Trail Fork Rd.
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Checklists
Location
From Condon travel approx. 5.2 miles south on Hwy. 19 until you come to Trail Fork Rd., a left hand turn that can be easily missed if not paying attention. It is at the bottom of a small canyon where Thirtymile Creek flows. The first approx. 2.4 miles of Trail Fork Rd. are riparian. This is a great stretch to bird. For those who don’t want to bird the road further, turn around and head back to Condon.
Trail Fork Rd. continues for another approx. 14 miles before reaching a T-intersection with Lost Valley Rd. Turn left on Lost Valley Rd. and continue driving 11 miles to the T-intersection with Lonerock Rd. Turn left on Lonerock Rd. and continue until you reach Hwy. 206. Turn left on Hwy. 206 to head back to Condon. This entire loop route is about 42 miles in total.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
At the turn off Hwy. 19, Trail Fork Rd. follows along Thirtymile Creek east for approx. 2.4 miles. This section of the road is a riparian area with some steep cliff walls. Yellow-Breasted Chat, Long-Eared Owl, White-Throated Swifts, Virginia Rail, Belted Kingfisher, Western-Screech Owl, Bushtit, Bullock’s Oriole, Lazuli Bunting, Western and Eastern Kingbird and migrating warblers are some possibilities along this stretch of road. Notable was a Common Redpoll found one winter here.
At this point one could turn around and head back to Condon if they just wanted to bird the riparian section of Trail Fork Rd. For those that would like to do a larger loop back to Condon via Lost Valley and Lonerock Rds., continue on Trail Fork Rd. as it climbs out of the canyon and winds southeast towards Lost Valley. For the next approx. 14 miles, typical dry agricultural species can be found. Raptors, sparrows, Western Meadowlarks, Horned Lark. There are some brushy hillsides that have produced Bushtit, Spotted Towhee. Trail Fork Rd. ends at a T-intersection with Lost Valley Rd.
For information on birding Lost Valley Rd., please refer to that detailed entry.
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