Summary:
Riverside Trail #723 offered Padme and me an unforgettable adventure through the stunning Clackamas Wilderness. With autumn colors, serene river views, and thrilling wildlife sightings—including an unexpected encounter with a bald eagle—this moderate hike pushed me physically and left me in awe. Navigating tricky parking, exploring switchbacks, and discovering secluded beaches made it an ideal hike for us both. Solo hiking as a trans-masc hiker in remote areas comes with its unique reflections and preparations, but Riverside Trail #723 felt both challenging and empowering. This may just be my new favorite trail.
Grade:
| Padme’s Paws | (Out of 4) |  |
| My Grade | (A to F) | A+ |
Trail Stats
- Trail: Riverside Trail #723
- Location: Clackamas Wilderness
- Distance: 4.5 miles (AllTrails.com) / 7.9 miles (side quests)
- Difficulty: Moderate
- ADA accessible: No
Directions
Parking – Confusing
Parking for this trail was a little confusing. AllTrails.com said that the campground close to the trail head wasn’t an inviting place for parking unless you were camping, but that if you drove a little further there were places to park. I was I drove through the campground wondering if a road went through and past, but I didn’t see that.
I pulled back on the road and immediately saw a car parked on a pull-off. But there wasn’t very much space so I didn’t try to park in that same area. I looked at the map to see if I could find a place where the trail came anywhere close to the road. It did! I drove to the end of the hike, which was not the end of the trail, and then kept going until I could find a bit of a pull off.
I ended up finding a place to park where the trail was right at the road, which was really lucky. It added about 3 miles to the overall hike, but it was gorgeous and so worth it.
When I reached the camp that was the turn-around point, I realized that there was a parking area that could accommodate 3 or 4 cars situated right in front of the trail head and next to the bathrooms. I think that parking area might be for the hike, but I’m not sure. I had such a good time on the extra mileage that I’ll probably just keep parking up exactly where I did.
Why It’s Good for Padme
This hike was so beautiful, full of switchbacks, downed trees to climb and jump, rocks to scramble up and over. Padme chased birds and chipmunks and barked at something I couldn’t see that was down a cliff below us. She had a great time!
Padme and I also got to play together on a little beach while she dashed in and out of the water. She’s always been a water dog, so whenever I can get her in some, I’m going to do it.
If there was one negative of this hike, it would be that even though the trail is pretty close to the river quite often, there is really only a couple of places where it was easy to access the water.
Throughout her hijinks throughout the hike, she exhausted herself so much that she was tired for a whole week. To me, that’s a great hike for her.
Why It’s Good for Me
This trail was so much fun for me. The evidence of the fire from a couple of years ago is everywhere, but it holds its own kind of beauty, especially in contrast to the colors of the leaves changing.
I saw 4 different little brown salamanders crawling across the trail, and the hike challenged me physically in a way that I hadn’t been in a while.
This was my longest hike at 8 miles. I stopped so many times to take a picture or to just be in awe of how beautiful it was that it took me 3 hours to get to the halfway point.
One of the most amazing moments of this hike was being surprised by an adolescent bald eagle take flight from about 20 feet away from me and just kind of soar over the river.
To be honest, another just-as-amazing event was spotting the first salamander that I saw. When I got my phone out to film the little guy, he immediately started to storm toward my shoe obviously to give me a good telling off! He was very cute.
A great surprise were the 3 or 4 gorgeous rough-hewn log bridges that had been built on sight. The first one I saw was almost hidden by the gorgeous trees and bushes with red and yellow leaves. Who just stumbles upon a scene like that? I do! You will too if you do the hike. The bridges were just so surprising and delightful.
Closer to the area that allowed Padme and I to play on the beach, the landscape of the hike changed drastically from trees to boulders on either side of the trail. It reminded me of an area in New Jersey that I visited once.
I saw a downed tree and part of the trunk had stripped itself away. The texture of the tree looked like sable. I had never seen that before and, of course, was unable to capture it in a photo.
So many things on this hike just felt magical.
Something that I’ve been thinking about since the last review I wrote is how these hikes might feel as a queer person or as a solo female hiker. If you’ve read my “About Us” you know that I solo hike and that I am trans masc. I am AFAB so even though I can sometimes pass, I don’t always.
Thinking about the logistics of being alone in the woods never leaves my mind. I have never been on a trail where I felt uncomfortable as a queer person. I have been on a trail where people perceiving me as a female made me nervous. So that will be a topic that I bring up on these reviews from now on.
The hikes I generally go to are out in very rural areas, which tend to have a specific political leaning. I know this because there are lots of flags along the drive there and back. I don’t let that sort of thing scare me or stop me from living my life the way I want. But I’m also very aware of my privilege.
Be prepared to see flags flying on the drive to this hike, but the hike isn’t really anywhere near those.
Padme and I walked on this trail for more than 4 hours and we saw no one else on the trail. As much as I love that because I can let Padme enjoy herself, if something were to ever happen to one of us it might be a while before someone else comes along. As much I think Padme’s perfect just because she’s perfect, it eases my mind a little that she’s very obviously part Rottweiler and 90 lbs. She has made her presence known a couple of times in ways that I didn’t need but encourage none the less. She’s a good girl!
Also, I carry bear spray with me at all times. Yes, it’s for bears and big cats, but it makes me much safer in relation to other people. Hopefully, I’ll never have use it.
I added mileage onto this hike to feel more comfortable about where I was parking. I am glad that I did. This hike was the longest I’ve done at just shy of 8 miles. That alone made me so proud of myself! The elevation gains and losses were also around 900 feet, but I did that several times along the trail. I am just so glad there were so many switchbacks!
Padme and I took our time getting to the turn around point. I felt like every three steps, I needed to stop and take a picture. I’m not on a hurry when I hike so that’s fine, but I don’t think I’ve ever had the compulsion to do that. When we got to the turn around point, I wanted to see if we could do it at a good “fit” person pace, which is 20 minutes per mile. We made it, with stops in less than an hour and a half.
The hike made me feel strong physically and made me feel so happy emotionally. I’ve been on several hikes this year and most of them are amazing, but Riverside Trail #723 might now be my favorite of all time.
Wrap Up:
This trail is amazingly beautiful and a nice challenge if you’re getting in shape and have old knees. Take all day and take a friend. if that friend is your fur-baby, make sure it is old enough for the mileage and terrain or bring a fur baby carrier!
Get out there and take your dog on a hike!