Saddle Mountain State Natural Area is a state park in northwest

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. It is located in the

Northern Oregon Coast Range The Northern Oregon Coast Range is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, located in the northwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States. This section of the mountain range, part ...

in central Clatsop County, about by road from Seaside. A long hiking trail climbs to the top of Saddle Mountain, which is located in the park. On clear days, the Pacific Ocean, Columbia River mouth and several of the

Cascade mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, a ...

in Washington and Oregon can be seen from the summit.

History

Oregon's State Land Board was given by the federal government on August 11, 1916, to be set aside for use as a park around Saddle Mountain. On November 21, 1928, the state highway commission, who at that time operated Oregon's state parks, received as a gift from Nellie and O. W. Taylor to use for a park. This was the first land incorporated into what was originally known as Saddle Mountain State Park. Astoria and Saddle Mountain from Chinook Point

Astoria and Saddle Mountain from Chinook Point

During the Great Depression, of the 1930s, the park was the site of a

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(CCC) camp. The state leased the land to the federal government for two years starting in June 1935. During their stay at the park, the CCC made improvements including building the main trail to the top of the mountain, constructing a road from the Sunset Highway to the main parking lot, the parking lot itself, a picnic area, and restrooms. On December 5, 1935, the Oregon State Land Board donated the they received from the federal government to the state highway commission, as they felt the parks division could better manage the land. This new land, which already been logged, was incorporated into the park. Forest fires burned through many of the trees near the base of the mountain in 1936 and again in 1939. The state built an overnight camping area, a

Quonset hut A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross-section. The design was developed in the United States, based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War ...

, and a water system complete with reservoir in 1948. The Oregon State Board of Forestry built a

fire lookout A fire lookout (partly also called a fire watcher) is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and a ...

tower on the summit of Saddle Mountain in 1953. By 1964, the state had bought five tracts of land totaling and added them to the park, bringing the total to . By 1997 the park had been renamed Saddle Mountain State Natural Area.

Details

Saddle Mountain Road intercepts U.S. Route 26 eight miles (13 km) east of Necanicum Junction where

Oregon Route 53 Oregon Route 53 is an Oregon state highway that runs through a pair of river valleys in the Oregon Coast range; those of the Necanicum River and the Nehalem River. OR 53 traverses the Necanicum Highway No. 46 of the Oregon state high ...

meets Route 26. A primary feature of the park is tall Saddle Mountain. From the top of the peak, on clear days, mountains in the Cascade Range far to the east can be seen, as well as the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

to the west and the mouth of the Columbia River to the north. Amenities at the park include primitive campsites, restrooms, trails, and picnic facilities. The campground is closed from October 31 to March 1. Natural features in the park include forests and a year-round spring near summit of the mountain. Tree species include cedar, hemlock, and spruce. Other flora include the rare ''Cardamine pattersonii''. A herd of elk have been seen in the park.

References

External links

* * * {{authority control State parks of Oregon Parks in Clatsop County, Oregon Civilian Conservation Corps in Oregon 1928 establishments in Oregon Protected areas established in 1928