Klickitat Rail Trail - Swale Canyon
The Klickitat Rail Trail is a 31-mile rails-to-trails conversion managed by Columbia Hills State Park. This linear park goes from Lyle to Warwick (on the Lyle-Centerville Highway) with several access points along the way. Swale Canyon lies on the eastern end of the trail and offers a quiet canyon, a burbly creek, wildflowers and solitude.
Swale Canyon can be hiked end-to-end (13 miles) or as an out-and-back as far as you'd like. Start the hike at Harms Road and follow Swale Creek downstream as it approaches the Klickitat River. The old railbed is wide, making it fun to walk side-by-side and easy to share the trail with the occasional mountain biker. This is lonely country, with broad, windswept vistas that narrow as you enter the canyon. Wildlife is abundant, particularly birds and springtime brings flowers sometimes as early as late February or early March. Look for black desert parsley, balsamroot, phlox, lupine and much more along the trail. This is easy walking, gently treading downhill along the creek. Take the time to appreciate the trestles and the decking that volunteers have undertaken to make them safe for hikers and other users. Dogs are required to be on leash on this trail. Also, please stick to the path, as much of the adjoining property is private. And note that Swale Canyon is generally closed from July 1 - October 1 each year because of fire danger.
Driving Directions:
From Lyle, take the Lyle-Centerville Hwy. Go north, then east for about 15 miles. Turn left on Harms Road. Drive north one-half mile and park just north of the bridge. There is a portable toilet at the trailhead. Recent Trip Reports
Hiked here recently?
Submit a trip report!
There are
6
trip reports for this hike.
See all trip reports for this hike.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
This is an excellent spring hike while waiting for the snow to melt in the mountains and the rain to...
This is an excellent spring hike while waiting for the snow to melt in the mountains and the rain to clear out of the gorge.
My hiking buddy and I began at the Harms road trailhead for a nine mile out and back trip. We had done this hike before as a thirteen mile one-way from east to west, but found the settlement at the west end unnerving, if not somewhat scary. Since the views are better at the east end anyway, out and back from Harms road is the way to go. We were immediately greeted by song birds as we climbed out of the car, and then were serenaded by birds, frogs and the creek for the entire hike. The desert parsley was blooming, with a smattering of purple blossoms mixed into an array of yellow flowers. We saw hawks soaring and marmot-like critters scurrying over the rocks. My buddy swears he saw a lizard standing on its hind feet. The trail is on an old rail bed which follows Swale Creek. The first mile of this hike is though range land before the creek enters Swale Canyon. The canyon is narrow with sparse foliage for the next two miles, reminding me of my grandfather’s farm in Southern Idaho. After the first three miles, the canyon widens to become a small valley dotted with pines. We stopped at 4½ miles for lunch overlooking a 10-foot waterfall before heading back. The most surprising and best part of the hike was the art, starting with a shrine-like niche and followed by imaginous displays of rusty railroad artifacts, rocks, and twigs. These miniature sculptures were so plentiful that we quit counting after twenty. Hopefully, hikers will continue to respect this unique art and leave it in situ. We completed this perfect adventure with a stop at Maryhill Winery for a glass of wine and a picnic on the deck overlooking the river. It doesn’t get much better than this. CAUTION: Most of the hike is on gravel, some of it quite loose, so have appropriate footwear. My hiking buddy and I were both grateful to be wearing hiking boots with sturdy soles and ankle support. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
We began our hike at the Harms Road TH as described in Craig Romano's "Day Hiking Columbia River Gor...
We began our hike at the Harms Road TH as described in Craig Romano's "Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge" for a total of 11.4 miles and 450 ft elevation gain. The day was EXTREMELY windy which made for hard walking since the wind was coming towards us! The hills were alive with balsamroot and lupine as we began our hike and the yellow desert parsley and lupine lining the trail was soon joined by showy phlox. Red paintbrush, phacelia, and bouquets of yellow monkey-flowers were also seen. The trail follows Swale Creek which we crossed 3 times on smooth, restored trestles. We watched marmots playing in the rocks and nearby a killdeer going from rock to rock. This was the only bird seen perhaps because of the extreme wind. Although windy the day was sunny and dry with beautiful clouds. There is a section of oaks and Ponderosa Pine which adds to the beauty and variety of this canyon. We saw 3 bikers but no other hikers. This is a beautiful spring hike and one we would do again!
