Cedar Guard Station Loop Trail, Oregon

Oregon Caves Highway History Tour

This is a great trail for people traveling to or from Oregon Caves National Monument and want to take an easy stroll through the woods where you can enjoy the sound of the stream and forest as well as see the site of the Camp Oregon Caves, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) facility where more than 200 youth were stationed during the Great Depression to work on projects in Siskiyou National Forest and at Oregon Caves National Forest. The rock work around the historic Oregon Caves Lodge and walkway to the cave entrance are examples of work done by these crews. See the story about Camp Oregon Caves for more information on this Civilian Conservation Corps facility.

The Cedar Guard Station is a designated historic site and was constructed around 1934 by Civilian Conservation Corps crews. It is classified as being a Cascadian Cedar design and is one of six such buildings surviving in western Oregon. The Store Gulch Ranger Station is one of these six buildings and can be seen on the Wild and Scenic Illinois River Road Guide near Selma, Oregon.

Location
Cedar Camp Loop Trail map, Oregon Caves Highway 46, Cave Junction, Oregon The Cedar Guard Loop Trail is located on the Oregon Caves Highway History Tour about twelve miles from Cave Junction and about one fourth of a mile past Grayback Campground. Watch for the historic Cedar Camp Ranger Station on the left. Park on the shoulder of the road and follow the generalized map to find the loop trail.

Trail Description

The total distance around the loop beginning at Highway 46 (Oregon Caves Highway) is about a mile. The trail involves little to no climbing over its entire distance. Hikers cross over a historic water ditch and walk through a Douglas-fir and madrone forest that gives away to a forest composed of alder, maple and hazlenut and a small section dominated by Port Orford cedar (cypress family). Grayback Creek is visible along one section of the trail where migrating salmon may be seen during the spawning season in late October and early November.

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