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 | | Dayhikes: Beacon Rock, WA
Thursday, January 21 @ 10:51:18 PST by Drew (0 reads) |  Vicinity Location:
About 32.5 miles northeast of Portland, OR on the north shore of the Columbia River in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Directions:
From Portland, OR, take I-205 North past the Portland Airport. Cross over the Columbia River and exit onto Hwy 14. Follow Hwy 14 to Beacon Rock State Park at Milepost 35.
No parking permits are needed for day use. Climbers wishing to bivouac overnight must purchase a $10 parking permit. Difficulty finding parking on weekends.
Flush toilets are normally available at the trailhead though they are currently closed. Portable toilets are available.
Water is available seasonally at a faucet between the trailhead and the bathrooms.
Note: The day use park and trail are closed from dusk to 8am.
Length and Elevation:
2 miles roundtrip. Elevation gain and loss is 1,300 feet total. Elevation at the trailhead is 198 feet and the summit, at 848 feet, is the high point. The low point is 198 feet.
Trail:
Beacon Rock Trail
Dogs must be kept on a 6 foot or shorter leash.
Trail Maps:
Topo Map - Future
History:
Beacon Rock is the core of a volcano that erupted about 57,000 years ago and has been exposed from the Missoula floods. The ice-age floods scoured the softer rock of the volcano away and left this 848 foot tall andesite plug. This column of basalt is one of the world’s largest monoliths.
Native Americans called this rock Che-che-op-tin, meaning “the Navel of the World.” Beacon Rock was named by Lewis and Clark on October 31, 1805. It was near Beacon Rock that Lewis and Clark first measured tidal influences on the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean.
In 1811, Alexander Ross of the John Jacob Astor expedition called the rock Inoshoack Castle. The rock became known as Castle Rock until 1916, when the United States Board of Geographic Names restored the name back to Beacon Rock.
In the early 1900s, the Army Corps of Engineers planned to destroy Beacon Rock with dynamite. Railroad officials opposed the idea because they didn't want the blasting to drop boulders onto the train tracks. Their opposition was enough to get the demolition stopped. Another idea was to use Beacon Rock as a rock quarry.
In the late 1910s, Henry J. Biddle purchased Hamilton Mountain, Biddle Butte, and Beacon Rock to preserve it. Henry Biddle is quoted as saying “My purpose in acquiring the property was simply ans wholly that I might build a trail to the summit.” The trail to the top of Beacon Rock was begun October 1915 and completed in April 1918. Henry Biddle died in 1928 and in 1935 his heirs turned over Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain to the state for use as a park.
Review: February 28, 2010
The trail climbs gradually from the parking area to the base of Beacon Rock. The whole trail has a moderate elevation gain because of all the switchbacks. The beginning of the trail is a wide, gravelled path.
The trail climbs up the west face for several switchbacks, then climbs the south face, sometimes looping over itself on a bridge.
The sounds of the road soon die away as you climb up the trail. Except for the freight trains honking their horns as they pass through the Gorge, this is a surprisingly quite trail.
After climbing about 30 little switchbacks, the trail moves over to the east side of Beacon Rock and climbs up a steep and forested slope. Finally the trail crosses back to the west side and ascends two more switchback to the viewpoint at the top of Beacon Rock.
Rock climbers also scale Beacon Rock using the Northwest face of the rock. While that section is open to climbers, other rock faces are typically closed to climbers.
The plants that grow here on the steep basalt cliffs have to fight for existence in scarce soil and the hot summers. Vegetation on the east side of Beacon Rock have more soil and Douglas Fir trees have been able to gain a foothold and grow here.
From the summit, there are good views of the Gorge and surrounding mountains. Be sure not to step past the railings because of the sheer cliffs.
On the way back down you may want to count and see if there really are 52 switchbacks in the trail.
There are several plaques and signboards along the trail that talk about how Beacon Rock came to be, and how the trail was constructed.
This hike can be combined with parts of the Hamilton Mountain hike for an enjoyable short or long dayhike.