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
May is such a peak time in the Columbia River Gorge, it is hard to decide whether to go for palettes...
May is such a peak time in the Columbia River Gorge, it is hard to decide whether to go for palettes of wildflowers, sweeping vistas, or raging waterfalls.
Upper Swale Canyon on the Klickitat Trail is one hike that I make a point to do every year for its sunshine, wildflowers, birds and other wildlife, and feeling of remoteness. I hike it as an out-and-back of about 9 miles round trip, descending gently into the canyon and then hiking up on the return, for an elevation gain of about 500 ft. Klickitat Trail Conservancy volunteers have decked the trestles on this leg of the Klickitat Trail so the walking is easy. We started at the Harms Road trailhead on the open, windswept plateau of High Prairie, then walked about 4.5 miles into a deep canyon of pine and oak groves on a former railroad bed paralleling Swale Creek. As we walked along, the mosaic of wildflowers and bird species changed constantly with the variations of habitat, aspect and slope. As we descended into the canyon, we dropped out of the wind and the day warmed up. Hats and sunscreen are a necessity since there isn't much shade. The trailside was yellow with three species of desert parsley: pungent, barestem, and Canby's. In about a mile, the terrain changed and the hillsides were white with snowpatch-like clumps of showy phlox. A short section of slope hosted blooming daggerpod. Deeper into the canyon, the slopes were covered with balsamroot. Indian paintbrush was just beginning to provide spots of red. I identified 35 species of wildflowers in bloom during this hike. A trail segment goes between rock outcrops that host a population of yellow-bellied marmots. I spotted a mule deer standing in the shadow of a pine tree in hopes of not being seen. Beaver dams created pools in Swale Creek. Bird species seen or heard included red-winged blackbird, killdeer, yellow-rumped warbler, canyon wren, common raven, western tanager, white-crowned sparrow, golden-crowned sparrow, western meadowlark, white-throated swift, and lazuli bunting. This trail invites me to linger in many places to enjoy the blooming flowers or watch birds flitting about in the brush or trees. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
WTA's Susan Elderkin and I met Craig Romano at the Wachiacus access trailhead for the Klickitat Rail...
WTA's Susan Elderkin and I met Craig Romano at the Wachiacus access trailhead for the Klickitat Rail-Trail. This access is off Horsehoe Bend Rd 3 miles north (or east) of Klickitat. (I highly recommend taking highway 142 from Goldendale - check it out on the Gazetteer - it twists and winds around canyons and hills. Not for the feint of heart - when it descends from the plateau, it's one and a half lanes, no guardrails, and is on a steep hillside. The road is in excellent condition, however - paved all the way.
We stashed my truck, then piled in Craig's car and drove to the Lyle-Goldendale Rd/Harms Road access trailhead to begin our 13 mile one way trek on the trail through lovely Swale Canyon, back to Wachiacus. A beautiful trail - lots to see. Garry oak and huge ponderosas dotted along the flower covered, rocky slopes. I have never seen so much desert parsley - both yellow and black - the hills were a blanket of them. Some of the seeping canyon walls are decorated with mosses, colorful lichen, lots of shooting star is in bloom now among the several different kinds of ferns. Stunning. Many bridges have been either re-built or re-decked; all are in excellent condition. The willows are brilliant yellow, scarlet red-osier dogwood lines the seeps and creeklets tumbling down the walls. Pretty little waterfalls; I assume they're intermittent. We enjoyed the first 10 miles, however the last three or so nearest Wachiacus, though pretty, weren't spectacular; if I had my druthers, I'd use the trailhead at the Goldendale-Lyle highway. Sunday, we stashed Craigs car at the access trailhead in the town of Lyle, and drove highway 142 to milepost 10, where we crossed the river on a road, and immediately parked at another access point. Susan and I walked for about 3 miles with Craig, then turned back to prepare for our long drive back to Seattle, while Craig continued the rest of the way back to Lyle and his car. This is a very pretty, relaxing portion of the trail, and runs right next to the lovely Klickitat River. We saw a few other hikers, a couple of bicyclists, and kayakers (they were in the river). Craig Romano is working on a Columbia Gorge hiking book. Stay tuned! A wonderful weekend was had by all. We also hiked the Lyle Cherry Orchard (separate trip report). Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
In search of sunshine and early spring wildflowers, including the rare The Dalles Mountain Buttercup...
