Post
by payslee » May 3rd, 2012, 9:29 am
The more I'm thinking about it, you could put together a pretty sweet Tour de Gorge with that mileage and timeframe. And if the current rate of snow melt holds, by June you shouldn't have much to worry about in the way of snow. Us Portlanders typically think of the Gorge as dayhiking or overnight territory because it is so accessible, but almost all of those trails link up on the back side, and there's a lot of beautiful country and many options.
If you Started from the East end of the gorge you could head up from Wyeth to North Lake or Rainy Lake.
From there explore the trails on Nick Eaton Ridge, and tag Indian Point, then take the Herman Creek Trail back in up toward Cedar Swamp Camp, Mud Lake, or Whatum lake.
Take the PCT from Whatum lake over to the Benson Plateau, then come down Ruckel Creek and back up the Eagle Creek Canyon. (Eagle creek canyon should not be missed. From what I understand many if not most of the PCT thru-hikers divert from the PCT here to take Eagle Creek, it really is lovely.) Follow the trail in to a connector trail west up to Tanner Butte. There's a nice camp site at Dublin lake.
Then head back north on Tanner Butte (tagging Wauna Point if you're feeling fiesty) and West along trail 400, which is some sections here is a paved hiker/biker path. Plenty of great waterfalls within a mile or two of the path here if you feel like side trips. Or, serious scrambles to astonishing viewpoint which I would not attempt with an overnight pack on.
From John Yeon State Park, you can head back up and in to Nesmith Point, and then head west on trail 425 over toward Horsetail and Oneonta Creeks. The loop options are many many in this area... if I were doing it I would probably take trail 459 over to 424 and 444. In June the Rhododendrons should be blooming, and there are a lot of them on Franklin Ridge there. You can also loop up to Larch Mountain Viewpoint where you will amaze and astonish all the folks who made the arduous 0.25 mile trek to the veiwpoint their from their cars.
In either case, then it's back down trail 441 and then keep heading west toward Wahkeen and Finally, Angel's Rest near the Gorge's west end.
So if you're looking for solitude, this is probably not the itinerary for you, but it's got a lot to offer and has the advantage of being almost infinitely adjustable on the spur of the moment. There's a "trails of the Columbia Gorge" map that I presume you can buy on line which will be very helpful for trip planning.
Wherever you end up, hope you have a blast!
-payslee