This trail is enjoyable for children under control of an adult. There are railings all along the trail for safety. Do not go past the railings because trail is right at the edge of the sheer rock cliffs in many places.
Full review by 3/15/2010
Enjoy the photos!!
Gallery Pics
Switchback Steve
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Dayhikes: Bunker Hill, WA
Thursday, January 21 @ 10:49:17 PST by Drew (0 reads) | Vicinity Location:
About 42 miles northeast of Portland, OR in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Directions:
From Portland, Oregon, there are two ways to drive to the trailhead. If you have an extra 30 minutes then make your trip a loop drive. For the loop drive, take I-205 north across the Columbia River. Exit I-205 on HWY 14 east for about 28 miles through the town of Stevenson.
For the non-loop option, take I-84 east from Portland and take exit #44 for Cascade Locks. Take the first right turn, just after you go under the Bridge of the Gods. Pay the $1.00 toll, cross the bridge, and turn right onto HWY 14 and drive 2.5 miles to Stevenson.
Once you get to Stevenson, drive about 2 more miles east to Wind River Road. Wind River Road is 5.9 miles east of the Bridge of the Gods. Drive on the Wind River Road for 8.6 miles to the community of Stabler. Turn left onto Hemlock Road and drive 1.3 miles.
From Hemlock Creek Road, turn right onto Forest Road 43 and drive for 1.4 miles to the trailhead, which is where the PCT crosses Forest Road 43, and park at a wide spot in the road. There is only room to park 4 cars here, but the road isn’t busy.
You can tell the trailhead location because there is an arched footbridge that crosses Trout Creek. There is also a Pacific Crest Trail sign just to the left of the bridge, posted in a tree. The Bunker Hill trailhead is just across the road from the footbridge, on the east side of the road.
The alternative it to take FR 43 from Hemlock Road for .6 mile and turn right on Forest Road 417. Follow FR 417 for .1 mile and look for a place to park. There isn’t much room to park. The trailhead is just past the bend in the road and is unsigned.
To return, take HWY 14 west back through Stevenson, and after about 2.5 miles, turn left and cross the Columbia River at the Bridge of the Gods. The toll for cars to cross the bridge is $1.00.
After the bridge, the road loops around and intersects Hwy 30, Cascade Locks Hwy, near the base of the bridge. Turn left here and you will merge onto I-84 west in about ½ mile. Follow I-84 west, back to Portland.
No permits are required at this trailhead.
No bathrooms are available at the trailhead.
Length and Elevation:
5.6 miles roundtrip from the Forest Road 43 trailhead. 3.8 miles roundtrip from the Forest Road 417 trailhead. Elevation gain 1,200 Feet and loss 1,200 feet to the summit. Total gain and loss is 2.400 Feet. Elevation at the Forest Road 43 trailhead is xxx feet, the summit elevation is xx feet. Trail:
Pacific Crest Trail #2000, Bunker Hill Trail #145. There is at least no geocache along this trail. Trail Maps:
Topo Map - Future Review: February 21, 2010 The way for this trail is off to the east, away from Trout Creek. The trail heads east across the Wind River Valley. The first portion of the trail is flat, remember that bicycles are not allowed on the Pacific Crest Trail. The forest floor is carpeted with Oregon Grape, Salal, and mosses. Off to the left you can see parts of the Wind River Research Facility.
Forest research still occurs in the area. Nearby is the Canopy Crane. The crane allows forest researchers to be carried up into the canopy of the trees to study forest activities at treetop level.
After walking about .25 mile, the trail crosses a small stream. In the distance are buildings from the now de-commissioned research facility.
About .5 mile along the trail is a small patch of rhododendrons growing on the forest floor. Be sure to look for the bright pink blooms in the spring.
The PCT comes out on a Forest Road 417. Make a left and walk on the road for 45 paces, looking for the trail to leave the road on the left. The trail parallels the road for less than .1 mile, then crosses the road into a large meadow. You can see Bunker Hill a short distance away, across the meadow.
The trail heads directly towards Bunker Hill, which is the forested mound straight off to the right from the road. Late winter brings seasonal streams which flow over the trail so be prepared to have waterproof shoes for winter and sprint hikes.
