4.3 hr
Overview
The Elevator Shaft is an almost legendary route in the western Columbia River Gorge that takes a direct route up a thousand-foot talus slope and then rises another 650 feet on a steep wooded ridge to join the Trails Club trail network in the Multnomah Basin. The main attraction of the hike is the Elevator Shaft itself, also known in the past as the "Fire Escape". Various sources show it to be lost, found, or even "not as lost as it once was." Since the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, the area has changed, but as of August 2025, the talus slope route had been brushed out. The Trails Club trails in the Multnomah Basin have also been logged and brushed out. Plan ahead, wear good boots for the rocks (which may be slippery from lack of traffic), long pants for the poison oak, and be prepared to work hard.
Trail Stats
10.5 km
567 m
564 m
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Photos
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