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Located in Skamania
County, the Wind River Nursery is easily
accessible to its residents and visitors to the region. The Nursery site is
located two miles west of the community of Stabler, nine miles north of Carson, twelve miles north of the Columbia River Gorge town of Stevenson and
only 53
miles from Portland International Airport.
Across the river, on the Oregon side, are the towns of Hood
River, Cascade Locks, and notable destinations including Bonneville Dam and
Multnomah Falls. The major Gorge highway is also located along the Oregon side
– Interstate 84, linking Portland to many destinations to the east. The most
direct route across the river to the Nursery site is via "The Bridge of the
Gods" at Cascade Locks.
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The Nursery is the gateway to recreation
on thousands of acres of
the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Recreation opportunities include hiking,
biking, horse back riding, fishing, hunting, whitewater rafting and kayaking,
mountaineering, rock climbing, caving, snow shoeing, cross country skiing,
snowmobiling, and mushroom and berry picking.
The
Nursery is also adjacent to regional recreation destinations including the
Columbia River Gorge, the Cascade Mountains, Trapper Creek and Indian Heaven
Wildernesses, and the Big Lava Bed Area. Further north is the Swift Creek
Reservoir and the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Many of these sites
are directly adjacent to or have easy connections to Pacific Crest Trail, which
traverses the Nursery site.
Notable destinations near
the Nursery include:
Skamania Lodge and the
Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center in Stevenson,
and Beacon Rock and the University or Oregon’s field station at the
“Shire” (John Yeon property) further down river.
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The landscape setting that defines the Wind River Nursery
includes three geomorphic landforms: The Ridge, The Hill and The Valley.
The Hill: North and east of the nursery site, rising 1,100 feet above
the valley, is Bunker Hill. The Pacific Crest Trail passes its southern base and
provides access to a steep trail to its summit.
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The Ridge:
The north south running Stabler-Carson Ridge defines the
western boundary of the Nursery, rising 1,500 feet above the valley. Both Forest
Service Road 41 and the Pacific Crest Trail drop down this ridge to the Nursery.
The trail connects south to Oregon, with easy connections for hikers or
horseback riders coming from Skamania Lodge.
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The Valley: A walk through the Nursery is marked by the distinct contrast
between the intimate, mystical enclosure of dark green trees, and bright sunlit
openings of clearings. These clearings, the four open fields of the former
nursery, define the character of the Wind River Nursery. They provide distant
views to the surrounding foothills, including Bunker Hill and an ancient volcano
- Trout Creek Hill. Owing to the ancient lava flows, the valley bottom is
unusually wide, providing level areas for a multitude of uses. |
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The Swimming Hole:
The existing forest service day use picnic area and swimming beach at the Hemlock Lake Recreation Area is currently the most publicly accessible area at the Wind River Nursery. A shallow reservoir lies behind the Trout Creek dam. Territorial views are available from the road atop the dam across the lake toward Trout Creek Hill.
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