In search of sunshine and early spring wildflowers, including the rare The Dalles Mountain Buttercup, we started our hike from the Harms Road trailhead and walked through upper Swale Canyon for a round trip of about 7 miles.
Directions: Drive east from White Salmon on SR 14 to Lyle (~10 miles). In downtown Lyle, turn left on Centerville Highway (between the gas station and the café). Go approximately 15 miles, climbing through oak woodlands to the Goldendale Plateau. Turn left at Harms Road and go ½ mile, cross the Swale Creek bridge, and park on the shoulder of the county road. The Klickitat Trail Conservancy provides a portable toilet at the trail. Going west from this trailhead leads into beautiful Swale Canyon. The hike parallels Swale Creek, currently running at peak spring runoff, on the old railroad bed. Thanks to the volunteer work of the Klickitat Trail Conservancy (www.klickitat-trail.org), the trestles across Swale Creek are now repaired and decked. We gently descended deep into Swale Canyon and looked for flowers on the hillsides. Blooming species included Columbia desert parsley, pungent desert parsley, salt&pepper desert parsley, yellow bells, grass widow, gold stars, spring whitlow grass, prairie star, and, of course, The Dalles Mountain buttercup. Meadowlarks were singing and mallard pairs were abundant along Swale Creek. A rough-legged hawk circled overhead. Killdeer called from gravel patches. Robins, juncos, and spotted towhees hung out in the willows along the creek. At about 3.5 miles into the canyon, we found a place where we could sit beside the creek for lunch and then we returned back to the trailhead. Day hike
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
On the first glorious spring weekend of the year, we headed east out the Columbia River Gorge, then ...
On the first glorious spring weekend of the year, we headed east out the Columbia River Gorge, then north from Lyle, WA, to the Klickitat Rail Trail. The trailhead we started from is just off Centerville Hwy. There is another trailhead off Harms Rd (currently closed for construction on a new bridge) that gets you closer to the Canyon entrance by a roundabout detour. This first, completely flat 1.5 miles meanders along Swale Creek, amid gently rolling hills and meadows, a few farms, and views of Mt. Adams' summit peeking over the ridge to the west. At the trail's intersection of Harms Rd, you come to the entrance to Swale Canyon and the first of many old railroad trestles to cross - after navigating the construction equipment putting in the new bridge.
Across the first trestle, the trail begins a very slight descent into the canyon, keeping to the creek the whole time. Exposed outcrops of colorful volcanic caprock give the canyon its geologic story. We passed through two cattle control gates - this is rangeland, after all. The trail is mostly exposed, offering little shelter from warm, midday sun, but a scattering of oak and ponderosa pine along the streambank offer some shade, as well as some narrower sections of the trail with large boulders make fine rest stops. About a mile from the first trestle, you come to the second - a small one that crosses a tiny inlet stream. Still being early in the season, wildflowers were scarce. We spotted a hillside covered with Columbia desert parsley and a scattering of another small, unknown, vibrant pink flower. Later in the season, the area is supposed to put on a showy display of lupine and balsamroot. At 3.5 miles (2 miles from the Harms Rd crossing), we came to the third railroad trestle. This one is a long, curving trestle over Swale Creek in a narrow section of the canyon. The wood retains the pungent smell of railroad grease. From this crossing, the trail continues down the canyon, now to the right of the creek, past several large outcrops of ancient lava flow. At just under 5 miles, a small waterfall cascades down out of adjoining Stacker Canyon, into Swale Creek. Then, 5.2 miles from the starting point, the creek begins flowing over smooth, bare bedrock, creating small chutes and sheet falls, connected by small pools. This is the "bedrock pools" area. Several slabs of smooth rock line the streambanks around the chutes and pools. This made a fine place to stop for lunch and dip the toes. This was also our turnaround point for the day. There is an option to continue another 8.5 miles down Swale Canyon to the small town of Wahkiacus, but this would require some shuttle transportation. Overall, a fantastic stroll on a nice, even trail, with plenty of colorful scenery - and hardly any company!. Only wish we would've seen more flowers. |
 Swale Canyon. Photo by Susan Elderkin.
Map it
|
Document Actions
- Email this page
- Print this
- Share
