Straightforward hikes within an hour of Portland

[elski]

I came across an old oregonlive article listing hikes that are "easy to find, easy to follow": Beacon Rock and Eagle Creek were the two listed that are within about 50 miles of Portland. I would love some suggestions for other hikes of this nature! It's not that I'm looking for the hikes themselves to be necessarily easy - the strenuousness level of the hikes can be moderate - but I'm really looking for the routes themselves to be straightforward, without hard-to-find trailheads, tendencies to branch off at different junctures, forks in the trail with no signage telling you where they are going, etc. Thank you in advance!

[adamschneider]

Angel's Rest; Hamilton Mountain; Latourell Falls; Wahkeena-Multnomah Loop.

[Webfoot]

I guess if you hike far enough most of the Gorge trails end up branching/connecting, but e.g. just on the Oregon side and no farther than Cascade Locks:

Latourell
Bridal Veil Falls and Overlook Loop
Angel's Rest (don't go past the summit)
Wahkeena trail (don't go past Fairy Falls or the first jct)
Multnomah Falls (don't go past Wiesendanger Falls)
Wahclella Falls

[squidvicious]

I have an issue with the premise here. You can never rely on a hike being easy to follow. Assume there will be confusing user trails branching off and missing signs. People have managed to get themselves lost on the trails listed in replies here--certainly Angel's Rest, Wahkeena... You'd think it would be impossible to get lost on Latourell, but I've had to direct people there. OK, Beacon Rock I'll grant as pretty impossible to screw up.

Safe hiking means you thoroughly research your route beforehand, and bring a map. The field guide is chock full of info, often with pictures. Having the gps info on your phone helps as well. If you're relying on signage and an obvious trail, you're already in trouble.

[aiwetir]

Angel's Rest; Hamilton Mountain; Latourell Falls; Wahkeena-Multnomah Loop.

Don't people get lost up there above Multnomah Falls occasionally?

[adamschneider]

Angel's Rest; Hamilton Mountain; Latourell Falls; Wahkeena-Multnomah Loop.

Don't people get lost up there above Multnomah Falls occasionally?

Maybe, but you gotta let Natural Selection do its thing at least a little bit.

[Webfoot]

Don't people get lost up there above Multnomah Falls occasionally?

Precisely why I said "don't go past Wiesendanger Falls."

(ps. I just noticed that the Field Guide has it as Weisendanger while other sources like http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/wate ... Falls-4049 use Wiesendanger.)

[adamschneider]

Don't people get lost up there above Multnomah Falls occasionally?

Precisely why I said "don't go past Wiesendanger Falls."

(ps. I just noticed that the Field Guide has it as Weisendanger while other sources like http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/wate ... Falls-4049 use Wiesendanger.)

Well, the guy's name was Albert Wiesendanger, so that pretty much settles it. I fixed our Field Guide entry.

[BigBear]

I agree with the natural selection comment re. the Wahkeena-Multnomah Falls trails. My first hike was the Wahkeena-Multnomah Loop, using a "map" that Crown Point had available. The so-called "map" looked like something a kid would draw, but was all I needed to navigate the loop without question of where I would end up.

Over the years, scores of people have been unable to find their way on these trails, even in the summer when you can't blame the snow and ice. I recall one person even calling 911 because he was lost on the Latourell Falls trail - how????

A map, hopefully more official than the hand-drawn one I used that first time, is one of the ten essentials, and should always be the first step in "planning" your walk in the woods. I believe all those lost individuals, couples and groups must have bypassed this step and considered that going further into the forest would somehow result in their car magically appearing at the top of the mountain. I do recall two women who lost the trail and followed a dry creek bed, hoping to find the trail up higher. Ugh.

When in doubt, turn around.

In answer to the initial question, I cannot think of any maintained trails that are difficult to follow.

[kepPNW]

Precisely why I said "don't go past Wiesendanger Falls."

(ps. I just noticed that the Field Guide has it as Weisendanger while other sources like http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/wate ... Falls-4049 use Wiesendanger.)

Well, the guy's name was Albert Wiesendanger, so that pretty much settles it.

Yep...

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