Mark O. Hatfield Trail Hike

Overview

NOTICE: The backcountry trails between Larch Mountain and Eagle Creek described as part of this route have been closed since the September 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. It is anticipated that the trails may remain closed for several years to come and may never be maintained again. One of the legacies of former Oregon Senator Mark O. Hatfield was expansion of the state’s wilderness system in 1978 and 1984, the largest expansion before or since that time. Though Hatfield was criticized by conservationists for also sponsoring pro-logging legislation that led to the destruction of ancient forests, his role in creating new wilderness in Oregon remains a singular achievement that no other senator has yet matched. To honor the senator, Congress renamed one of these new wilderness areas, the former Columbia Wilderness, as the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness in 1996. This recognition marked the senator’s retirement from Congress after nearly a half century of public service that included serving as an Oregon legislator, Oregon’s Secretary of State, then Governor, before finally being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1967, where he served for 30 years. For many, it was also a fitting tribute to the senator who had also pushed through the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Act through Congress in the 1980s. The Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness originally spanned the most remote high country on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, but in 2009, President Obama signed a new wilderness bill into law that expanded the Hatfield wilderness significantly. The new boundary stretches the Hatfield Wilderness from Larch Mountain and Multnomah Creek on the west to the steep ridges and canyons of Mount Defiance, on the east. The Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail spans the Hatfield Wilderness, beginning at Multnomah Falls and culminating at Starvation Creek Falls, and passing through the most rugged, lonely country to be found in the Columbia River Gorge along the way. The 60-mile route is described here as a five-night trek, beginning at the Multn

Trail Stats

Photos

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