3 min
Overview
This section of the Klickitat Trail cannot be done as a one-way jaunt as the old rail bed ends abruptly where the line use to cross the Klickitat River. The mineral springs here, which you can sample, began to be commercially exploited in the 1890s but all that remain are vestiges of the old well structures. Across the river, there is the one remaining building of a dry ice factory that operated here from 1928 - 1957. Spring is the best season to stroll here as the wildflowers are out in abandon, but be aware that poison oak and hordes of ticks call this stretch of trail their home as well. Part of this hike is in the Mineral Springs Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area. Walk past the gate at the parking area on an open trail under ponderosa pines, white oaks and white alders. Poison oak abounds all along this trail. The path surface is alternately gravel, rounded river stones, and sand. The Klickitat runs to your right, but there are no roads or homes on this section. In the woods on the left, a fence line demarcates private property. Pass down an avenue of red osier dogwood, white alder, thimbleberry, and buck brush. The trail detours off the rail bed to the left in a stand of ponderosas. Then hit the gravel rail bed again and walk down a shady avenue of alders. Suddenly, you’re out in the open. This is the area of the mineral springs and the springs themselves are next to two concrete chimney-type well structures of an old water-bottling plant. Vaux’s swifts use them as a roost. The second spring actually bubbles energetically into its own orange-colored pool. Get your own taste of free Perrier and move on. The Gas-Ice Corporation’s dry ice plant (the last remaining building) is across the river next to a campground. There are the remains of a wooden bridge that once spanned the Klickitat here. You can explore this rocky expanse - the actual trail passes through a lovely little oak copse to your left. Back on the trail, enter a cool riverside thicket and walk along a slower-flowing braid of the river. Watch
Trail Stats
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Photos
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