Trip Report: Valley of the Giants, Oregon

The Valley of the Giants is a very small area with very large trees, many over 450 years old. The hellish 30-mile drive through ravaged industrial timberlands to the giants makes one appreciate the importance of this refuge.

- Andy Kerr, Oregon Wild

Located in the Coastal Range of the state of Oregon, west of Salem, is this gem in the goats ass millions of acres of stumps and timber plantations. The drive is very much worth it though! The hike is a lollypop loop that's only 1.5 miles long on a very nice dirt trail, but there's many inclines to hike up and down and huge, downed trees to climb through and over. It's a prefect trail for kids and dogs. No mountaineering experience required, no machete needed. There was two other families there while we were there on a nice Spring weekend, so not crowded but not isolated either.

What you need to know is how to drive there. The instructions from oregonhikers.org makes it seem like a mountain-sized version of the hedge maze in The Shining. However, you basically stay on the "main road" as evident by many signs such as the tire tracks, the width of the road, and little wooden markers that say "VOG" (Valley of the Giants) with an arrow pointing to which way you need to go. We brought the detailed driving instructions with us, but ended up getting confused by them after only a few turns and then relying on judgement. Didn't make a single wrong turn. 

Leaving falls city, you'll be on Valsetz Road for maybe 15 miles until you cross a bridge, crossing the South Fork Selitz River for the first time, about half a mile after passing some old foundations. Turn right. You'll now be on BLM Road 100 and driving, most of the way but not all, along the South Fork Selitz River, which the road crosses via bridge a few more times. Take this road all the way to VOG. Look for wooden sticks with red "VOG" written on it if you come across an intersection that's not totally clear. On the way back, there's really no wrong turn because all the intersections are Y-shaped, so just keep going straight. Only turn that you need to worry about is the left turn onto the bridge, it should be pretty obvious though. 

The road is not for everybody/every car, however. While 4wd and high-clearance is not needed, you'll be much more comfortable in a truck or SUV than a small car, due to the rocky road and washboards. Please leave the subcompact cars at home for this trip. If you have 4wd, use it, your traction will be improved and you'll be less likely to slide off the road. Don't go faster than 25mph. Don't cut corners too closely, you don't know if another car is around that corner. One last tip: use your low gears. I was in 2nd most of the time, putting it in 3rd only when the road was flat and straight. If your car's transmission doesn't have that option, then you run the risk of burning up your brakes when going down hill. 

And going on the weekend is also highly recommended to avoid the logging trucks. I didn't run into any of them on the Sunday we went, but I believe the reports about their bully behavior.

Onto the pictures!

Here's some photos of the logging road, so you'll know what to expect. It is a well maintained road, but there's a few washboard sections that would rattle your teeth out if in a smaller car. Although the smaller car would make it to the trail head just fine. I've done worse (and longer) roads in a Honda Fit, but we vowed never to do it again.