Since the weather was so unseasonably lovely for early May, and Columbia Hills was waved in front of me on the WTA Web as "Hike of the Week", I invested in a weekend hiking trip in the Gorge. The drive down from Yakima is highly recommended- after Toppenish it's really pretty forest and that stunning drop down to the Gorge can't be beat. And that route beat leaving via 84 up I5 on a sunny Sunday.

Horsethief Lake State Park was also nice camping- while #13 is the best primitive walk-in site, #14 was fine, the camp hosts were really friendly and helpful, and other campers were having fun, but went to bed. Recommended for a weekend stayover to take in a few hikes.

Dalles Mountain parking area appears to be turning into either a really large parking area or roadside campground. There is heavy equipment and a lot of gravel being leveled throughout the area. I parked on the road by a pile of broken up, crummy asphalt which will likely leave soon. Discover Pass sign is still up by the roadside. I walked the road as recommended, but somehow missed the waterfall on the way up. California poppy on the side of the road was really brilliant orange and left me wondering if it belonged here. The balsamroot is starting to fade, but was still hanging on to a sort of old-girl pretty among the lupine. One species of lupine was starting to set seed while a more silvery-leafed variety looked about ready to bloom.

For wildlife, I heard gazillions (yes!) of birds by the creek in the oaks, and saw two springy mule deer bounding over fences and up hill and dale. Speedy little blue butterflies defied my attempts to identify them- the best I could do is tell they had spotted looking underwings. Turkey vultures roamed the thermals overhead, waiting for me to become carrion, I'm thinking. Maybe another day.

It was a blissfully lonely hike, and yes, I veered all over because I always do, coming down to wander the rocky buttes across from Horsethief. I found a clump of flowering plants I identified as Dusty maidens (think I got this right). A small lizard decided that being a photo subject was not in its best interest, and I couldn't catch the leaping ground squirrel that was visiting every crack and crevice in one rock band. There were nice views of the Gorge everywhere.

It would be neat to know some history on the Ranch- guess that's what Google is for. I drove to it later and wandered around the buildings with no idea of how the state came to own this. There was a ranger-led walk breaking up- a note on the Horsethief Butte trailhead bathroom announced it. Nice thing to watch for if you can find it - the attendees seemed really enthused about everything they learned.

We found sunshine while the West side of the Cascades was bombarded with rain and snow! Our sunshine was hiding out East in the Gorge on Dalles Mountain! This hike is in a Washington State Park and features wide open meadows and big views of the Columbia River and rolling hills. It was refreshing to see plentiful Spring wildflowers, butterflies, and many species of birds.

The Park department is building a new parking lot just north of Highway 14. They aren't working on weekends, so you can park next to the road. Be sure to display your State Parks pass.

The trail begins by following an old road which then turns into a trail. The park department had placed orange pin flags to mark the trail improvements along the way. For the first two miles, the route is relatively gentle, then cross the county road, go past a picnic table and work you way up the steeper slope to the top of the ridge. There is no definite trail to follow, so tread lightly among the flower and grasses.

On this day, the West winds were howling. It was difficult to stand upright at the top of the ridge due to high winds. We guessed that the gusts were over 50-60 mph! Down at The Dalles airport by the river, there were gusts of 46 mph.

In the next 4-6 weeks, the wildflowers will be even more spectacular, so if you are looking for a different sort of hike, this one is great fun!

The TH is located 3.4 miles from the start of The Dalles Mountain Road off SR14. Turn left just before the old ranch which is in the Dalles Ranch Area of Columbia Hills State Park. Drive 1.4 miles up this road to a gate and the TH. One must stay on the road and not wonder on the hill sides as we did 10 years ago. This is to protect the grasslands and the three rare plants which live here:--obscure buttercup, Douglas Draba, and hot-rock pentstemon. We camped at Horseshoe Lake this week-end and the ranger there told me that tours can be set up by calling the park ranger station. We hiked only 3/4 mile before turning around as the wind was brutal, there was a misty rain, AND it was too soon for the usual masses of flowers. When the balsam root and lupine are in their prime this area and the Dalles Mountain Road itself are heavenly with the fragrance of the lupine. This hike is #48 in Craig Romano's "Day Hiking Columbia Gorge" and is named Stacker Butte. I would guess it will be at least 2 weeks before the flowers are at their prime.