Trip Report: Columbia River Gorge
When: 9/17/2018
Location: Columbia Gorge
Conditions: Beautiful fall weather. Chilly at night, sunny and warm during the day.
Duration: 2 nights 3 days
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Kid Friendly: Yes
Pet Friendly: Yes
Usefull links:
wta.org
oregonhikers.org
hoodriverfruitloop.com
traveloregon.com
The Full Report:
Last week my mom flew out from Wisconsin to visit for a few days. She wanted to do whatever it is I do on my days off. So, I picked her up from the airport (she only brought one small backpack) and drove her straight into the Gorge to go camping and hiking. We set up camp at a small campground near the Hamilton Mountain trailhead, directly across the road from Beacon Rock. The tall trees and fern-covered forests already had her satisfied with her trip and it had barely even started yet. We called it a night early on the first evening. In the morning we got up early, made a quick breakfast and hit the trail for the summit of Hamilton Mountain. This steep trail is a little outside of her standard hiking comfort zone, so we took our time getting up there, but she was determined to get to the top. It's easy to do on this hike due to the beautiful waterfalls you pass, the glimpses of the Gorge and Beacon Rock here and there, all of this will distract you from how tired you might be. At the top, it was all worth it. Stunning views of the Gorge to the east and west. Satisfied and hungry, we made our way back to camp.
For the rest of the day, we drove into Cascade Locks and had lunch at Thunder Island Brewery. This brewery is nestled along the Columbia River underneath the Bridge of the Gods. The perfect spot for lunch. I decided to take it easy on her after the morning's hike, so we drove to Hood River and down highway 35 towards Mount Hood. This highway is appropriately nicknamed the Fruit Loop due to the abundance of fresh fruit farms and orchards along the way. We spent the afternoon stopping at several of them and stocking up on peaches, pears, apples and whatever else looked good at the time. We drove up to the parking lot of Meadows to get a good look at Hood before we turned around and made our way back to camp.
The next morning, we decided to hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. I had mentioned that I want to hike the Oregon portion of the PCT and asked her if she would like to join. She wanted to get a taste of it first so onto the trail we went. Starting at the Bridge of the Gods, which is the end of the Oregon portion if you're hiking South to North, we began to make our way. We were told about a waterfall that is a mere two miles in on this trail, so we made that our destination and turn around point. It was so beautiful! She was won over in no time and agreed to start planning with me to knock out the entire Oregon portion in the next year or two. The waterfall is called Dry Creek Falls and that's where we had lunch for the day which consisted of the fruit we had picked up the day before and a couple of sandwiches. I could tell how moved she was by the beauty out here. You just don't get views like this in Wisconsin. This hike was less grueling than Hamilton Mountain yet equally as stunning. I highly recommend it to anyone passing the Cascade Locks.
We then drove back into Portland stopping at Multnomah Falls on the way. You can now go as far up as the iconic bridge; the rest of the trail is still closed due to the Eagle Creek fire last year. After getting our fill of the falls I drove her up to Skyline Drive to catch a fiery sunset. We stayed up there for over an hour, soaking it all in and catching up before her flight left in the morning. She had a great time visiting. If you ever have family or friends visit from out of town I suggest taking them into the woods. It'll forever make them a fan of the Northwest.
The Full Report:
Last week my mom flew out from Wisconsin to visit for a few days. She wanted to do whatever it is I do on my days off. So, I picked her up from the airport (she only brought one small backpack) and drove her straight into the Gorge to go camping and hiking. We set up camp at a small campground near the Hamilton Mountain trailhead, directly across the road from Beacon Rock. The tall trees and fern-covered forests already had her satisfied with her trip and it had barely even started yet. We called it a night early on the first evening. In the morning we got up early, made a quick breakfast and hit the trail for the summit of Hamilton Mountain. This steep trail is a little outside of her standard hiking comfort zone, so we took our time getting up there, but she was determined to get to the top. It's easy to do on this hike due to the beautiful waterfalls you pass, the glimpses of the Gorge and Beacon Rock here and there, all of this will distract you from how tired you might be. At the top, it was all worth it. Stunning views of the Gorge to the east and west. Satisfied and hungry, we made our way back to camp.
For the rest of the day, we drove into Cascade Locks and had lunch at Thunder Island Brewery. This brewery is nestled along the Columbia River underneath the Bridge of the Gods. The perfect spot for lunch. I decided to take it easy on her after the morning's hike, so we drove to Hood River and down highway 35 towards Mount Hood. This highway is appropriately nicknamed the Fruit Loop due to the abundance of fresh fruit farms and orchards along the way. We spent the afternoon stopping at several of them and stocking up on peaches, pears, apples and whatever else looked good at the time. We drove up to the parking lot of Meadows to get a good look at Hood before we turned around and made our way back to camp.
The next morning, we decided to hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. I had mentioned that I want to hike the Oregon portion of the PCT and asked her if she would like to join. She wanted to get a taste of it first so onto the trail we went. Starting at the Bridge of the Gods, which is the end of the Oregon portion if you're hiking South to North, we began to make our way. We were told about a waterfall that is a mere two miles in on this trail, so we made that our destination and turn around point. It was so beautiful! She was won over in no time and agreed to start planning with me to knock out the entire Oregon portion in the next year or two. The waterfall is called Dry Creek Falls and that's where we had lunch for the day which consisted of the fruit we had picked up the day before and a couple of sandwiches. I could tell how moved she was by the beauty out here. You just don't get views like this in Wisconsin. This hike was less grueling than Hamilton Mountain yet equally as stunning. I highly recommend it to anyone passing the Cascade Locks.
We then drove back into Portland stopping at Multnomah Falls on the way. You can now go as far up as the iconic bridge; the rest of the trail is still closed due to the Eagle Creek fire last year. After getting our fill of the falls I drove her up to Skyline Drive to catch a fiery sunset. We stayed up there for over an hour, soaking it all in and catching up before her flight left in the morning. She had a great time visiting. If you ever have family or friends visit from out of town I suggest taking them into the woods. It'll forever make them a fan of the Northwest.