Volunteers from WTA and the Cape Horn Conservancy are constructing a set of step that will lead to the Oak Viewpoint on the lower section of the Cape Horn Trail. It is south of Hwy 14 just before the trail begins to descend. For the next couple of days the area will be tricky to negotiate since we've dug up a part of the trail.
You can still hike the route, just use caution as you follow the current route around the steps section. Unfortunately, vandals pulled out the direction sign near the viewpoint making it hard for those unfamiliar with the area to find their way onto the right trail.
A second project in the works is a long reroute that when completed will replace the current trail and bypass a series of switchbacks through a talus slope. Moving the current trail off of the talus area satisfies a requirement of the Forest Service Recreation Plan for the trail as the talus is home to the Larch Mt. Salamander - a sensitive species of concern for the agency.
We expect to complete the reroute by the end of this season and begin to decommission the section to be abandoned just prior to the falcon closure.
The Oak viewpoint and the nearby Fir Tree "lunch spot" will remain part of the official trail, but rather than being waypoints on the main route, they will be the ends of a "T" spur trail.
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