Get ready for this year’s Willamette Valley Ornament Hunt!
*Cover photo courtesy of Willamette Valley Visitors Association’s website.
As winter approaches with its shorter days, grayer skies and colder temperatures, it can be hard to find ways to get outside. Luckily, winter also brings with it one of my favorite annual traditions — ornament hunting!
Every year the Willamette Valley Visitors Association holds their “Annual Willamette Valley Ornament Hunt.” Rangers and staff from the National Forest Service along with volunteers from the Cascade Volunteers, hit the trails and hide two hundred locally-crafted wooden ornaments for hikers to find.
The hunt runs from Nov 17 – Dec 31, with ornaments hidden on 24 trails in both the Willamette and Umpqua National Forests. A full list of trails and links to trail information can be found on the Willamette Valley Visitors Associations website: https://www.willamettevalley.org/ornament.
The trails vary in length and difficulty, and many are accessible making it easy for anyone to participate in the ornament hunt. I’ve even heard that volunteers sometimes hide the ornaments just past the parking area, so keep your eyes peeled. However, ornaments will never be off trail, so don’t stray from it, and remember to practice leave no trace principles while recreating in the forest.
These ornaments are highly coveted among mid-valley hikers, myself included. I’ve searched for several years and have yet to find my treasure. Despite my lack of success, I love being out on the trails searching! I’ve explored a lot of new trails while ornament hunting, and discovered a lot of beautiful places I never would have seen otherwise.
So if you’re looking for a fun way to spend a day in the forest, or you just really want one of these unique ornaments, check out the list of trails and get to searching! Happy Hunting!
