Cape Horn

One of my favorite Columbia River Gorge hikes is the trail around Cape Horn.  Located across the river in neighboring Washington, it has the distinction of being one of the closest Gorge trails to the Portland Metro area.  This 7.5 mile loop is perfect when I want a scenic jaunt without the long drive.

One cloudy, but dry day in mid-January I joined friends Debbie and Barry for a revisit.

Foggy cliffs of Cape Horn

Cape Horn is a series of towering basalt cliffs that line the north side of the Columbia River.  This trail of the same name climbs up to the very top of these cliffs.  It then follows the ridgeline before winding steeply downhill to a lower path paralleling the mighty Columbia, boasting fabulous river views.  State Route 14 splits the loop, and one can either start the hike above or below the highway.  When I first started hiking this trail, I used to always begin with the trail portion above SR 14, leaving the lower section for last.  The only problem with taking this direction is the last mile is an uphill walk along a boring paved road.  Not fun on a hot summer's day!  (Trust me on this one)  Then someone mentioned walking the loop in reverse, traversing the road first.  After trying the opposite direction, I've never hiked it any other way.

Cape Horn Falls

So of course, my friends and I started out getting that pesky road walk out of the way.  Since the road is quite a bit lower than the highway, it offered good views of Cape Horn's cliffs soaring high above as we made our way along.  Today the cliffs were cloaked in fog, giving them an aura of mystery.

My friends below the falls

Soon we intersected with the official trail and began climbing this rocky path through the woods.  Not far from road's end, we made a quick stop to admire lovely Cape Horn Falls, gushing full from the recent rainy winter days. 

Crossing one of the large talus slopes

Immediately after the waterfall, my friends and I crossed a couple of large, moss-covered talus slopes.  Not the funnest to walk over, Debbie and I were on guard the entire time.  Neither of us wanted to trip or twist an ankle stepping around the large rocks.  Luckily, we all passed over these uneven trails without incident.

One of the many lovely Columbia River views

The lower trail is my favorite part of the loop because of the numerous viewpoints offering excellent river vistas.  The first clearing had sweeping views across the mighty Columbia.  We could see Beacon Rock in the distance, peeking out of the low clouds, and the tall cylindrical Cigar Rock closer in.  

Barry poses for me

Barry was a good sport and posed for a photo with the glorious river views and Cigar Rock in the background.  Looks like an REI ad, doesn't it?

Another pic of the foggy Columbia River

Although the cloudy skies didn't make great light for photography, I snapped several images anyway ('cause that's what I do).  

Bare, mossy trees

After following the river for another short stretch, our trail began to climb through a dense forest of leafless, mossy trees.  The path angled past another couple of developed viewpoints, complete with sturdy rock walls to keep folks safely away from the steep slopes.

Another viewpoint with brighter light

Beyond the "official" viewpoints, we wandered uphill through the forest until reaching State Route 14.  I've hiked this trail for many years, and in the "old" days, I remember darting across this busy highway.  But no longer!  There is now a tunnel under SR 14, enabling hikers to cross safely.

Gotta get a selfie for the blog

From the tunnel there's more climbing to be had.  My friends and I trudged upward through lots of switchbacks, stopping to admire the mossy forest and look for birds (Debbie and Barry are avid birders and I've learned so much from hiking with them.)

Columbia River above the highway

After about a mile of climbing the forested slope (with one really nice viewpoint) my friends and I arrived at the Nancy Russell Overlook.  The Cadillac of viewpoints on the Cape Horn Trail, this special site is comprised of a spiraling rock wall located on top of a prominent clearing.  Views extend eastward, past Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain, to the slopes of the Oregon side of the Gorge, with the mighty Columbia's blue water shining below.  This lovely vista is named for Nancy Russell, a friend, advocate, and protector of the Columbia River Gorge.

Huge forest full of mossy trees

The Nancy Russell Overlook is the perfect place for a lunch break.  My friends and I enjoyed our sandwiches, cookies, and hot tea (a thermos of tea is standard equipment for a winter hike!)