The trail starts climbing up the side of Bunker Hill. There is a junction with the Bunker Hill Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail about 1.25 miles from the trailhead. The Bunker Hill Trail is unsigned and goes uphill to the left. There are 11 long, fairly steep switchbacks to the top.
On the way up is a rock ridge located at the 3rd switchback from the bottom. Scramble over to the rock ridge for great views. From this viewpoint you look into the Wind River Valley and the hills surrounding the Columbia River Gorge.
As the trail climbs beneath a canopy of Douglas Fir trees, you’ll start seeing some old growth trees about 800 feet from the top of Bunker Hill. The trees are about 4 to 5 feet across.
The forested trail continues up the side of Bunker Hill, passing a few moss covered rocks. Finally the trail reaches the top, and just a little farther the north is the site of an old fire lookout. Only the footings of the fire lookout remain. Trees have grown to cover the top of the ridge and obscure the view.
At the south end of Bunker Hill there are limited views of Mt. Defiance on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Bunker Hill is more of a ridge than a hill and there are few views along the trail.
At the last switchback before the top is a barely discernable trail that goes straight ahead and the switchback goes off to the left. Following the waytrail it leads to a promontory with a great view of Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood. This is a scramble out to a rock thumb.
On the way back you can tell you’re getting close to the trailhead because the sounds of Trout Creek grow from a small whisper to a lout, rushing stream.
On the way back, enjoy the walk back through the tranquil woods, passing a couple of burbling brooks.
This trail not recommended for small children because o fall the elevation gain and they definitely shouldn’t go out on the viewpoints.
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Dayhikes: Wind Mountain, WA
Thursday, January 21 @ 10:48:53 PST by Drew (0 reads) | Vicinity Location:
About 46 miles northeast of Portland, OR on the north shore of the Columbia River.
Directions:
From Portland, Oregon, there are two ways to drive to the trailhead. If you have an extra 30 minutes then make your trip a loop drive. For the loop drive, take I-205 north across the Columbia River. Exit I-205 on HWY 14 east for about 28 miles through the town of Stevenson.
For the non-loop option, take I-84 east from Portland and take exit #44 for Cascade Locks. Take the first right turn, just after you go under the Bridge of the Gods. Pay the $1.00 toll, cross the bridge, and turn right onto HWY 14 and drive 2.5 miles to Stevenson.
Once you get to Stevenson, drive about 5 more miles east to Wind River. Just about 1 mile past Wind River, turn left onto Wind Mountain Road. Continue following the road up the hill and in one mile, continue to the road and continue to the right at the intersection of Home Valley Road. After .4 mile, turn right on Girl Scout Camp Road and continue to the parking area. There is also a sign for Wind Mountain Trailhead on the stop sign across the road. Drive up Girl Scout Road for .3 mile and park at the top of the rise where the road widens into an area that looks like a gravel pit. To return, take HWY 14 west back through Stevenson, and after about 2.5 miles, turn left and cross the Columbia River at the Bridge of the Gods. The toll is $1.00 for the bridge.
After the bridge, the road loops around and intersects Hwy 30, Cascade Locks Hwy, near the base of the bridge. Turn left here and you will merge onto I-84 west in about ½ mile. Follow I-84 west, back to Portland.
No permits are required at this trailhead.
