Difference between revisions of "Cape Horn Loop Hike"

Revision as of 21:22, 6 August 2020

View upriver to Phoca Rock, Cape Horn Trail (Dan Huntington)

Sign at the beginning of the Cape Horn Trail (bobcat)

The "Tipping Tree" at Pioneer Point (Steve Hart)

Pholiota mushrooms, Cape Horn Trail (bobcat)

Approaching Cape Horn Falls on the lower trail (bobcat)

View to Cigar Rock, Cape Horn (bobcat)

Leafy woods on the traverse to Cape Horn Road (bobcat)

The loop hike at Cape Horn; road walk on Cape Horn Road in orange (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo/MapBuilder Topo

Start point: Cape Horn Trailhead
End point: Cigar Rock
Trail Log: Trail Log
Hike Type: Loop
Distance: 7.4 miles
Elevation gain: 1230 feet
High point: 1,300 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Seasons: July 16th to January 31st for the loop
Family Friendly: No
Backpackable: No
Crowded: Yes

Falling

Poison-Oak

TAKE CARE OUT THERE: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this trail is experiencing extremely heavy use. Be prepared to wear a mask during the many portions of this hike where physical distancing is not an option.

DO YOUR PART: Services are extremely limited at this time, so please bring a trash bag with you so you can pack out what you pack in, including any dog poop from your four-legged hiking buddy.

The Cape Horn Trail is one of the closest Columbia River Gorge trails to the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. It features wide-ranging views up and down the river, rocky cliffs and crags, streams and a waterfall. The route is well signed and has seen numerous improvements over the years, including sturdier trail treads and new overlooks. The trails here take advantage of slivers of public land surrounded by private property, so make sure you stay on the route. The key to completing a loop option here was the acquisition of land on the east facing rim just west of Biddle Butte, a 22 year process. In 1984, the Trust for Public Land accepted a loan from Gorge activist Nancy Russell and her husband to purchase the clifftop property of a proposed subdivision. The U.S. Forest Service acquired more land and, in 2006, the Friends of the Gorge Land Trust bought a home where the Nancy Russell Overlook is now situated. All these parcels are now administered by the Forest Service.

Note that the loop is only possible between July 16th and January 31st in order to protect nesting peregrine falcons on the basalt cliffs of Cape Horn. You can still hike to some of the viewpoints at other times of the year, however (See the Cape Horn Overlooks Hike). Keep your dog on a leash: There are numerous unprotected clifftop vantage points, and dogs have fallen to their deaths on several occasions. The last 1.2 miles of the loop is up paved Cape Horn Road, which is verged by private property.

From the Park and Ride lot, walk past an information kiosk with its large map, and cross Salmon Falls Road to pass a sign for the Cape Horn Trail. Keep right at a junction to stay on the Upper Trail. Hike above a blackberry-choked gully, and pass a gnarly Douglas-fir. Switchback down to a footbridge over a creek, and then begin walking up a slope of maples and alders. Make a switchback on a rooty trail that rises past boulders draped with licorice fern. Seven more switchbacks take you up through sword fern, snowberry, and thimbleberry. Ignore side trails leading off to the right to reach a powerline corridor. Enter a Douglas-fir wood, and make a traverse along a steep slope. Switchback under a mossy basalt face, and then wind up along the powerline corridor, where you'll get views to Silver Star Mountain on a clear day. At a junction, make a left for a viewpoint (Horses must stay right.). The view from here to the east and south includes the Prindle Cliffs, Hamilton Mountain, Beacon Rock, Phoca Rock, Multnomah Falls, Mist Falls, Yeon Mountain, and Larch Mountain. Looking west, you'll see the promontory of Cape Horn and the viaduct that carries Highway 14. Continue up from the viewpoint to where a short spur leads left to Pioneer Point, also known as Tipping Tree Point because of the large tree that fell over here with rootball exposed. Views from here are similar to those from the lower viewpoint. See if you can make out Angels Rest, Devils Rest, and Coopey Falls on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge.

