The Hanan Trail #142 fairly closely follows the route which early Native American peoples followed during seasonal migrations between the upper Chewaucan River basin and Sycan Marsh. Later, John Hanan, an early settler near Summer Lake used the route to move livestock through the area. Now, it is a little hiked trail along the upper several miles of the Sycan River through recently burned country.
The trail passes through a mosaic of wet and dry meadows, aspen groves and mixed conifer forests. Although recently burned by the 2018 Watson Creek Fire, there are still numerous conifers along portions of the trail.
The high point of the trail is Bear Creek Rim which is on the true Pacific Crest with with streams on the south and east draining to the Great Basin while those on the west and north drain to the Pacific.
Because the area was swept over by fires, there will be numerous trees falling across the trail over the next decade. As far as we can tell, the trail gets at least some clearing every early summer. There are a number of stream crossings, most of which were done on purposely laid logs with hewn upper surfaces. About 2 miles in during our 2020 hike, we did encounter a stream without a crossing log, and the trail seemed less maintained from that point forward though that may be due to tall riparian vegetation along the trail. For trail conditions, contact the recreation manager at the Paisley Ranger District Office, although they may not know current conditions in the high country early in late spring/early summer. We did find the trail from the Sycan River trailhead to be maintained by mid-June in 2020.
Access: Note - Our experience with this trail has been from the Hanan/Sycan Trailhead off FS Rd 28. Hiking the trail 3.5 miles upstream to where it begins climbing up to Bear Crek Rim is a good out and back day hike.
Hanan/Sycan Trailhead: From the Paisley Ranger District USFS office drive west on Oregon Highway 31. After 11 miles, turn left uphill onto gravel FS Rd 29 signed as "Government Harvey Road". Drive 10 mile uphill to the top of Winter Rim at Government Harvey Pass. Stay left on Rd 29 and continue downhill for 2 additional miles to a junction with paved FS Rd 28. Be aware of potholes on FS Rd 28 as you drive south about 4.5 miles. The trailhead is at a primitive campground on the east bank of the Sycan River where Rd 29 crosses via a new (2020) concrete bridge. The small campground has a pit toilet, several campsites with tbles and fire rings. Water will need to be filtered from the Sycan River. Note that cattle will most likely be in the stream further upstream from July into early fall, which might influence the flavor.
From Silver Lake, OR: One can also access this hike via FS Rd 28 from Silver Lake, OR. It has scenic, wildflower-filled meadows in places, but mostly passes through conifer plantations. More importantly, the asphalt is failing making for a pot hole-filled drive where you repeatedly have to slam on the brakes to avoid flattening a tire or bending an axle, so we'd advise driving OR 31 east and then south from Silver Lake. You'll encounter FS Rd 29 at the SW corner of Summer Lake on the right side of the highway. You can then follow the directions for the Hanan/Sycan trailhead as seen directly above.
Hanan/Coffeepot Trailhead: From the Paisley Ranger District USFS office drive west half a mile. The highway makes a sharp turn north at the center of town and immediately look for Mill Stree on the right and Lake County Road 2-08. Turn left onto County Rd 2-08 and drive west. After crossing the Chewaucan River proceed several hundred yards and turn right uphill onto FS Rd 3315. At the forest boundary and junction with FS Rd 3360, stay left on Rd 3315. Continue winding along Rd 3315 for about 18 iles from the junction with County Rd 2-08 until you ar rive at a brown Hanan Trail marker on the west (right) side of the road just past the MP 18 marker. Turn into the trailhead. The trailhead has 1 vault toilet and primitive, dispersed camping. There is no water. No passes or fees are required at this trailhead. Expect an hour drive from Paisley.
Plant Lists:
Wildflower List for the Hanan Trail #142
June 17, 2020: Hanan Trail #142 and the upper Sycan River (Paisley Ranger District, Fremont-Winema National Forest)
Resources:
Hanan Trail: West End - (Less Traveled Northwest) - This website offers a good description with photos and maps for this hike.
Hanan Trail #142 (USFS)
Hanan/Sycan Campground & Trailhead (USFS) - General info about this trailhead.
Hanan/Coffeepot Springs Trailhead (USFS) - General info about this trailhead.
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The photo at upper left shows signage at the Hanan/Sycan trailhead explaining the history of the Hanan Trail #142, Fremont-Winema National Forest.......June 17, 2020. The photo at upper right shows native plants recovering along the heavily burned Hanan Trail #142 upstream of the Hanan/Sycan trailhead, Fremont-Winema National Forest......June 17, 2020.
The photo at lower left shows wildflowers blooming along the Hanan Trail #142 at the first large meadow upstream of the Hanan/Sycan trailhead, Fremont-Winema National Forest......June 17, 2020. The photo at lower center shows the Hanan Trail #142 passing through severely burned forest upstream of the first large meadow, western end of the trail, Fremont-Winema National Forest.....June 17, 2020. The photo at lower right shows the upper Sycan River just downstream of the first large meadow along the western end of the Hanan Trail #142, Fremont-Winema National Forest.......June 17, 2020.