Exactly what it sounds like, the trail loops around so that it ends back at the trailhead you started at. These are my personal favorite types of hikes.
- Point to Point
- These are trails where you start at one trailhead and end at another, usually by having a vehicle parked at each trailhead. I have never done a hike this, mainly because they tend to be very long and a bit outside my skill level (so far).
- Out & Back
- These trails lead you out to some ending point– ideally a sweet view– and then you walk back the way you came to return to the trailhead. These are very common, especially along the coast.
So, Croisan Creek is labeled as an Out & Back trail. There is parking at each end of the trail, so you could use it as a Point to Point, but then it would only be about 3/4 mile walk/hike. I started at the South Trailhead, which begins at the dead end of a neighborhood road. There’s plenty of street parking available, and there were no other vehicles when we arrived. On the descent I decided to stick to the main trail, to see if the “branches and spurs” all connected back (more on that in a bit).
The trail cuts between private property and makes for a jaunty skip down to the North Trailhead. Fall foliage is, well, falling and the squirrels were out en masse, which Simon loved. The first third of the trail is dirt, and it’s pretty well packed and not too technical (meaning there aren’t a lot of roots or rocks to trip you up). The middle is a very nice paved section, although the root systems of the surrounding trees made me pay some attention to my steps. I have the world’s flimsiest ankles, and I wasn’t wearing my hiking boots, so I tried to be careful. The final segment returns to the packed dirt, but has a bit more twists and technical aspects, which I enjoyed. 
Reaching the Northern Trailhead is a bit… anticlimactic. You just pop out onto basically a driveway leading up to some very nice houses. One nice feature is a small trash can and doggie bag station, which was perfect since someone decided to poop right on the trail… (pssst. It was Simon.) There’s a small gravel pullout you could park in if you wanted to start at the “bottom” and come back down (my ideal hiking scenario), but alas, I didn’t know that, so we had to turn around and climb on the return trip.
On the way back, we tried to take every spur we found. Most of them were small and ran parallel to the main trail. Some were obviously offshoots that led to private residences (which is goals, honestly). But one was a total, ass-kicking gem. It was pure climb, getting the glutes and thighs burning and the heart pumping. It was obviously a less-traveled portion of the trail, with fine spiderwebs clinging to sapling branches and fresh, uncrunched leaves adorning the path.
It was delightful. And an unexpected, much appreciated challenge.
Stats & Specs
This is a segment where I breakdown the trail’s specs, share my stats, and talk about what gear I used vs. what I wished I used. I’ll also share my opinion on the trail’s usage for those of you who want to try an adventure of your own!
Trail Specs:
- Distance: 1.57 miles from the car and back again.
- Elevation Gain: According to AllTrails it’s 278ft. I tracked this on my Fitbit as a Walk, because I didn’t realize it would be such a climb. Sadly, “Walk” doesn’t track elevation… Lesson learned.
- Hours: Dawn to Dusk
- Environment: It’s a “pocket” trail, meaning it’s tucked away in a neighborhood setting. That said, it feels very secluded and you don’t see too many houses. There is some traffic noise from the road that runs parallel to the trail but it wasn’t distracting, and the birds and squirrels made up for it. It is a very shady trail and probably stays relatively cool in the summer. It’s been unseasonably warm this fall, but it was about 62º out while we were there (9:30-10:15ish).
- Condition: The main trail is well maintained. Today it was a little dusty (we haven’t had rain in weeks), but there aren’t any loose stones or slippery sections. It might get muddy in the rainy season, in which case I will report back! The spurs/branches are a little less maintained, with ground cover encroaching to make for a narrower path. Nothing egregious or difficult to navigate though.
- Popularity: Unknown. We only saw two other users, a cyclist and a trail runner, and it was a gorgeous Sunday morning. But, I imagine it might be busier on summer weekends or even weekday afternoon/evenings as the locals squeeze in runs and rides after work. My guess is that Weekday mornings it’s pretty empty.
- Uses: The trail is open to walkers/hikers, trail runners, cyclists, and dogs on leash. I think this trail would be an awesome trail run, if I was into that sort of thing. But even for a short hike it was pretty rad.
My Stats:
- Duration: 42 minutes.
- Pace: 26’57” (meaning, an almost 27 minute mile).
- Average Heart Rate: 121bpm (goal is ~118bpm).
- Max Heart Rate: 158bpm.
- Active Zone Minutes: 36 total, 26 in Cardio & Peak, 10 in Fat Burn.
- Steps: 3,826.
- Calories Burned: 380.
My Gear:
- Adidas GalaxyTrail Trail Runners
- These are my OG Hiking Shoe, back before I knew what the hell I was doing. Turns out, for bigger, more technical hikes I NEED ankle support (see above about flimsy-ass ankles), so I retired these shoes to yard work and walks. They worked perfect for this trail and I would wear them here again.
- Basic bitch exercise leggings and racerback tank.
- Leggings with pockets are a must for me so I can carry my phone, keys, and dog poop bags without fuss.
- Mystery Columbia Activewear Light Jacket.
- I bought this thing several years ago, and apparently Columbia doesn’t make it anymore, because I just spent the better part of a half an hour trying to find it so I could give you the details. It’s a pale, sage green, very light, full zip jacket. There’s no hood and it has a single, very shallow pocket on the right side. It’s like a pull over, but with a zipper instead. I have the pull over version too, where the zipper is just from throat to chest. Anyway, I love these things and live in them basically year round. Sad to know they’ve ceased to exist.
Simon’s Gear:
- RuffWear Front Range Dog Harness, in Aurora Teal
- RuffWear Knot-a-Leash Rope dog leash, in Aurora Teal
Additional Fun Note: I did not purchase these together. Simon has had his leash from day one, and I bought his harness maybe three years ago? I just really like teal/aqua colored things. I did not know these were the same brand until literally right now.
Suggested Gear:
- Trail Runners or similar comfy, walking shoe. My Tevas would not have been ideal for this, but would have worked. Chacos would be better if you really want to wear a sandal. Hiking boots are probably overkill.
- Layers. This is a lesson learned quickly in the PNW – you have to wear layers here. Temps drop quickly in shady parts of trails, and the weather can be pretty mercurial. You want to be prepared for anything you might encounter. For this time of year, comfy activewear paired with a lightweight outerwear is perfect.
- Water. I don’t have a sling for my enormous (40oz) hydroflask, and I didn’t even think to bring my 1.5L CamelBak hydration pack. It would have been more than enough, and would have helped on that steep branch we took. Even without water, things were fine, but I was pretty thirsty by the time we were back to the car. Similarly, I need to keep a bowl in the car for Simon, because he was thirsty when we got home.
The Verdict
Croisan Scenic Trail offers a quick and easily accessible hike right in town. It’s well-maintained and while it is in a neighborhood, it honestly felt like I was out in the middle of nowhere, at least for 45 minutes. I also liked that it wasn’t too easy and offered a bit of a workout.
There were lots of squirrels and birds and good sniffs, but the cyclist scared me and it was too short. Longer walkies needed for 5 stars.
We’ll definitely be visiting this trail again, and will report back on how it fairs in the various seasons!
Aaaaaaand, that’s it! We’ve reached the end of our first ever installment of Outings! Wooo! We’ll be back next week to talk about wherever the heck it is we go next. It’s supposed to rain (fingers crossed) so be prepared for some rainy gear talk and maybe some pictures of a soggy doggy.
Until then,
BZ
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