Get to know this 3.7-mile out-and-back trail near Dixie, Washington. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 5 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are May through October.
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The last 5 miles to the trailhead are gravel road with some very bumpy portions. At 1.8 miles from the trailhead, it got muddy and I didn't have enough ground clearance to make it the rest of the way. So either plan on walking that last portion or have a car/truck with 9+ inches of ground clearance.
Trail is more overgrown than in 2020. Really bad shape after crash site. Gorgeous area! I suspect this is the wreckage we see: "On 2-11-43, the B-17F # 42-5367, while flying in instrument conditions, collided with rising terrain "17 airline miles east of Walla Walla, struck a ridge at approximately 6,000 feet msl near Table Top Mountain at 1115." Ten crewmembers were killed. A detailed summary of this accident can be found on Page 270, Volume I, FATAL ARMY AIR FORCES AVIATION ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1941-1945."
Trail was definitely overgrown. Bees were out in full force. Some bear scat along the trail but didn’t see any bears. So glad I wore my hiking boots, pants, and took my walking poles. Not a trail to do alone, as there are some steep areas to navigate. Nobody on the trail but is. Rocky terrain to the parking area, but my Crosstrek handled it beautifully.
It’s a very nice walk. There’s a bit of a downhill right out of the gate - and we all know what that means for the return - but after that it’s a pretty easy walk. There are lots of shaded areas in addition to some more exposed ridges. It is a completely dry hike so take water especially in the summer.The crash site is not easy to find and is a pretty steep scramble down the hill. The parking area is almost nonexistent so I would recommend parking at the road to the right before you get to the trail head. Everything else was exactly as described in the directions to get there. It’s not an easy drive and I wouldn’t take a car up there. Oh yeah, one more thing, it is not a B-17 crash site, it is an F-6 F hellcat crash site. there are lots of shaded areas in addition to some more exposed ridges. It is a completely dry hike so take water especially in the summer.
The trailhead is unmarked. You have to follow the waypoint on here exactly and you really have to be looking for a trail. That said, we did find it. Quite a bit of the trail was really overgrown. Took a 4 and 7 year old with me and they had a hard time navigating the plants that were above their heads and over the trail. Also 5-7 blow downs passable by adults but children will need help over. Again, pay close attention to the waypoints shown on AllTrails to find the main piece of wreckage. The off-trail hill down to it was again quite difficult for children desperate to see the plane. Good hike, just be prepared.
The trail was easy to follow since it follows the Mill Creek watershed boundary and the snow is melting off fast. Only a few patches left. Great views of the blue mountains and the Walla Walla valley. The wreckage was hard to see from the trail so look for orange trail tape on a couple trees and follow it downhill about 25 yards. Great hike.
We went prepared. A little shovel work and I was able to drive all the way up to the normal parking area. The first part of the hike was a little tough with the snow pack in places on the trail, but it did clear up not too far in. We saw a set of wolf tracks in the snow so we kept our little dogs close. Turned out to be a great hike.
Had to walk about four miles in to get to the trail due to large patches of snow. The walk to the trail was beautiful. Saw several different species of butterflies. When getting to the trailhead it had a lot of snow. It was too much for my blue heeler to hike the mile in and back out. Will try again hopefully by end of summer 2021.
