Little Windy Creek, which feeds into Big Windy Creek

oh. The Kims were warned about Bear Camp Road. From CNET. CNET video.

"The Kims were warned that the Bear Camp Road was dangerous this time of year when they stopped into the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce about 20 miles south of Portland, Ore., on November 25 around 1:30 p.m. PST, said Logan Crozier, a visitor center representative at the office.
The Kims had used Mapquest to map out a route but wanted a scenic route to the coast, Crozier said Tuesday. The visitor center representative who was working that day gave the Kims a map printed off an unidentified Internet site, he said. "She warned them that by the time they got down there (southern Oregon), it would more than likely be dark, and she cautioned them not to take the route," he added. "

And strangely, James Kim left the road he was walking on to walk inside a gorge, where the Big Windy Creek flows. Could he have gone down there because he thought it was warmer there?

The area was carved out a long time ago by geological forces (Bureau of Land Management description):

"Most of these rocks are part of the Rogue Formation. They are a result of lava flows and rocks formed by ancient volcanoes which were active about 140 million years ago. High temperatures and pressure have altered and folded these rocks into a nearly vertical position. Signs of this folding can be seen on the steep canyon walls which have been carved by the powerful forces of the Rogue River over a period of nearly a million years."

Big Windy Creek area is also a place where gold used to be mined. You can see aerial maps of the area here (USGS). Probably this area was more populated in the late 1800s than it is today.