Nancy Russell overlook

Rested and refreshed we were then ready to finish the Cape Horn loop.  The trail led us to a road, which we crossed, and followed an old gravel track that led us back to proper trail.  After a short downhill run we again climbed and followed a trail through the woods to a series of viewpoints atop Cape Horn itself.  The most westernmost overlook, Pioneer Point, gives the best views in my opinion.

With a little more than a mile left, my friends and I now navigated the steep downhill path leading off of Cape Horn, back to the trailhead.  The trail wound endlessly through thick forest.  Now tired from our journey, the switchbacks seemed to go on forever.  But I reminded myself this was much better than an uphill trek on a paved road!

Birds-eye view from Pioneer Point

Finally trail's end came in sight.  Although the day had been cloudy, the clouds held their raindrops, and the temperatures remained fairly mild.  Not too shabby for mid-January!

It's always a treat to take a hike through the lovely Columbia River Gorge, especially in winter.

Raindrop Dodging at Cape Horn

The first Sunday in November dawned gray and drizzly, although the forecast promised midday clearing.  Hungry for another fall color hike, I decided to try for a late morning departure, after my Sunday morning weight class at the gym.

Wet, mossy forest

My hiking buddy Catherine visits the same gym (that's how we met!).  Hoping she'd be attending today's class, I toyed with the idea of inviting her along - It's always more fun to have a companion on the trail.  However, I was afraid it might be too short notice.

As luck would have it, Catherine did show up.  After casually mentioning that I was thinking of fitting in an afternoon hike, she replied "I don't mean to invite myself, but I'd love to come along!"  Well....sometimes things just work themselves out, don't they?

Brief sunbreak

So after class I raced home, changed clothes, and stuffed my backpack with water, hot tea, and ample snacks.  The skies appeared to be clearing as I drove to our designated meet-up spot.  Maybe we'd escape the rain after all.

Due to the late morning start, I chose a location as close to Portland/Vancouver as you can get - Washington's scenic Cape Horn Trail.

Columbia River from on high

Due to September's devastating Eagle Creek Fire, most of the Oregon Gorge trails were still off-limits.  Lucky for us hike-deprived Oregonians, the Washington side offered quite a few good choices, Cape Horn being one of my favorites.  A fairly short trail, it packed a lot of scenery in it's 7-mile loop.

Looking towards the Eastern Gorge

After a dry drive to the trailhead, Catherine and I were just about ready to shoulder our packs when the clouds opened up and began dumping rain.  Huddled under my Subaru's rear hatchback door, we dubiously eyed the skies.  Was this just a quick shower or would it continue all afternoon?  Was this hike really a good idea?  After waiting five minutes with no sign of letting up, we finally decided to bite the bullet and get on with our plans.  After all, that's what raingear is for.

Forest on top of the cliff

The Cape Horn Trail starts in a lovely bigleaf maple forest.  Although by now most of the leaves had dropped from the trees, bare mossy branches and plentiful ferns made up for any lack of green foliage.  As we traversed the first switchback, the rain miraculously stopped.  We even witnessed a few fleeting minutes of sunshine when the sun quickly peeked through the clouds.

Nancy Russell viewpoint

The trail's first mile climbs steeply up the side of a ridge before leveling out on top of a high cliff.  Three dizzying viewpoints provide breathtaking birds-eye views of the Columbia River Gorge in all directions.

Fantastic views from here!

It was here Catherine and I got our first good look at the fire-damaged Oregon side.  I was relieved to see many large green patches of forest had survived.  Although it appeared the blaze hop-scotched across the Gorge's steep cliffs, we were able to recognize a few areas that looked pretty toasted.  The Angel's Rest Trail looked particularly hard hit.  Probably no hiking there for awhile.

Fire damage on the Oregon side

After soaking in the views - which, considering the cloudy, wet weather were not too shabby, Catherine and I followed a woodsy path off the summit and down an abandoned road.  We passed a couple of private homes, crossed a country lane, and plunged back into another mossy forest on the other side.