Could get most of the way in a car, but parked short of trailhead due to snow and walked the rest of the way, maybe a mile. Slick, packed snow at the beginning of the trail. Ran into a guy with two big dogs who missed the trail and followed the ridge, but on the way back said, while there wasn't much snow, it was very difficult...lots of digging in required (to not slide down the mountain) Alone and with my dog, I tried going a little further, but felt too slick early in the morning. Perhaps the softening in the afternoon would help. Also, he said the wreck was just a wing... If you want to see a pic of my dog trying not to slide down the snow (on the easy part) go to https://etbtravelphotography.com/2021/06/24/hikes-near-dayton/
I parked about 3 miles away before the ruts start. Hard to spot the trailhead. I ended up following the ridge line and picked it up which bypassed about 1/4 mile of snow covering the trail. The crash isn’t anything special but it’s a beautiful trail with great views. Probably needs another month for all the snow to clear
The dirt road after bluewood turnoff does have ruts but it was manageable in our Forester. There was room to park about 1/10 mile after the trailhead on the right. Perhaps two cars could fit there. We didn’t see anyone else the whole time. The trailhead is perfectly marked on this app. It is easy to see if you’re looking for it.... it’s up a little mound and then into the forest. The offshoot of the trail to see the wreck is also clear on the map. Go a little past where the trail says to go and there should be signs of others heading downhill. One wing is shortly ahead of that point. Next pay attention to the waypoint for the wreck on here... that’s down the hill some more.. you’ll see another wing, random parts and a motor.
The trail is skinny but secluded. There are overgrown areas but long pants should be sufficient to not even notice. The site is from the 1943 B-17F-50-BO Flying Fortress where the entire crew perished. There are no markings or memorials at the location. It really is a site to see. History is there. As a caution, there was a pair of hikers before us that said they saw a momma black bear on the ground and two cubs in trees near the crash site. I did not see any bears but there was two separate locations along the trail where bear feces were seen so they were close. It’s a great hike, steep at times but I’d go again! © Pacific Wrecks - B-17F-50-BO Flying Fortress Serial Number 42-5367 Source: https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/42-5367.html https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/42-5367.html
Trailhead coordinates are accurate but the trailhead is unmarked and looks like an animal trail for the first few hundred feet. Trail was easy to follow but overgrown in some areas. The airplane crash site is not on the main trail. It is located to the right of the trail down an unmarked trail which is just a short scramble. Trail signage would help! I do not suggest driving to this trailhead without a high clearance vehicle.
Great hike! Our minivan couldn't make it up thru the deep ruts, so we walked the last 2 miles to the trailhead. Trailhead is on the right, unmarked path right where Alltrails indicated. Fairly buggy and overgrown (wear pants and hiking boots). Definitely a moderate level, but fun to see the crash site. Trail continues to a spring where you are not allowed to camp. Loved it!
the trail head is next to impossible to find. I have driven that road countless times, didn't even know trail was there. I think FS purposely doesn't have road marker due to EXTREME importance of keeping people out of WW drinking watershed. if you set foot on south side of trail you can be FINED. they have trail camaras and full time Ranger patrolling skyline drive looking for watershed violations. Trust Me
Not EASY. Recommend hiking boots and trekking poles. Overgrown, in some spots. Other spots are really narrow, along with a steep enough slope to where if you were to slip, it would be a rough tumble. There are a few spots with a steep enough slope, mixed with some rocks, that could cause a decent tumble as well. we ran out of time. Takes about 80+ minutes to get up to the trail head. We were unable to make it out to the crash site, I'm really out of hiking shape and we expect the hike to be a lot easier. Other than that, beautiful hike. Fantastic views.
Description falls very short of explaining where the trailhead is located. Map shows trailhead which falls right into the road, however there is no parking. Just before the trailhead shown here is a rough road to the right which climbs up to a rustic camp site, if you don't have the vehicle to navigate this rough track, just park to the side here off the road. Hike up this short road and veer to the south, which is left and you will pick up the trail. Easy trail, many places overgrown, lots of huckle or mtn blueberries aloing the way. Look for a tree stump that has a carved pointed top off the trail to your right as a bearing to drop down a steep hillside to locate plane parts, there were signs of people having bush whacked parts of a trail. It was overgrown, but we did find one of the four engines and part of a wing. This was a B-17 Flying Fortress that had 10 crewmen whom all perished in 1943 February snow. Did walk trail to the point with a very nice view, but it then turned south to only to go down a steep path, not knowing what was down there, we turned around.