We had this former log haul road all to ourselves for hiking and birding on a chilly but colorful autumn day.
PacifiCorps had plans to develop a trailhead with parking, restrooms, picnic tables, etc., but progress seems to have stalled in disputes with DNR and Clark County regarding permits. We parked at the gate and hiked the former road to the Canyon Washout at 3.75 miles and back.
Birding was surprisingly good when we reached the bank of Yale Reservoir at about 1 mile. Kokanee (landlocked sockeye salmon) must have been spawning in Cougar Creek across the lake because we counted 19 bald eagles during our hike, with most of them hanging out at the mouth of the creek.
Other birds we counted on the lake included 60 Canada geese, 105 common mergansers, 3 red-necked grebes, 3 hooded mergansers, 46 double-crested cormorants, horned grebes and one western grebe.
Colors of the bigleaf maples were at their peak, with lots of the leaves on the ground paving the trail golden.
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