A mosaic of color

A half mile past the road crossing we came upon the best viewpoint of the day.  A large stone amphitheater, created in memory of superstar Gorge preservationist Nancy Russell, provided hikers visual access to amazing Gorge panoramas.  Not only was it a great place for photo ops, Catherine and I also took the opportunity to sit down and enjoy some of the snacks we'd packed, including a thermos of my favorite coconut truffle tea.  During our break, a few groups of hikers stopped by and Catherine enjoyed getting to know their dogs (one handsome pooch was even was sporting a raincoat!).

Peaceful woods

Energy restored, it was time to follow the trail as it plunged downhill towards the crossing of highway 14.  The woods here were especially colorful.  A carpet of fallen leaves in orange and yellow covered the trail, while quite a bit of yellow foliage still clung to nearby branches. 

Huge maple leaf!

Catherine won the "big leaf" contest, finding the largest maple leaf of them all!

Explosion of yellow

Although most of the forest was decked out in yellow, I did find a rare tiny bit of red in one area.

I spied some rare red leaves

Although the distance between the overlook and highway was only a half mile, it seemed to take a long time to traverse.  The path twisted and turned, crossing a couple of small creeks before finally reaching the fancy new road undercrossing. 

Highway 14's fancy undercrossing

The first time I'd visited this trail there was no bypass - hikers had to dart across the highway.  It was much nicer now to be able to saunter safely through this beautiful rock-faced tunnel.

Cigar Rock

I love everything about this trail, but the portion on the north side of highway 14 is by far my favorite part. The path roller-coasters through more woods, popping out at a couple of wonderful viewpoints.  Instead of being high above the Columbia, the trail is now down near river level, offering an intimate look at the Gorge.

Ominous view of the river

Not only are the eastward views fantastic, one narrow ledge offers a grand glimpse of cylindrical Cigar Rock.

Crossing the talus slope

Of course, Catherine was enjoying all of this spectacular scenery.  A new trail to her, she was already making plans to take her daughter back for a repeat visit.

Mighty Columbia through the trees

Below the highway, our path snaked along the Columbia's banks, sometimes turning and running in the opposite direction for a short distance, then switchbacking and heading where we'd been.  We crossed a mossy talus field, with some final views of the river and Oregon side of the Gorge.

Wispy waterfall

The grand finale - crossing below this tall, wispy waterfall spilling from high atop a basalt cliff.

Admiring the beauty

Our day's journey ended with a 1.3 mile road walk.  Not exactly a great way to finish such a wonderful trail.  However, this was where having a companion really helped eased the monotony.  Catherine and I chattered away, and before we knew it, the road crossing and parking lot came into view.

Great day to be outside, taking in the views and fall colors.  And aside from the soaking rain shower at the very beginning, our entire hike was dry.

(P.S.  For you photo buffs out there, all these images were taken on my new Fujifilm XT-1 mirrorless camera)

Cape Horn Trail With my Son

I was cleaning out cupboards the other day, and came across a cookbook my son's third grade class made for Mother's Day.  Reading the first page nearly melted my heart.  It read: "This book is dedicated to my mom because she is the best.  She teaches me stuff and takes me on hikes." 

My son's 3rd grade class cookbook

My son Cody has been one of my favorite hiking partners.  He's always loved rambling in the woods.  From very early on, he'd follow his mother on the trail.  At the tender age of 10, I led Cody up Dog Mountain, a very steep, strenuous hike - the first of many trips we'd make to see the spring wildflowers.  Cody always loved identifying the trees and flowers, which led him to major in Biology, with a Botanical Emphasis.

My son and I on Dog Mountain - circa 1995-ish

Due to the demands of seminary and some health issues, Cody and I haven't hiked together for several years.  However, in late August Cody was home on break between his summer assignment and fall seminary classes.  I decided it was high time for us get back on the trail.

Beautiful trail sign

For the day's hike, my path of choice was Cape Horn Trail, on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge.  A fairly new route, this hidden gem climbed a towering bluff boasting spectacular clifftop viewpoints, before descending to even better riverside vistas, mossy woods, wildflowers, and a wispy waterfall.

That's one big tree!

Our adventure began with a climb through lush bigleaf maple woods, complete with a few huge grandpa trees.  Cody, back in his element, began pointing out the different plants and trees.  Made me realize how much I've missed hiking with him.  I always learn something!