You're now 1.4 miles into the hike. Back on the main trail, keep left at the junction with the horse bypass. The trail turns away from a fence at the meeting of Forest Service and Friends of the Gorge Land Trust property near the high point of the hike. Drop down a slope, and switchback to pass between gate posts and follow an abandoned road bed up an alder/maple hillside. Soon leave the road bed, and hike up under powerlines before bearing left past a fence corner. Now you'll follow a straight line with young Douglas-firs, a blackberry hedge, and a horse pasture to your right. Cross Strunk Road at a sign, and bear left along the edge of a field. A small communications tower juts skyward, and you'll pass by a closed gate.

Follow the gravel road leading right from the gate, and get views west across open fields to the forested prominence of Biddle Butte, also known as Mount Zion, with its communications array. At a neat line of alders, you'll see the trail leading off to the left. Descend past the site of the house that was demolished in 2008 after being purchased by Friends of the Gorge Land Trust. Switchback down twice from a grove of impressive Douglas-firs, and take the spur trail heading left to the walled amphitheater at the Nancy Russell Overlook, 2.6 miles from the trailhead. Views from here extend up the Columbia River Gorge as far as Hamilton Mountain and Beacon Rock. Return to the main trail, and switchback down four times in mixed forest to keep left at another horse bypass. The trail reaches a viewpoint directly above the Highway 14 viaduct, and you can see the anchors that hold the nets which prevent rockfall onto the road. There is a great view of lonely Phoca Rock from here.

Rejoin the main trail, switchback, and keep left at the horse bypass. Pass through a dense vine maple thicket, and switchback down three times above a deep gully. Pass a couple of imposing Douglas-firs, and switchback at a small overgrown shed. Cross a wide footbridge over the blackberry-choked gully, switchback up, and make a traverse under rustling alders. You can see Highway 14 down to your left. Switchback again, and walk through the tunnel under Highway 14. Descend, and cross a footbridge over Cape Horn Creek to reach the junction with the trail that leads down from the Cape Horn West Trailhead. A spur trail drops down to the left and reaches the Upper Waterfall Viewpoint at 3.9 miles. The upper tiers of Cape Horn Falls spill down the basalt face here, and views extend to Beacon Rock as well as Bridal Veil Falls, Coopey Falls, and Angels Rest. Sand Island, part of Rooster Rock State Park, is across the main Columbia River channel to the southwest. Make a traverse to cross another footbridge, and hike along a rim of white oaks and contorted Douglas-firs. At the next junction, 4.2 miles from the Cape Horn Trailhead, horses must turn around, and this is also the farthest point you can hike during peregrine falcon nesting season (February 1st to July 15th). Take the spur that switchbacks steeply down to the Windblown Fir Viewpoint at a copse of oaks.

Return to the main trail (The old trail tread that leads west from the viewpoint soon ends at a slide), and continue west. Switchback down seven times to descend another layer of cliffs, and enter a Douglas-fir forest with a dense carpet of sword ferns. You can see scree slopes and the base of the cliffs above. When you get close to the edge of Cape Horn's cliffs, find a brushy spur leading right (This is actually a short loop that begins in the Douglas-fir wood, but that end of the loop is easy to miss.). In succession, you'll find three clifftop viewpoints, with the last one, the Cape Horn Railroad Tunnel Viewpoint, offering a perch looking straight down to the western portal of BNSF Tunnel 1, the longest railroad tunnel in the Columbia River Gorge at 2,382 feet. It's worth waiting here to watch a train snake by. The shipping channel is very near the shore here, and this is also a great place to watch river traffic. You may observe a bald eagle or two soaring above the water. Take care on these 225-foot cliffs, however. There is no surviving a misstep!

Go back to the main trail, carefully avoiding the poison oak that makes this place home, and continue east. Reach a viewpoint to pointed Cigar Rock, a distinctive basalt pinnacle. Then switchback up four times on a scree slope luxuriously cloaked in moss and licorice fern. Cross the long footbridge below Cape Horn Falls' middle tier (The trail used to go behind the falls before the bridge was installed.). There is a second, even spindlier waterfall, just west of Cape Horn Falls. The trail drops steeply, at one point using a vertical set of rock steps, and rises along a forested slope to a viewpoint towards Phoca Rock. Descend, and switchback twice to traverse gradually down past an old Private Property sign to where the trail meets Cape Horn Road. To your right is the gate to private Cape Horn Landing, once a thriving steamboat port, but you'll be hiking 1.2 miles back to the trailhead up the road. There is no public parking here, so don't even consider a car shuttle!

