Once again I’m back with a quick overview of the stats and metrics for the things I encountered on my most recent thru-hike – Oregon’s North Umpqua Trail (aka the NUT). This end-to-end trail follows the North Umpqua River from its headwaters in the Cascade mountains down to the Umpqua River Valley.
I completed this trail in mid-July 2020, beginning at the trail’s eastern terminus of Maidu Lake. Unfortunately, there’s no road access at that trailhead, so I began my hike at the Digit Point trailhead at Miller Lake and considered the hike between these two lakes an an “approach trail.”
The NUT is a National Recreation Trail, and has been broken down into 11 trail segments that vary in length to facilitate its use. The trail traverses through different several different types of forest, goes by a natural hot spring, and there are more waterfalls along the way than a hiker can count. So without further ado, here’s a summary of my NUT thru-hike by the numbers.
OVERVIEW
- Official distance of the NUT: 79 miles
- Additional miles on the Miller Lake ‘approach’ trail: 4.75 miles
- Total distance: 83.75 miles
- Highest point: 5,985′ (Maidu Lake at the eastern terminus)
- Lowest point: ~800′ (Swiftwater Park at the western terminus)
- Permits required: 0
- National Scenic Trails crossed: 1 (Pacific Crest Trail)
MILEAGE
- Total days for my thru-hike: 4
- Overall average miles per day: 20.9
- Longest distance hiked in a day: 25.2 miles
- Shortest distance hiked in a day: 15.7 miles
- Official trail segments: 11
- Longest segment distance: 15.7 miles (Tioga segment)
- Shortest segment distance: 3.5 miles (Hot Springs segment)
- Most challenging segment: Dread & Terror segment (13 miles)
TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS
- Types of forest: 5 (Mountain Hemlock forest, Lodgepole forest, Douglas Fir forest, White Fir forest, and Hemlock forest)
- Natural Lakes: 3 (Miller Lake, Maidu Lake, Lake Lucile)
- Freshwater reservoirs created by dams: 3 (Lemolo Lake, Tokotee Lake, Soda Springs)
- Hot Springs: 1
- Hydro Power plants: 1 (Lomolo plant #1)
- Waterfalls: so many I lost count
- Favorite Waterfalls: Columnar Falls & Lemolo Falls
- Nicest maintained stretch of trail: Hot Springs segment
- Least maintained segment of trail: Dread & Terror segment (lots of big blowdowns to navigate over)
- Coolest sight: Prisms of lava beside the river at Columnar Basalt
- Sections of trail completely rebuilt after a massive fire: 1 (the Calf segment is back open again!)
- Bridges decimated by giant fallen trees: 2
- Blowdowns on the Dread & Terror Segment: 100s
FOOD & DRINK
- Times I needed to resupply: 0
- Best trail food: Bagels spread with Tillimook veggie cream cheese (ate it for all 4 lunches)
- Trail segments on which I gathered & ate wild blackberries: 4 🙂
- Total times I filtered water from the North Umpqua River: 2
- Where I got most my water instead: Creeks running down to the river
- Water spigots I was able to use: 1 (at the Mott trailhead)
- Weirdest place I gathered water: the seam of a water flume near the Soda Springs dam
WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS
- Bear sightings: 0 (bears and cougars are supposedly present in the Umpqua Natl Forest!)
- Snake encounters: 2 – both were garter snakes
- Times I got stung by ground dwelling bees: 3
- Giant green slugs I nearly skewered with my trekking poles: ~2 dozen
- Worst trail segment for mosquitos: Maidu
- Chinook salmon spawning beds along the trail: 1 (Weeping Rocks)
- Weirdest wildlife encounter: skeletal remains of a pheasant with its feathered wings still intact
PEOPLE ON THE TRAIL:
- Day hikers on trail: Dozens (but they were always within 1 mile of a trailhead)
- Fellow NUT backpackers: 3 (all within the same group)
- Busiest trailhead: Umpqua Hot Springs
- People already sitting in the hot springs when I arrived: 4
- Second busiest trailhead: White Mule (near Lomolo Falls)
- USFS crew members working on/near the trail: 6
- Mountain bikers using the trail: 4
- Kids on a scavenger hunt near Tioga Pedestrian Bridge: 5
ODDS & ENDS
- Times I tripped and fell on this trail: 0 – woohoo!!
- Days hiking with no cell service anywhere on trail: 3
- Where I re-gained cell service: summit of Bob Butte
- Number of pit toilets I visited at various trailheads: 5
- Fanciest adornment of a pit toilet: Mott Trailhead
- Worst pit toilet: Hot Springs (completely unusable and gross!)
- Closest town to the eastern terminus: Chemult, OR
- Closest town to the western terminus: Glide, OR
Would I recommend the NUT to other hikers?
Yes. The frequent number of trailheads and segments makes the North Umpqua Trail equally good for day hiking and a shorter, self-supported thru-hike lasting 4-6 days. Water is plentiful, the scenery is diverse, navigation is easy, and the trail tread is excellent. Finding a stealth campsite can be a bit more difficult because of steep hillsides alongside to the trail and the prevalence of poison oak. Nonetheless, there were always at least one evident, flat campsite every 3-5 miles. Plus, at less than 85 miles, this trail can be completed without needing a single resupply. The biggest challenge may be getting to/from the eastern terminus, so I’d recommend hiking it with a partner and parking one vehicle at Swiftwater Park and another near Miller Lake.
Want to know more about the North Umpqua Trail?
Check out my upcoming blog posts, including:
- My Day-by-Day Trail Journal for the North Umpqua Trail
- My Complete NUT Packing List
- 20 Things You Should Know Before Hiking the NUT
Or check out the following resources:
- Official North Umpqua Trail Brochure (Bureau of Land Management)
- North Umpqua Trail #1414 (USFS website with current fire status info)
- Guide to the Umpqua National Forest: Waterfalls & Hot Springs (Oregon is for Adventure)