No bathrooms are available at the trailhead. Length and Elevation:
2.7 miles roundtrip. Elevation gain xx Feet and loss 50 feet to the summit. Total gain and loss is xx Feet. Elevation at the trailhead is 150 feet, the summit elevation is xx feet. Trail:
Wind Mountain Trail. There is at least one geocache along this trail at: N 45° 42.191 W 121° 45.318. Info at Geocaching.comTrail Maps:
Topo Map - Future Review: February 21, 2010 Walk downhill down the dirt road about .1 mile to where a rocky trail goes off to the right, uphill. There is a tiny pulloff on the left side of the road. The rocky little trail goes uphill past moss and fern covered ground. The understory growth is mainly Oregon Grape, ferns, and salal with Douglas Firs providing shade. As the trail climbs, it becomes less rocky and winds around towards the Columbia River, climbing up the eastern slope of Wind Mountain. The trail becomes more forested and less rocky. Areas of this trail are sloped a bit and on a wet, rainy day the trail could become slick. The trail generally winds around Wind Mountain, climbing up through fairly dense stands of Douglas Firs. Wind Mountain lives up to its name as the winds rush through the treetops. After climbing for about .75 mile, you come to the first basalt scree fields which allows views to the east of Augsberger Mountain and Dog Mountain, which are on the next ridge to the east of Wind Mountain. The trial soon re-enters the woods and continues to climb fairly steeply up to the summit of Wind Mountain. On up the trail there is a signboard with a poster warning you not to disturb any artifacts you may find. Just up the trail a bit is another sign talking about the Wind Mountain Spirit Qwest Site and warning that the archeological site is extremely fragile and walking over it will damage cultural features. All hikers are to stay on the trail or within the three designated viewing area on the summit. Near the top, at the last small slope before the summit, the trail splits. The trail to the left is quite narrow and leads to a scree field with views of Mt. Adams, Dog Mountain, and the eastern part of the Columbia Gorge. The main trail goes straight ahead and comes out on a scree slope that overlooks the Columbia Gorge to the west and leads to the summit of Wind Mountain. There is no point where there is 180 degree panoramic view because of the trees growing at the summit, but the scree slopes provide expansive views of the Gorge. To the south is Mt. Defiance, which can be identified by the repeater towers up on top of the mountain. Retrace your steps back down to Girl Scout Road, then walk uphill back to the parking area. This is a good low-elevation hike for the winter months. There are areas of the trail that traverse steep slopes which could be dangerous for young, inexperienced hikers.
Full review by 3/15/2010
Enjoy the photos!! Gallery PicsSwitchback Steve
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Dayhikes: Grove of the Patriarchs Trail, WA
Thursday, January 21 @ 10:47:37 PST by Drew (0 reads) | Vicinity Location:
About 70 miles southeast of Seattle, WA in Mt. Rainier National Park.
Directions:
From Seattle: Follow I-5 South for 25 miles and take exit 142A to merge onto WA Highway 18 East toward North Bend/Auburn. Drive 4.4 miles and take the Auburn Way/WA Highway 164 East exit toward Enumclaw for 0.2 mile.
Merge onto WA-164 W then turn left at Auburn Way S/WA-164 W and continue to follow WA-164 W for 14.7 miles. Turn left at Roosevelt Ave/WA-410 E and continue to follow WA-410 E for 40.8 miles. Make a slight right turn at WA-123 S and drive for 10.9 miles. Turn right at Stevens Canyon Road and drive for 0.4 mile. Highway 410 is seasonally closed during the winter. From Portland: Take I-5 North towards Seattle and drive for about 75 miles. Take exit 68 for US-12 East. At the top of the off ramp, turn right onto US-12 and drive71.8 miles east. This takes you past the Morton and through Packwood. Turn left at WA-123 N and drive 5.4 miles. Turn left at Stevens Canyon Road and drive about .4 mile, through the park entrance, to the parking lot on the right. There are bathrooms and water at the trailhead. Pets are not allowed on the trails in National Parks. A permit is needed to park. Trail:
EastsideTrail, Grove of the Patriarchs Trail. Trail Maps:
Topo Map, National Park Map Length and Elevation:
1.5 miles round trip. Elevation gain of 120 feet and loss of 120 feet. Elevation at the trailhead at 2,200 feet, highest point is at 2.200 feet. Lowest elevation is 2,150 feet. Review: October 10, 2009.
This is a very popular trail and the parking lot overflows on summer weekends.
The trail starts near the bathrooms and drops down to the Ohanapecosh River. You can hear the river almost from the trailhead and you get glimpses of the river as you walk along the trail. There are plenty of interpretive signs talking about different aspects of the forest.
