Cascade Locks West Loop Hike

Overview

Beginning at the Bridge of the Gods, this short loop is close to the freeway all the way but puts you on a sample of the two official trans-Gorge trails, the Gorge Trail #400 and the paved Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail (HCRHT). It's a good all year shaded outing for families with younger children. The hike starts at the Cascade Locks Trailhead, beneath the Bridge of the Gods. From here, cross Wa Na Pa Street, and walk up through Toll House Park past the Bridge of the Gods Trailhead to pick up the Pacific Crest Trail. This is probably the most urban section of the entire PCT, and the crossing of the Columbia River is the lowest point on the entire 2,650-mile trail! You'll hike a short distance up a few feet from the freeway, then you'll drop to Moody Avenue. Turn right, head under the freeway and then bear right straight ahead up gravel Harvey Road. In a few steps, you'll come to the PCT Harvey Road Trailhead. From here the PCT goes to Dry Creek Falls, Benson Plateau, and of course, eventually Mexico. For this hike though, head west on the Gorge Trail, which is an unusual beast. Over 30 miles long, it connects over a dozen trailheads on the Oregon side of the Gorge, creating all kinds of multi-day loop trips. It's also a well-maintained, low altitude trail, that provides hiking year round. If this area was ever logged, it was long ago, and much of the trail is quite scenic in a "deep forest" sort of way, with old trees and rocky crags. The Gorge Trail's downside is its proximity to Interstate 84. For almost the entire trail, your eyes will tell you that you're in a rare, low altitude wilderness, and your ears will be telling you that you're under the Marquam Bridge near downtown Portland. That creates an interesting mindset probably improved with some good, loud music piped directly into your ears. This section of the Gorge Trail is no exception. The first portion is arrow straight adjacent to an old fence designed to keep people off the interstate. Since the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, a lot of ha

Trail Stats

Photos

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400px-CascadeLocksWestMap

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400px-Table_Mountain_to_Greenleaf_Peak%2C_Gorge_Trail

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