USFS Trail number 3559 winds its way through lush forest and lichen covered Doug-fir as it climbs Aubrey Mountain, and makes its way steeply uphill towards Heckletooth and the Cascade Crest highlands beyond.  The first leg of Trail No. 3559, also known as the Eugene to Crest Trail, offers a rigorous 3.4 mile (one-way) hike to the summit of Heckletooth Mountain.  The trail passes through a variety of ecosystems, including old-growth forests dominated by coniferous trees such as Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar, a particularly nice grove of Chinquapin, and areas of swampy meadow.  In many areas the understory is lush with ferns, salal and there is an abundance of fungus species to explore in autumn and late spring.  Willamette National Forest, Oakridge, Oregon West Cascades.                             Douglas-fir, Lane County, Oakridge Oregon, Trail, Willamette National Forest