Beware, there is no actual trailhead! This trail (Lower Salmonberry River Hike) starts on Lower Nehalem Rd (Foss Rd) where the Salmonberry River and the Nehalem River meet. Before you cross the tracks, find parking there (but be aware of private property) and follow the train tracks into the forest on the left. Where the rivers meet there is a truss bridge to the right - go the other direction.

Although this is a mostly flat hike, it is difficult in some areas since most of the trail is the old train tracks. Also, there are several bridges to cross with metal grates for hikers to walk on, so a fear of heights may be triggered if you look down to the river below you for too long. There were also a few stream crossings and one area where trees had fallen blocking the path, so we just went right up and over them.

I know this trail is 16 or more miles long but we only made it 5 miles in before having to turning around to make it back to the car by dark.

The trail was extremely secluded, making it perfect for wildlife viewing. We saw several newts crawling along the forest floor, large trout, 2 to 3 feet long at the spot we stopped for lunch, and on our way back we saw a few Roosevelt Elk.

This trail quickly became a favorite of mine because there were so many things to take pictures of! The rock slides, the old railroad equipment, the sometimes eerie overgrown train tracks, the way the fog moves through the hills around you. This hike truly felt like an adventure!