Soon you’ll pass by a few old growth trees as you make your way along the trail. It is a short distance to the suspension bridge across the Ohanapecosh River. The bridge was damaged in the floods of 2006 but is now repaired. The bridge leads to an island with ancient Douglas fir and western red cedar trees. Shortly after crossing the river, the trail enters the Grove of the Patriarchs and you walk on a boardwalk. The boardwalk was added so that the thousands of people who visit this grove each year don’t compact the soil around the tree roots. Where the loop begins, turn around, look for a tree inside the loop trail where you can see a little tunnel under the tree. The tree grew on a nurse log and the nurse log has rotted away. The trail enters into a grove of huge cedar trees in this small area. The trees tower over you and shade out most of the other plants on the forest floor. Cedars like moist soil and from walking from the river, you can tell the land this grove grows on is just a little higher than the nearby Ohanapecosh River.
An interprative sign talks about 2 Douglas Fir trees that are over 1,000 years old. The sign explains that the trees are rotting from the inside and that only the outside 8 to 10 inches of the trunk is good wood. Someday the rot will cause the trees crash to the ground. Nearby is a large Douglas Fir that toppled and fell, smashing part of the boardwalk and blocking the trail. The boardwalk was just repaired in the fall of 2009. This is a great hike for small children as long as they aren’t afraid to cross a bouncy suspension bridge.
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Dayhikes: Twin Firs Trail, WA
Thursday, January 21 @ 10:46:15 PST by Drew (0 reads) | Vicinity Location:
About 12 miles east of Ashford, WA in Mt. Rainier National Park. Directions:
From Portland, take I-5 North and take exit 68 to Hwy 12. Take Hwy 12 for about 30 miles to Morton. Turn left on Hwy 7 and drive about 17 miles to Hwy 706. Turn right on Hwy 706 and drive to the Nisqually entrance on the west side of Mt. Rainier National Park. Drive about three miles from the entrance and cross the bridge over Kautz Creek. Continue two miles past Longmire and take a left turn into the parking area. From Seattle, take I-5 South to Hwy 512 East and go towards Puyallup (Exit 127). Follow Hwy 512 East for about 2 miles. Turn south onto Hwy 7 towards Mt. Rainier. Follow Hwy 7 south to Elbe. At Elbe, turn left onto Hwy 706, travel through Ashford, and then to the Nisqually entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park. Drive about three miles from the entrance and cross the bridge over Kautz Creek. Continue two miles past Longmire and take a left turn into the parking area. There are no bathrooms at the trailhead. Flush toilets are available at Longmire. Pets are not allowed on the trails in National Parks. A permit is needed to park. Trail:
Twin Firs Trail. Trail Maps:
Topo MapLength and Elevation:
.4 miles round trip. Elevation gain of xx feet and loss of xx feet. Elevation at the trailhead at xx feet, highest point is at xx feet. Lowest elevation is xx feet. Review: October 10, 2009.
Twin Firs Trail is an out and back trail that goes about .2 miles into the woods.
The trail goes along the side of a large cedar tree that has fallen down and makes a left off through the woods. Walk through a fairly wide trail past some huge old growth trees that have been here long before the park was established. Cedars like damp soil and the presence of moss-covered trees, ferns, and Devil’s club prove the soil here is moist here throughout the year. Soon you’ll come upon trees that have grown out of a dead tree that became a nurse log. You can tell that the trees started on a nurse log because of the way the root structure fan out about 4 or 5 feet above the ground with the rotted remains of the nurse log underneath the young trees. The trail that goes about .2 miles into the woods, climbs a hill, and ends at a large deadfall. Listen for the sound of a small creek gurgling nearby. This trail is safe for small children but take care if the climb on any logs because many of them are slippery and have sharp points from branches that have broken off.
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| Trivia | One Day like Today...
2004
MACARTHUR LEAVES CORREGIDOR:
March 11, 1942
After struggling against great odds to save the Philippines from Japanese conquest, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur abandons the island fortress of Corregidor under orders from President Franklin Roosevelt.
Left behind at Corregidor and on the Bataan Peninsula were 90,000 American and Filipino troops, who, lacking food, supplies, and support, would soon succumb to the Japanese offensive.
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