Jackpot Meadows (all notes)
08/03/2024 sih, cvg
Nice walk, if seeming a bit more effort in the climbs up from crossing the Salmon River. Excellent black huckleberries halfway down to Salmon River. No cars at trailhead; saw a couple of mountain bikers heading downslope from FR 58 but otherwise nobody on trail. Low water in crossing stream. Mosquitoes bothersome despite repellent. Turned around at 2 hours (about 3.2 miles) around Dry Meadow. Had lunch sitting on trail side just off north side of FR 58, suboptimal but no other good option. Large flock of chestnut backed chickadees.
06/25/2022 (sih, cvg) Uncrowded, three cars at trailhead, only a single backpacker on trail. Frequent recent small/medium blowdown.
Rhododendrons and bear grass virtually MIA; very few rhododendron blooms, single bear grass bloom late June. Wonder if 2021 heat event damaged plants, lot of the rhododendrons looks sickly. Water higher and faster in streams; took longer than usual to find crossing at lunch spot. Mosquitoes moderate at lunch stream, plentiful at Jackpot Meadow. Lots of water and mud on trails at meadow.
Mostly shade, sticks desirable
08/26/2020 sih, cvg
Very serene, not a single other person or car. More blowdown, especially first two miles, then in 2018. Some have been partially cleared this season, but still had to do a fair amount of crawling over, under and through. Flowers and huckleberries pretty much gone by late August. Marsh dry. Eight miles round trip by skipping downhill to PCT at Road 58.
Jun 20, 2019 (sih, cvg?) No notes
Jun 14, 2018 sih, cvg
Very pleasant hike, mostly shade and semi-shade, mature woods but not old growth. Grades benign except for moderate slog up from crossing Salmon River at bridge. Lovely stream for lunch spot. Interesting unusual marsh. Some mosquitos in places but not too bad. Rhododendrons and bear grass in full bloom in mid-June.
Would do again, but turn around at FR 58; continuing on eventually joins PCT, but is steep down and therefore steep back up, and trail goes through fairly uninteresting setting. Map a bit off; we didn't make it to junction when we decided to turn around and head back up.
Only one car at trailhead when we arrived and two cars when we got back, apparently camping at a site nearby. Not a single person on the trail.
Trailhead about forty minutes from Zigzag, last four miles gravel with some potholes.
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Jackpot_Meadow_Hike