Two hikes in one day part II: Bunker Hill, Sep 30th

Once we got back to the trailhead from Falls Creek Falls, we took a short break to eat before jumping back in the car to drive from that railhead to the starting point of this hike. That drive took about half an hour as we missed one turn and then overshot the trailhead. Bunker Hill doesn’t have a real trailhead as I’s a short hike up a butte that veers of the PCT, so you can start from anywhere you can get on the PCT, even from Mexico or Canada if you wanted to do a long hike. If you wanted a trailhead with a bathroom, you could start from Trout Creek which adds a couple of miles to the hike. The way I had chosen to go in was just off NF-417 on the Old Bunker Hill road as it was the closest entry point to reach the hill. The reason we overshoot when we drove by is because, as I mentioned, there’s no trailhead. The PCT just crosses this road and that’s it. Once we saw the crossing, we had to backup and find a parking spot on the side of the road to leave the car. Once we did, we walked back to where we saw the crossing and got on the trail. Right from there you get a full view of Bunker Hill and I must say, if any hike can give you an idea of what it is before you get there is this one. When you read “Bunker Hill” what comes to mind? Probably something like this

The first part of the hike is pretty much crossing that field as you approach the hill. Once you get in the forested area, a trail sign indicated where you need to veer of and leave the PCT to start climbing. The hike itself is not very interesting as it doesn’t have views along the way on the numerous switchbacks you go thru. The top also has limited views but there’s a spot that is a must if you are doing this hike. Towards the top (there’s no sign, but you’ll know you are getting there) there’s one last switchback to the left. At the corner, there’s a user path to an opening that stands on top of a rock formation. Even if you don’t continue to the top, it’s ok. This is the reward for this hike as you can stand on top of the rocks and see the Wind River Valley to the north. We had a cloudy and rainy day so we couldn’t see any further, but I believe that, on clear days, you get a view of Mt Adams from that point.

We did reach the top where the only thig to see is the remnants of an old fire lookout tower (only the concrete pillars are left). From there, it was just retracing our step back down which we had to do at double time to beat the incoming rain – ad we did it just in time

You can see the rest of the pictures here

Interactive map

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