I now have another favorite Gorge hike. This trail has lots of great views and a good variety of terrain. And you can't beat the close proximity to Portland and Vancouver. A great hike for a sunny fall day!
Sunny Sunday on Cape Horn 11/20/11
Sunny Sunday on Cape Horn 11/20/11
I took advantage of last Sunday's rare sunny day and hiked the Cape Horn Trail with some of my friends. This was a new trail for me, and I'd heard great things about it. The first thing I liked about hiking here is it's really close to Portland. A thirty minute drive places you right at the trailhead.
At the trailhead was this beautiful new sign. From here, the trail switchbacks up the side of Cape Horn. As we climbed, the gaps in the trees gave teaser glimpses of the nearby snow-flocked hills. It wasn't long before my party ran into small patches of snow on the trail. We spotted a bunch of cool-looking mushrooms growing out of a large tree.
And then my group reached the top of the bluff and the first of three clifftop viewpoints. The grand panorama of the Columbia River Gorge spread out far below us. Wow! It was an incredible sight! I was so glad to be visiting on a clear day - it would be a shame to climb this far and not be able to take in such a view.
After leaving the summit of Cape Horn, and following a series of trails and abandoned roads, the trail led us to the newly-constructed Cape Horn overlook. The viewpoint consists of two circular rock walls atop a clearing. The overlook was constructed to honor Nancy Russell, the founder of the Friends of the Columbia Gorge.
Our hiking group took advantage of the rock wall seating areas for a snack break. Although the sky was sunny, the temperature was anything but warm. And away from the forest's protection, the wind was howling mightily. It was a cold place to rest, but you couldn't beat the scenery!
From the overlook, the Cape Horn Trail descended quickly through a forest of large, moss-clad trees. Before we knew it, our group arrived at the junction with Hwy 14. The trail continued on the opposite side of the highway, necessitating a wait for a gap in traffic, and then a speedy scramble across!
The best part was yet to come. The second, lower loop of the trail wandered along the portion of the bluff below the highway. It followed spectacular cliffs lining the Columbia River. But, oh was the wind strong down here! At every clearing, we had to steady ourselves against the buffeting gusts to get photographs.
But despite the wind and cold, the viewpoints down here were incredible! The eastern Gorge spread out before us, with sights all the way to Beacon Rock.
After climbing up and down the cliffside path, our group came upon a thin, wispy waterfall. It was spraying over a tall basalt cliff. What a beautiful sight! A point in the trail provided a nice overlook of the falls. And the sunlight was at the perfect angle to create not one, but two rainbows. This isn't the greatest photograph, but I was pleased the rainbows showed up. Can you spot both of them?
And then the trail led you right underneath the fall's drizzly cascade. Super cool!
The last leg of our hike was a one-mile walk up a paved road. Following asphalt is not how I usually want to end a trip, but we passed a clearing with a fantastic view up the side of Cape Horn's rocky cliffs. A few yellow fall leaves still clung to the trees here, creating a narrow tunnel around the road. Although we weren't walking on a trail, the final mile was a pleasant enough end to this spectacular hike.
I now have another favorite Gorge hike. This trail has lots of great views and a good variety of terrain. And you can't beat the close proximity to Portland and Vancouver. A great hike for a sunny fall day!
At the trailhead was this beautiful new sign. From here, the trail switchbacks up the side of Cape Horn. As we climbed, the gaps in the trees gave teaser glimpses of the nearby snow-flocked hills. It wasn't long before my party ran into small patches of snow on the trail. We spotted a bunch of cool-looking mushrooms growing out of a large tree.
And then my group reached the top of the bluff and the first of three clifftop viewpoints. The grand panorama of the Columbia River Gorge spread out far below us. Wow! It was an incredible sight! I was so glad to be visiting on a clear day - it would be a shame to climb this far and not be able to take in such a view.
After leaving the summit of Cape Horn, and following a series of trails and abandoned roads, the trail led us to the newly-constructed Cape Horn overlook. The viewpoint consists of two circular rock walls atop a clearing. The overlook was constructed to honor Nancy Russell, the founder of the Friends of the Columbia Gorge.
Our hiking group took advantage of the rock wall seating areas for a snack break. Although the sky was sunny, the temperature was anything but warm. And away from the forest's protection, the wind was howling mightily. It was a cold place to rest, but you couldn't beat the scenery!
From the overlook, the Cape Horn Trail descended quickly through a forest of large, moss-clad trees. Before we knew it, our group arrived at the junction with Hwy 14. The trail continued on the opposite side of the highway, necessitating a wait for a gap in traffic, and then a speedy scramble across!
The best part was yet to come. The second, lower loop of the trail wandered along the portion of the bluff below the highway. It followed spectacular cliffs lining the Columbia River. But, oh was the wind strong down here! At every clearing, we had to steady ourselves against the buffeting gusts to get photographs.
But despite the wind and cold, the viewpoints down here were incredible! The eastern Gorge spread out before us, with sights all the way to Beacon Rock.
After climbing up and down the cliffside path, our group came upon a thin, wispy waterfall. It was spraying over a tall basalt cliff. What a beautiful sight! A point in the trail provided a nice overlook of the falls. And the sunlight was at the perfect angle to create not one, but two rainbows. This isn't the greatest photograph, but I was pleased the rainbows showed up. Can you spot both of them?
And then the trail led you right underneath the fall's drizzly cascade. Super cool!
The last leg of our hike was a one-mile walk up a paved road. Following asphalt is not how I usually want to end a trip, but we passed a clearing with a fantastic view up the side of Cape Horn's rocky cliffs. A few yellow fall leaves still clung to the trees here, creating a narrow tunnel around the road. Although we weren't walking on a trail, the final mile was a pleasant enough end to this spectacular hike.
I now have another favorite Gorge hike. This trail has lots of great views and a good variety of terrain. And you can't beat the close proximity to Portland and Vancouver. A great hike for a sunny fall day!
Re: Sunny Sunday on Cape Horn 11/20/11
Nice TR! I ahve not been there yet. I really like that rock spiral look out setup. Thanks for sharing!
Shoe Shine Boy Has Left The Building!
Re: Sunny Sunday on Cape Horn 11/20/11
Same here, haven't been on that trail yet.mayhem wrote:Nice TR! I ahve not been there yet. I really like that rock spiral look out setup. Thanks for sharing!
Nice report! Sunday was a great weather day for sure.
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Splintercat
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Re: Sunny Sunday on Cape Horn 11/20/11
Ditto on the new Nancy Russell memorial -- I love stuff like that! Very national-park-ish..! (as it should be)
-Tom
-Tom
Re: Sunny Sunday on Cape Horn 11/20/11
Wonderful trip report Trailmom! You did a great job capturing the adventure, and including highlights, both large and small. It looks like a terrific trail, and one that strangely I've never taken the time for. Thanks so much for sharing!
-Zach
-Zach
Re: Sunny Sunday on Cape Horn 11/20/11
My husband and I hiked this on Columbus Day, which was RAINY! but the hike was a good one. I enjoyed the variety of terrain- you pretty much hit every kind. We had no views that day - but will definitely go back! nice easy hike if your experienced. I did not find a whole lot of information on this trail, one report stated... STAY LEFT and boy that is true. At one point we came upon a marker that pointed to the right with an arrow saying 'Trail' so we thought, OK, well we just went in a big circle! so it is true, stay left for the whole hike and you will come out just fine. While traversing on the 100 yr old switch backs, we came upon a rather large gathering of birds- this was their area 
Great report and great pics!
Great report and great pics!