Hike up the road, and pass a field that offers a view to the upper cliffs of Cape Horn, the Highway 14 viaduct, and Pioneer Point. The bridge across the cliffs has a dubious history. In November 1927, during construction of the highway, engineers wanted to blast a road bed across the slope. However, the dynamite blew away the section entirely, creating a void rather than a ledge, and buried farmland and the railway below as well as destroying the old steamboat landing. The casualties, in addition to property, were six pigs. Plan B was construction of the road bridge which was initially protected from rockfall by a wood covering. Cable nets replaced the wood covering in the 1960s. The road levels and then continues to rise, with woodland to the left and cattle pastures on the right. Curve up to the left, and find the trail departing from the road to the left. Hike through a pedestrian underpass, reach the end junction to the loop, and make a right to cross Salmon Falls Road and reach the trailhead.

Maps

Maps: Hike Finder
Cape Horn Trail Network (Cape Horn Conservancy)
Green Trails Maps: Columbia River Gorge - West #428S
National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

Regulations or Restrictions, etc.

Restrooms and information kiosk at trailhead
Day use only
Dogs on leash
Share trail with horses
The lower part of the loop is closed February 1 to July 15 to protect nesting peregrine falcons. The upper part of the loop, down to the Windblown Fir Viewpoint 1/2 mile below SR14, is open all year.

Trip Reports

Search Trip Reports for Cape Horn Loop

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

PDX Hiking 365 by Matt Reeder
Day Hikes in the Columbia Gorge by Don J. Scarmuzzi
Day Hiking: Columbia River Gorge by Craig Romano
100 Classic Hikes: Washington by Craig Romano
Take a Hike: Portland by Barbara I. Bond
Best Hikes Near Portland, Oregon by Fred Barstad
Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington by William L. Sullivan
Oregon Favorites: Trails and Tales by William L. Sullivan
Pokin' Round the Gorge by Scott Cook
Fires, Faults, and Floods: A Road & Trail Guide Exploring the Origins of the Columbia River Basin by Marge & Ted Mueller

