Homestead Trail

The Oak Creek Trail area includes the popular Homestead, Extendo and Uproute Trails. The gentle Homestead Trail is popular with folks out for short walks, often accompanied by their dogs. The Extendo Trail is one of the more popular mountain bike trails on the Forest, and is used in conjunction with Uproute to form a loop by utilizing the 6020 Road.

Located in the Oak Creek area of McDonald Forest, Homestead Trail can be accessed from the Oak Creek gate, which sits at the end of NW Oak Creek Drive. The Oak Creek gate is home to an information kiosk with brochures, a trash can, dog waste bags, and a port-a-potty. The entrance to Homestead Trail is located next to the information kiosk. Between the rainbow of wildflowers in the spring and summer and the flat topography, Homestead Trail is an excellent choice for a family hike! Homestead Trail is a multiple-use trail open year-round to hikers, bikers, and equestrians. As this is an extremely popular location for dog walking, please clean up after your pet and assure that they are either under vocal control or on a leash at all times. This trail is half of a mile long with an 36 foot gain in elevation. Homestead Trail can also be turned into a loop by following the 6021 Road north at the trail's end and then heading southeast on the 6020 Road towards the 600 Road, which leads back to the gate. This loop is just over a mile and a half in length. Homestead Trail passes through an area of McDonald Forest that is managed as mature forest for many types of wildlife to call home. Some tree species grown within this area are harvested to produce wood products used for building materials. The riparian setting along Homestead Trail makes it an ideal place for a long-term research project. For more information regarding the various research being conducted on water quality in the Oak Creek watershed, see: http://water.oregonstate.edu/oakcreek/research/

Trail description by: Oregon State University College of Forestry