Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. Douglas Lorain
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miles of hiking in and around Portland, this list gives the reader my recommendations for the best walks to see waterfalls, wildflowers, great views, and other attributes popular with hikers. Armed with this information, you can rapidly narrow your options to a hike that meets your preferences. Keep in mind, however, that every trip in this book is worth hiking. Some may be better than others, but there isn’t a dud in the lot, so you really can’t go wrong.
After scenery, the second most important consideration of most hikers is location. This book covers only trails within a one-hour drive of the Portland/Vancouver area, so every hike is close enough for that spur-of-the-moment outing. To narrow things even further, the trips have all been organized by their general geographic region (Coast Range, Western Columbia River Gorge, Clackamas River Area, etc.). Each region begins with a brief introduction that discusses its general character, terrain, and other notable features and an overview map that shows the location of major highways, towns, and natural features. From there, individual hikes or hiking areas are covered by detailed maps that show the particular trails described in the text. The numbers on these maps correspond to the hike numbers in the text.
Capsulized Summaries
Each hike begins with capsulized summary information that allows you to immediately see if the trip fits your current interests, your fitness level, and the time of year. Here is what each line in the summary tells you.
DISTANCE
This is the total round-trip distance of the hike to the nearest 0.1 mile. For the few hikes that are recommended as one-way trips, the mileage is labeled accordingly.
ELEVATION GAIN
This is the total (not the net) elevation gain for the round-trip hike. Once again, one-way hikes are specifically identified as such. Keep in mind that for most hikers the difficulty of a trail is determined at least as much by how far up they go as by simply how far they go.
HIKING TIME
This category lists the approximate time it will take the average hiker to complete the round-trip hike. If a trip is recommended as a one-way adventure, it is so identified, and the hiking time will correspond to the one-way distance.
OPTIONAL MAP
For many hikes, the map in this book will suffice for your trip. However, you may want to carry a contour map of the area to help pick out landmarks and to more closely follow your upward, or downward, progress. This entry identifies the best available contour map for each hike. In many areas the privately produced Green Trails maps are the best because they are specifically designed for hikers, are reasonably up-to-date, and use an ideal scale for pedestrians. When U.S. Geological Survey maps are recommended, the listed maps are in the 7.5-minute series.
USUALLY OPEN
This category tells you when the trail is typically snow-free enough for hiking.
BEST TIMES
This is my subjective judgment of the time(s) of year when a trip is at its best for hiking. In general, it will be when the flowers are at their peak, the fall colors at their best, the wildlife most abundant, and so on.
TRAIL USE
This category describes the uses for which the trail is suited, including backpacking and mountain biking, whether the trail is a good choice for kids, and whether dogs or horses are allowed on the trail.
AGENCY
This refers to the government agency that manages the area covered by the hike. It never hurts to call ahead to the appropriate agency for the latest information about trail conditions, closures, regulations, etc. See Appendix 3 for a complete list of addresses and phone numbers for each agency.
DIFFICULTY
This category lists an overall rating of how difficult this trip is relative to other hikes with the following four designations. In general, each higher level represents a doubling of difficulty level. On average, “Moderate” trips are twice as difficult as “Easy” trips, and so on.
Easy: Relatively short hikes over gentle terrain, these trips are suitable for hikers of any age or ability.
Moderate: Most reasonably fit people should be able to take these hikes, which are of moderate length or shorter but over more difficult terrain, although they may need to take several rest breaks.
Difficult: A good workout even for fit hikers, these hikes combine longer distances with a fair amount of elevation gain.
Strenuous: Only very fit hikers should attempt these challenging hikes that are very long and/or cover rough terrain with great changes in elevation.
NOTES
Let’s face it, the Portland/Vancouver area gets more than its share of gloomy, overcast days. Fortunately, you don’t have to forego an enjoyable day on the trail just because the sun is hiding. Unlike viewpoint hikes, the forests, waterfalls, and other features of trips labeled in the notes field as “Good in cloudy weather” are just as good in the gloom as they are under clear skies.
Highlights & Directions
After the summary information is a short paragraph or two that is designed to give you the “flavor” of this outing by discussing its unique or special features. This section will quickly inform you if the hike has an interesting history, features great views, or has unusually abundant wildflowers or some other feature that makes it worth your time and attention.
Other Useful Information
Many hikers prefer loop trips because they allow one to sample a greater variety of scenery on the hike. All hikes that are recommended as loop trips are so named.
Every hike in this book follows either established trails or unmaintained hiking routes that are easy to navigate. The forests and thick undergrowth that cover virtually all of the Portland/Vancouver area make cross-country travel somewhere between very difficult and impossible. In general, off-trail routes should be left exclusively for very experienced travelers. The Portland/Vancouver area has more than enough worthwhile destinations that can be reached by trail. There is no need to resort to bushwhacking.
Until recently, one joyful aspect of hiking was that it was an outdoor activity you could do for free: You didn’t have to buy a fishing license, pay for a lift ticket, or even get expensive lessons. You could just drive or hitch a ride to the nearest trailhead and take off. Most public land agencies now, however, require that you pay a fee of some kind to use their trails. In national forests, all cars parked with 0.25 mile of major developed trailheads must display a trailhead parking pass. In 2007, daily permits cost $5, and an annual pass, good in all the forests of Washington and Oregon, was $30. The permits can be purchased at all ranger stations and many sporting goods stores in the Portland area. Many, but not all, state parks also require that visitors pay an entrance fee, whether or not they are hiking. Finally, on Sauvie Island, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife requires a day-use pass for hikers, birdwatchers, and all other users.
If you want to avoid paying for the privilege of going for a hike, your options are more limited. To date, anyway, state forests and most national wildlife refuges in Oregon and Washington do not charge fees. In addition, all city parks in the Portland area are free. You can also visit the less popular state parks, which generally don’t charge a fee.
Chapter 1
Coast Range
The Oregon Coast Range, which separates the Willamette Valley from the Pacific Ocean, is a rolling sea of second-growth forests that spreads across a contorted land of gnarled hills and stream canyons. Those streams support precious runs of steelhead and salmon, while Roosevelt elk wander the hills providing sport for hunters in the fall and viewing pleasure for visitors throughout the year. Unfortunately, despite plenty of worthwhile destinations, trails through these mountains have generally been few and far between.