Contributors

Prindleman (creator)
stevefromdodge

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Category:Southwest Washington]]
+[[Category:Gifford Pinchot National Forest]]
 [[Category:Columbia River Gorge]]
 [[Category:Moderate Hikes]]
 [[Category:Waterfall Hikes]]
 [[Category:Viewpoint Hikes]]
+[[Category:Volcanic Feature Hikes]]
+[[Category:Loop Hikes]]
 [[Category:Hikes]]
-[[Image:reflections.jpg|thumb|400px|View from a good spot to break for lunch ''(Dan Huntington)'']]
+[[Image:reflections.jpg|thumb|400px|View upriver to Phoca Rock, Cape Horn Trail ''(Dan Huntington)'']]
-[[Image:CapeHornFalls1.jpg|thumb|250px|Cape Horn Falls ''(Steve Hart)'']]
+[[Image:Trail sign, Cape Horn.jpg|thumb|250px|Sign at the beginning of the Cape Horn Trail ''(bobcat)'']]
-[[Image:RailroadViewpoint2.jpg|thumb|250px|Barge at the Railroad Viewpoint ''(Steve Hart)'']]
+[[Image:FallenTreeViewpoint1.jpg|thumb|250px|The "Tipping Tree" at Pioneer Point ''(Steve Hart)'']]
-[[Image:FallenTreeViewpoint1.jpg|thumb|250px|Fallen Tree Viewpoint ''(Steve Hart)'']]
+[[Image:Pholiota (Pholiota sp.), Cape Horn.jpg|thumb|250px|Pholiota mushrooms, Cape Horn Trail ''(bobcat)'']]
+[[Image:Approaching Cape Horn Falls, Cape Horn.jpg|thumb|250px|Approaching Cape Horn Falls on the lower trail ''(bobcat)'']]
+[[Image:Cigar Rock, Cape Horn.jpg|thumb|160px|View to Cigar Rock, Cape Horn ''(bobcat)'']]
+[[Image:Leafy woods, Cape Horn.jpg|thumb|160px|Leafy woods on the traverse to Cape Horn Road ''(bobcat)'']]
+[[Image:CapeHornLoopMap.png|thumb|400px|The loop hike at Cape Horn; road walk on Cape Horn Road in orange ''(bobcat)'' Courtesy: ''Caltopo/MapBuilder Topo'']]
 {{Start point|Cape Horn Trailhead}}
-* End point: [[Cape Horn Trailhead]]
+* End point: [[Cigar Rock]]
 * Trail Log: [[Cape Horn Loop Hike/Log|Trail Log]]
 * Hike Type: Loop
-{{Distance|7.1 miles}}
+{{Distance|7.4 miles}}
-{{Elevation gain|1350 feet}}
+{{Elevation gain|1230 feet}}
+* High point: 1,300 feet
 {{Difficulty|Moderate}}
-* Seasons: Year-round, but lower part of the loop is closed Feb. 1 through July 15
+* Seasons: July 16th to January 31st for the loop
 * Family Friendly: No
 * Backpackable: No
-* Crowded: No
+* Crowded: Yes
-{{Hazards|f=y}}
+{{Hazards|f=y|p=y}}
+<b><font color=red>TAKE CARE OUT THERE: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this trail is experiencing extremely heavy use. Be prepared to wear a mask during the many portions of this hike where physical distancing is not an option.
+<br>DO YOUR PART: Services are extremely limited at this time, so please bring a trash bag with you so you can pack out what you pack in, including any dog poop from your four-legged hiking buddy. </font color></b>
 === Hike Description ===
+The Cape Horn Trail is one of the closest [[Columbia River Gorge]] trails to the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. It features wide-ranging views up and down the river, rocky cliffs and crags, streams and a waterfall. The route is well signed and has seen numerous improvements over the years, including sturdier trail treads and new overlooks. The trails here take advantage of slivers of public land surrounded by private property, so make sure you stay on the route. The key to completing a loop option here was the acquisition of land on the east facing rim just west of [[Biddle Butte]], a 22 year process. In 1984, the Trust for Public Land accepted a loan from Gorge activist Nancy Russell and her husband to purchase the clifftop property of a proposed subdivision. The U.S. Forest Service acquired more land and, in 2006, the Friends of the Gorge Land Trust bought a home where the [[Nancy Russell Overlook]] is now situated. All these parcels are now administered by the Forest Service.
-The Cape Horn Trail is a new trail and one of the closest Gorge trails to the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. It features gorgeous views, rocky crags, streams and two waterfalls. The trail is very well signed. There are both metal stakes and wooden signs at each junction. The signs and markers mentioned in this guide were noted on September 13th, 2014, but they might not last. This hike guide will be wordier than most, but it should keep you on the right path. You might want to print this description and carry it with you on the trail.
+Note that the loop is only possible between July 16th and January 31st in order to protect nesting peregrine falcons on the basalt cliffs of [[Cape Horn]]. You can still hike to some of the viewpoints at other times of the year, however (See the [[Cape Horn Overlooks Hike]]). Keep your dog on a leash: There are numerous unprotected clifftop vantage points, and dogs have fallen to their deaths on several occasions. The last 1.2 miles of the loop is up paved Cape Horn Road, which is verged by private property.