A few wildflowers still hanging on

Due to our hot summer, the usual flower show was gone, shriveled up in the blazing heat.  But eagle-eye Cody managed to spot a few holdouts - bright orange blooms hiding under some shady ferns (and, yes, he told me what the flowers were, but I've long since forgotten their name).

Lush forest

After a hot trek up a steep, switchback-y trail Cody and I arrived at the first of three breathtaking viewpoints perched on the edge of the bluff's precipitous cliffs.

First overlook

Panoramas stretched eastward to Hamilton Mountain.  The Columbia River, far below, looked like a wide blue ribbon.

Second overlook

A quick romp through the forest and we emerged at the second viewpoint.  This one gave glimpses of Gorge scenery to the west.

Highway perched on the cliff

I got a great view of state Highway 14, perched precariously on the cliffs of Cape Horn, a well-known promontory jutting over the Washington side of the Gorge.  That road must have been quite a feat to build!

More wildflowers!

After soaking in the vantages of viewpoint number two, it was off in the forest in search of the third one.  But it appeared the land managers were trying to close the trail to this last viewpoint, as the trail was covered in woody debris.

Old mossy trees

So Cody and I continued on, following an abandoned lane through pasturelands, before crossing a paved road.  Beyond this road, our trail resumed through a wide grassy plain before diving back into the forest again.  The gnarled, mossy maple tree trunks here were especially interesting.

Nancy Russell overlook

After a short walk through these lovely woods led us to the wonderful Nancy Russell overlook.

Not bad views for a cloudy day

Dedicated in August 2011, this overlook was built to commemorate Nancy Russell, a tireless crusader for preservation of the Columbia River Gorge.  She was instrumental in getting the Gorge designated as a National Scenic Area, preventing this special area from being marred by development.

Gorge panorama

The views here are grand indeed - one can follow the mighty Columbia, stretching eastward all the way to Beacon Rock.  One of Nancy Russell's favorite places, her family had an ambulance take her here three weeks before she died.

Good place for a lunch break

The lovely circular rock walls made a nice place for sitting and enjoying our lunch.

Highway 14 hiker undercrossing

After filling our bellies, Cody and continued our trek, climbing downhill towards the highway.  We spiraled down for what seemed like forever through thick forest, before finally spotting our crossing.
When this trail was brand-new, hikers had to scurry across the road.

The light at the end of the tunnel

But the conservancy who manages this area had since constructed a nifty tunnel under the highway, that safely ferried hikers to the other side.

Lower overlook was fantastic

I was delighted to discover a brand spanking-new overlook on the river side of the highway.

Mighty blue Columbia

This placed boasted even more great Gorge panoramas.  And these were much closer to the river level.

Out on a steep cliff

Winding through the forest, we became confused by a maze of unofficial scramble trails.  Some led to dead ends, others to overused areas that appeared officials were trying to close.  Cody noticed a path that he suggested we explore.  Tired of wild goose chases, I almost told him to bypass it.  But I'm glad we didn't.

Views of the railroad track below

The trail came out on a narrow point jutting over the river.  Looking down, you could see railroad tracks directly below.  We were on top of a railway tunnel, and once before I'd witnessed a train come roaring out, and chug down the tracks.  A fascinating sight, I was hoping we'd see again.  But....no trains today.  Oh well, the incredible views were more than enough.

Crossing a talus slope

Time to get moving again!  Our path switchbacked up a large talus slope, before meandering back into the woods a final time.

The waterfall is just a trickle

The cherry on top of this fabulous hike was crossing a tiny creek with a tall, wispy waterfall dripping above.  Usually a much larger cascade, the hot summer had taken a toll here too.  But afternoon sun illuminated the water droplets into a sparkling white sheen.

Our day's adventure ended with a hot, dull 1.3 mile uphill walk along a narrow country road.  Not a fun way to end a hike, but we put one foot in front of the other, and got it done.

Great day with my son!

What an awesome way to spend time with my son!  Hiking through the woods with Cody brought back many good memories.  Although he's now a grown man, I think I've instilled the love of hiking firmly into him.  Hopefully, Cody will fondly remember these treks with his mom - and I hope he still thinks I'm the best.  :)


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