In less than 3 miles we hiked over 15 bridges ranging in design from barely visible dirt- covered logs to actual bridge structures. I was impressed!

This is a well loved and cared for stretch of trail that follows the shoreline of Eel Lake near Reedsport Oregon. Whenever I am camping I search for nearby trails. My favorite are those that are walkable from camp. This one was perfect!

The trailhead was half a mile from our camp site at William H Tugman State Park. The weather was perfect, blue skies and high 60’s with very little wind.

The first 2 miles were wide open trail. The plants thrived in the shaded forest allowing a variety of ferns to grow. The deer fern and sword fern were prevalent, along with skunk cabbage, blackberries, rhododendrons and unfamiliar plants. The trees were tall and beautiful.

The mile markers were placed every half mile which made it easy to Navigate. Prior to starting the hike I had read that the trail would narrow considerably after the 2 mile mark, and it did. With only a few tricky sections of trail, the 3rd mile went by without incident. It was time to turn around when all that could be seen was mud!

As the trail wound back towards camp, I started taking photos of each bridge. I thought about counting them but wondered if I could keep an accurate count.

In the end there were 15 bridges. I appreciated their placement because without them, the trail would be muddy, slippery in spots and likely unusable during the rainy season. This was a trail worth enjoying!

#eellaketrail #oregontrails August 2022)