-The trail starts on the west side of Salmon Falls Road, opposite the Park and Ride lot. It quickly crosses a small creek and passes a waterproof box with trail maps. Next the trail starts the biggest climb in the entire loop. Eight switchbacks later, there's a poorly signed junction with the trail that leads to the temporary 2008 parking area. The main trail heads southward, paralleling a powerline access road for a bit before branching out on its own. The climb gets pretty steep here and the narrow trail probably isn't safe during heavy snow or icy periods.
+From the Park and Ride lot, walk past an information kiosk with its large map, and cross Salmon Falls Road to pass a sign for the Cape Horn Trail. Keep right at a junction to stay on the Upper Trail. Hike above a blackberry-choked gully, and pass a gnarly Douglas-fir. Switchback down to a footbridge over a creek, and then begin walking up a slope of maples and alders. Make a switchback on a rooty trail that rises past boulders draped with licorice fern. Seven more switchbacks take you up through sword fern, snowberry, and thimbleberry. Ignore side trails leading off to the right to reach a powerline corridor. Enter a Douglas-fir wood, and make a traverse along a steep slope. Switchback under a mossy basalt face, and then wind up along the powerline corridor, where you'll get views to [[Silver Star Mountain]] on a clear day. At a junction, make a left for a viewpoint (Horses must stay right.). The view from here to the east and south includes the Prindle Cliffs, [[Hamilton Mountain]], [[Beacon Rock]], [[Phoca Rock]], [[Multnomah Falls]], [[Mist Falls]], Yeon Mountain, and [[Sherrard Point|Larch Mountain]]. Looking west, you'll see the promontory of [[Cape Horn]] and the viaduct that carries Highway 14. Continue up from the viewpoint to where a short spur leads left to [[Pioneer Point]], also known as Tipping Tree Point because of the large tree that fell over here with rootball exposed. Views from here are similar to those from the lower viewpoint. See if you can make out [[Angels Rest]], [[Devils Rest]], and [[Coopey Falls]] on the Oregon side of the [[Columbia River Gorge]].
-When you reach [[Pioneer Point]], at the 1.2 mile mark, you'll have climbed about 800 feet. The view from here to the east includes [[Hamilton Mountain]], [[Beacon Rock]], [[Multnomah Falls]] and [[Mist Falls]]. Carefully step past the viewpoint and in another tenth of a mile, you'll find a short side trail leading to [[Fallen Tree Viewpoint]]. The view here is mostly to the west, with a good look at the State Highway viaduct, as well as Oregon points like [[Angel's Rest]], [[Devil's Rest]], [[Foxglove Falls]] and [[Coopey Falls]]. Back on the main trail, you'll soon come to the summit of [[Cape Horn]], hidden away in the forest, marked by a pair of orange poles.
+You're now 1.4 miles into the hike. Back on the main trail, keep left at the junction with the horse bypass. The trail turns away from a fence at the meeting of Forest Service and Friends of the Gorge Land Trust property near the high point of the hike. Drop down a slope, and switchback to pass between gate posts and follow an abandoned road bed up an alder/maple hillside. Soon leave the road bed, and hike up under powerlines before bearing left past a fence corner. Now you'll follow a straight line with young Douglas-firs, a blackberry hedge, and a horse pasture to your right. Cross [[Cape Horn Trail-Strunk Road Junction|Strunk Road]] at a sign, and bear left along the edge of a field. A small communications tower juts skyward, and you'll pass by a closed gate.
-Now heading westward, the trail soon comes to a fence marking a section of private land. The trail follows the fence to the right, then works its way down the west side of the ridge for about a quarter mile where it comes to a closed road. Head straight ahead on this road, through a broken gate. About 1/10 of a mile later, the trail follows a fainter road uphill to the left. This junction was marked by an orange piece of tape at our last visit. Follow this new road for about a quarter mile under a set of residential powerlines to another private fence. Follow the trail to the right and in another 1/10 mile, you'll be at [[Strunk Road]].
