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Bell’s Mountain Trail is a easy, and popular, open to foot, bike, and horse traffic near Yacolt, Washington.
Guide
Take this trail easy, there’s no rush to get to the top and the views through the Yacolt Burn State Forest are worth enjoying. In late winter there’s usually a lot of snow up on the mountain, making the trail moderately more difficult, and starting in fall until late spring low hanging clouds and fog might obfuscate some views.
The trail climbs fairly fast, but keep the hike interesting for taking friends who have never hiked before. GPS coverage is minimal at the base, but improves fairly quickly into the hike. Cell coverage is also spotty.
After about ≈7.3 miles Bell’s Mountain Trail connects to Tarbell Trail making it a popular exit for some bikers who are usually polite, but move fast. The only extra advice I can provide for Bell’s Mountain Trail is to make sure that you pack extra food and water, especially in the summer as there are a few parts on sun exposed logging roads.
All and all Bell’s Mountain Trail is a easy hike for families and friends who are looking for an easy hike in the area.
Transportation
Bell’s Mountain Trail’s trailhead lies just on the East Fork Lewis River Trail, a short well-maintained asphalt pathway, which on one end connects to Moulton Falls Regional Park and on the other a usually empty parking lot.
Most take the route Moulton Falls Regional Park, which lies just on the side of NE Lucia Falls Road and has an iconic bridge. When driving NE Lucia Falls Road watchout for aggressive drivers, particularly on the narrower parts of the road and curves, a lot of drivers take turns too fast and end off of the road or in an accident.
Alternatively, driving to the parking lot at the other end of the East Fork Lewis River Trail is usually less popular, but has narrower roads.
History
Bell’s Mountain is named after John Bell, a man who moved from Iowa with his family to the west side of Bell’s Mountain[1].
John Bell built a bridge passing over local Salmon Creek and another called “the Lackamas bridge.”[1]
Bells Mountain via Chinook Trails ↩ ↩2