After working on the South Fork Complex fire crew this past summer, my better half insisted I needed to see this place. So we headed up the trail, cache in hand (just in case!). The trail itself is a 2-mile hike, but you will not need to make the complete hike to find the cache. From the parking spot, cross the road to the trailhead and continue on the trail till you reach the fenceline. You will need to open and reclose the gate. The trail is clearly marked as being open to human foot traffic year-round, but take the year-round designation lightly as there will be heavy snowfall in the area from late November through early April most years. Know your limitations.
Originally it was about 150 feet further down the trail, but with a mudslide appearing to reroute the trail, I decided to move it just inside the fence line. If you pass the green trail sign, you've gone too far.
Alaska yellow cedar is common to Alaska, British Columbia, and west of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington. There are also a few small, isolated groves in the Siskiyou Mountains of California. However, in the arid mountains of central Oregon, several hundred miles east of the crest of the Cascade range, a 26 acre population has persisted since the Pleistocene– remainders of a time when the climate was wetter and cooler. The Cedar Grove Botanical Trail in the Aldrich Mountains is a must-visit destination in a sojourn across eastern Oregon.
Driving directions: From Highway 26, take FS Rd. 21 (Fields Creek Rd) approximately 9 miles to FS Rd. 2150. Turn right and travel about 5 miles to the parking spot and trailhead.
If you are working on the elevation challenge, approximate elevation is 5900' at the cache site. The trail has a 500' elevation change from beginning to end.