+Follow the gravel road leading right from the gate, and get views west across open fields to the forested prominence of [[Biddle Butte]], also known as Mount Zion, with its communications array. At a neat line of alders, you'll see the trail leading off to the left. Descend past the site of the house that was demolished in 2008 after being purchased by Friends of the Gorge Land Trust. Switchback down twice from a grove of impressive Douglas-firs, and take the spur trail heading left to the walled amphitheater at the [[Nancy Russell Overlook]], 2.6 miles from the trailhead. Views from here extend up the [[Columbia River Gorge]] as far as [[Hamilton Mountain]] and [[Beacon Rock]]. Return to the main trail, and switchback down four times in mixed forest to keep left at another horse bypass. The trail reaches a viewpoint directly above the Highway 14 viaduct, and you can see the anchors that hold the nets which prevent rockfall onto the road. There is a great view of lonely [[Phoca Rock]] from here.
-Turn left on Strunk Road and walk the few feet to the end of the road. There are two gravel lanes heading south here. Walk down the right one. This is a private road, but its owned by the Friends of the Columbia Gorge and it's open to hikers.  Just after the road enters the woods, turn left on to a trail marked by a green fence post. This section of trail works down the hill about 3/10 of a mile through five switchbacks to the [[Phoca Viewpoint]]. There is a newly constructed stone amphitheater here. The entire Gorge is on display.
+Rejoin the main trail, switchback, and keep left at the horse bypass. Pass through a dense vine maple thicket, and switchback down three times above a deep gully. Pass a couple of imposing Douglas-firs, and switchback at a small overgrown shed. Cross a wide footbridge over the blackberry-choked gully, switchback up, and make a traverse under rustling alders. You can see Highway 14 down to your left. Switchback again, and walk through the tunnel under Highway 14. Descend, and cross a footbridge over Cape Horn Creek to reach the junction with the trail that leads down from the [[Cape Horn West Trailhead]]. A spur trail drops down to the left and reaches the [[Upper Waterfall Viewpoint]] at 3.9 miles. The upper tiers of [[Cape Horn Falls]] spill down the basalt face here, and views extend to [[Beacon Rock]] as well as [[Bridal Veil Falls]], [[Coopey Falls]], and [[Angels Rest]]. Sand Island, part of Rooster Rock State Park, is across the main Columbia River channel to the southwest. Make a traverse to cross another footbridge, and hike along a rim of white oaks and contorted Douglas-firs. At the next junction, 4.2 miles from the [[Cape Horn Trailhead]], horses must turn around, and this is also the farthest point you can hike during peregrine falcon nesting season (February 1st to July 15th). Take the spur that switchbacks steeply down to the [[Windblown Fir Viewpoint]] at a copse of oaks.
-The trail continues down through four more switchbacks. You'll pass an small, somewhat collapsed shed. Soon you'll see and hear traffic on Highway 14. The trail doesn't get to the highway right away though. It insists on crossing a small creek and working it's way up and down for almost a quarter mile, before it finally reaches the new tunnel under the highway.
+Return to the main trail (The old trail tread that leads west from the viewpoint soon ends at a slide), and continue west. Switchback down seven times to descend another layer of cliffs, and enter a Douglas-fir forest with a dense carpet of sword ferns. You can see scree slopes and the base of the cliffs above. When you get close to the edge of [[Cape Horn]]'s cliffs, find a brushy spur leading right (This is actually a short loop that begins in the Douglas-fir wood, but that end of the loop is easy to miss.). In succession, you'll find three clifftop viewpoints, with the last one, the [[Cape Horn Railroad Tunnel Viewpoint]], offering a perch looking straight down to the western portal of BNSF Tunnel 1, the longest railroad tunnel in the [[Columbia River Gorge]] at 2,382 feet. It's worth waiting here to watch a train snake by. The shipping channel is very near the shore here, and this is also a great place to watch river traffic. You may observe a bald eagle or two soaring above the water. Take care on these 225-foot cliffs, however. There is no surviving a misstep!
-Cross under the highway via the tunnel and start down the trail on the opposite side. The trail crosses another small creek. Soon our trail crosses another trail. Make the short trip left to a viewpoint of a waterfall and the Columbia River. The trail to the right just heads back to the highway, so continue west on the main trail. There are more little seasonal streams to cross and more spectacular clifftop viewpoints. If you are hiking between February 1 and July 15, you'll come to a trail closure sign after the viewpoints. The reason for seasonal closure are peregrine falcons that live near the trail. If you're there in season when the trail is open, continue downhill through switchbacks including a series on a moss covered talus slope. Eventually the trail comes to a [[Railroad Viewpoint|viewpoint]] above the west portal of BNSF Tunnel 1. At 2382 feet, this is the longest tunnel in the Gorge. The shipping channel is very near the shore here and this is a great place to watch river traffic, as well as trains.
+Go back to the main trail, carefully avoiding the poison oak that makes this place home, and continue east. Reach a viewpoint to pointed [[Cigar Rock]], a distinctive basalt pinnacle. Then switchback up four times on a scree slope luxuriously cloaked in moss and licorice fern. Cross the long footbridge below [[Cape Horn Falls]]' middle tier (The trail used to go behind the falls before the bridge was installed.). There is a second, even spindlier waterfall, just west of [[Cape Horn Falls]]. The trail drops steeply, at one point using a vertical set of rock steps, and rises along a forested slope to a viewpoint towards [[Phoca Rock]]. Descend, and switchback twice to traverse gradually down past an old Private Property sign to where the trail meets [[Cape Horn Road]]. To your right is the gate to private Cape Horn Landing, once a thriving steamboat port, but you'll be hiking 1.2 miles back to the trailhead up the road. There is no public parking here, so don't even consider a car shuttle!
-The trail is now finally heading back to the east. There are a couple more really good river views, including a good view of [[Cigar Rock]], a column-like pillar of basalt towering over the river. Soon the trail begins to switchback up. You'll come to a larger talus slope with views up to two waterfalls from the same place. The trail climbs to a bridge that cross in front of the second waterfall, [[Cape Horn Falls]]. There are several paths up to the falls from the bridgehead, and you can use them to walk right up to the falls and to get behind them for a very interesting view. The trail then drops steeply and gets pretty rugged. There are a couple of places where you'll be using your hands for stability.
+Hike up the road, and pass a field that offers a view to the upper cliffs of [[Cape Horn]], the Highway 14 viaduct, and [[Pioneer Point]]. The bridge across the cliffs has a dubious history. In November 1927, during construction of the highway, engineers wanted to blast a road bed across the slope. However, the dynamite blew away the section entirely, creating a void rather than a ledge, and buried farmland and the railway below as well as destroying the old steamboat landing. The casualties, in addition to property, were six pigs. Plan B was construction of the road bridge which was initially protected from rockfall by a wood covering. Cable nets replaced the wood covering in the 1960s. The road levels and then continues to rise, with woodland to the left and cattle pastures on the right. Curve up to the left, and find the trail departing from the road to the left. Hike through a pedestrian underpass, reach the end junction to the loop, and make a right to cross Salmon Falls Road and reach the trailhead.
-Eventually, you'll come to a sign warning that you're entering private property. Just beyond the sign, the trail comes to the bottom of [[Cape Horn Road]]. This trail was made possible when trail builders were able to come to an agreement with the land owners in this area. Please respect their property and stay on the trail. From the base of Cape Horn Road, you have 1.3 miles of road walking gently uphill back to your car. Take the new tunnel under SR 14 to avoid crossing the busy road.
 === Maps ===
 {{Hikemaps|latitude=45.59656|longitude=-122.18003}}
-* (Click [http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/497477349_7a73349c4f_o.jpg here] for a printable map with directions)
+* [https://www.capehornconservancy.org/uploads/4/4/2/3/4423514/2017_map_no_rr_bluff.pdf  Cape Horn Trail Network (Cape Horn Conservancy)]
+* Green Trails Maps: ''Columbia River Gorge - West #428S''
+* National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: ''Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area''
 === Regulations or Restrictions, etc. ===
-* The lower part of the loop is closed February 1 to July 15 to protect nesting peregrine falcon. Upper part of the loop, down to the Gorge viewpoint 1/2 mile below SR14 is open all year.
+* Restrooms and information kiosk at trailhead
+* Day use only
+* Dogs on leash
+* Share trail with horses
+* The lower part of the loop is closed February 1 to July 15 to protect nesting peregrine falcons. The upper part of the loop, down to the [[Windblown Fir Viewpoint]] 1/2 mile below SR14, is open all year.
-{{TripReports|Cape Horn}}
+{{TripReports|Cape Horn Loop}}
-* [http://portlandhikers.org/forums/thread/6443.aspx Cape Kids!] by Jeff Statt
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13971  No Rain!! Cape Horn RTW recliner hike + new TFF's 12.2.12]
-* [http://portlandhikers.org/forums/thread/10006.aspx 11/22/06 Trip Report] by Jimsiff
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12574  Cape Horn Loop, 21-Jul-2012]
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10797  (SOFT GORGE HIKE - ERIC) CAPE HORN BEFORE THE KNIFE 2-11-12]
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10579  Cape Horn Stroll 1.16]
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10419  Cape Horn 12/22/11]
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10329  Blue Sky Day on Cape Horn 12-17-2011]
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10103  Sunny Sunday on Cape Horn 11/20/11]
-{{RelatedDiscussions|Cape Horn}}
+{{RelatedDiscussions|Cape Horn Loop}}
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13984  Cape Horn - turnpike and reroute]
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=11116  TKO Volunteers help out on Cape Horn work party]
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=10223  Cape Horn safe for dogs and ? about highway crossing]
+* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9029  $1M Columbia Gorge house replaced with trail, viewpoint]
 === Guidebooks that cover this hike ===
+* ''PDX Hiking 365'' by Matt Reeder
+* ''Day Hikes in the Columbia Gorge'' by Don J. Scarmuzzi
+* ''Day Hiking: Columbia River Gorge'' by Craig Romano
+* ''100 Classic Hikes: Washington'' by Craig Romano
+* ''Take a Hike: Portland'' by Barbara I. Bond
+* ''Best Hikes Near Portland, Oregon'' by Fred Barstad
+* ''Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
+* ''100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington'' by William L. Sullivan
+* ''Oregon Favorites: Trails and Tales'' by William L. Sullivan
+* ''Pokin' Round the Gorge'' by Scott Cook
+* ''Fires, Faults, and Floods: A Road & Trail Guide Exploring the Origins of the Columbia River Basin'' by Marge & Ted Mueller
 === More Links ===
+* [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recarea/?recid=77617  Cape Horn Trail (#4418) (USFS)]
+* [https://www.capehornconservancy.org/  Cape Horn Conservancy]
+* [https://gorgefriends.org/hike-the-gorge/cape-horn-loop.html  Cape Horn Loop (Friends of the Columbia Gorge)]
+* [https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/cape-horn  Cape Horn (Washington Trails Association)]
+* [https://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/washington/hikes/cape-horn-loop-hike  Cape Horn Loop Hike (Outdoor Project)]
+* [https://paulgerald.com/portland-hikes/cape-horn-loop-best-fall-colors-hikes-in-the-gorge/  Cape Horn Loop: One of the Best Fall Color Hikes in the Gorge (Paul Gerald)]
+* [https://www.muddycamper.com/hikes/columbia-river-gorge/cape-horn-hike/  Cape Horn Hike in the Columbia River Gorge (Muddy Camper)]
+* [https://www.hikingupward.com/WSP/CapeHorn/  Cape Horn Loop Trail (Hiking Upward)]
+* [https://wonderingaroundoregon.wordpress.com/2016/08/02/photo-essay-cape-horn-trail/  Photo essay: Cape Horn Trail (Wondering Around Oregon)]
+* [https://www.outdoorsnw.com/2013/09/nw-trails-cape-horn-trail-on-the-columbia-river-gorge/  "Cape Horn — New trail in the Columbia River Gorge is already a classic" (Outdoors NW)]
+* [http://blog.oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2012/07/cape_horn_trails_million_dolla.html  "Cape Horn Trail's million dollar setting just east of Vancouver in full view for hikers" (Oregon Live)]
+* [http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/cape_horn.html  "Cape Horn, Washington" (The Columbia River: A Photographic Journey)]
+* [http://oregonwildflowers.org/viewlocation.php?ID=80  Cape Horn (Oregon Wildflowers)]
+* [http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/biddle_butte.html  "Biddle Butte (Mount Zion), Washington" (The Columbia River: A Photographic Journey)]
+* [http://www.columbiagorge.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Tale_of_Blasting_of_Cape_Horn.pdf  The Tale of the Blasting at Cape Horn (Columbia Gorge.org)]
+* [http://www.columbiagorge.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/Stevenson,_John_W.,_Pioneer_of_Cape_Horn.pdf  Stevensons On Cape Horn 126 Years (The Columbian)]
+* [https://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/columbia-river-gorge-shire-history-john-yeon-nancy-russell/  Legacy Of A View: The Secret Story Of The Shire (OPB)]
 === Contributors ===
 * [[User:Prindleman|Prindleman]] (creator)
 * [[User:stevefromdodge|stevefromdodge]]

Difference between revisions of "Cape Horn Loop Hike"

Difference between revisions of "Cape Horn Loop Hike"

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

Revision as of 21:22, 6 August 2020

Contents

Hike Description

Maps

Regulations or Restrictions, etc.

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

More Links

Contributors