What a great day for a hike! I showed up for a hike with Teresa and Keith of the Cape Horn Conservancy for National Trails Day. We started about 2 miles west from the Cape Horn Trailhead to check out some of the lower trail. Heading east, we stopped to watch the clouds and fog roll out displaying a breathtaking view of the Columbia River Gorge. We took a lunch break at the Nancy Russell overlook with some fellow hikers, one whom had previously volunteered with the WTA. Aside from a few soggy sections and and some areas that need brushing, the trail appears to be in good shape. The 400 feet right after the trail head is currently covered in mulch and is soggy, but plans are in the works to fix that. Once the lower trail reopens mid-July (its currently closed due to the nesting of the peregrine falcon) the Cape Horn Trail will be a great day hike adventure!

Notice: The entire lower section of the trail is closed from February 1st through July 15th every year to protect sensitive Peregrine Falcon habitat. The closure is 1/2 mile south of WA Highway 14 to Cape Horn Rd. Failure to respect the closure can result in a $100 fine, and future use of the trail is dependent on hikers respecting this closure. Directions: From Portland, take I-205 north past the airport and cross the Columbia River. Get into the right hand lane and take the exit for Camas. Drive about 20 miles and park at the intersection of Salmon Falls road and Highway 14. There is also parking at an alternate trailhead on Strunk Road. Directions to this location has not been provided in this review. There are bathrooms at the park and ride trailhead. Length and Elevation: 7.5 miles roundtrip. Elevation gain 1,500 and loss 1,500, total 3,000 feet in elevation change. Elevation at the trailhead is 490 feet. Trail: Cape Horn Trail There is at least one geocache along this trail at: N 45° 34.305 W 122° 11.875. Info at Geocaching.com Trail Maps available at www.eyehike.com This is a great low-elevation hike in the Gorge. Late May through the end of June have the best wildflower displays. Be sure your hiking shoes or boots have good traction because the first mile or so of the trail above the highway and about 1.5 miles of the trail below the highway is slippery when wet. The trail passes a huge old growth Douglas Fir right near the trailhead, then drops down and crosses a tiny stream. From there the trail climbs several switchbacks as it climbs up towards Pioneer Peak. About 1 mile is a junction with just a trail marker. The junction goes a short distance and leads to a powerline service road. The trail continues straight at the junction. Another junction leading to the powerline road is passed at 1.4 miles from the trailhead. This time of year there isn't much in bloom. Even the blackberries are getting ready for winter. Another junction is reached 1.5 miles from the trailhead. The right junction is the preferred trail and is a gentler grade than the trail that leads straight ahead, which is steeper and rockier. The trail continues up gentle switchbacks and leads another junction. Turn left here and walk about 300 feet, passing a couple of side trails, to a commanding view of the Gorge. You can see Multnomah Falls, Beacon Rock, cows grazing in the field, and boats going up and down the river. Return to the junction and walk slightly uphill for a few hundred feet and then downhill for a few hundred feet to another junction. Take a left and walk a couple hundred feet to another great view of the gorge. Return to the junction and follow the trail downhill. Look down and you will see piggyback plants and Apple Clover or Wood Sorrel. Both of these plants like the damp ground in this area. The Apple Clover is a type of Oxalis and has a sour taste and provides a tasty treat when eaten, though it upsets some people’s stomachs. The trail descends a few switchbacks and comes out in the woods on a 4-wheel drive road. Make a left and follow the road into the woods for less than 1/10 of a mile and make a left on an ATV trail. This is the first left you can make after joining the 4-wheel drive road. The trail comes out on Strunk Road, which is paved. Directly across the road there should be a signpost pointing to the trail. Turn left and walk on the edge of a field to a gravel road. Turn right and follow the gravel road .2 mile to the far end of a pasture. At the edge of the pasture is a small gravel path leading off to the left. Follow this path into the woods to the Nancy Russell overlook, passing the continuation of the Cape Horn Trail. Walk down to the Nancy Russell overlook, named in honor of the woman who founded the Friends of the Columbia Gorge. You can enjoy the view because the group purchased this property along the rim of the Gorge and stopped it from being developed subdivision. The group restored the land and then sold the property to the Forest Service. Walk back a couple hundred feet and turn left back into the woods. In about .1 mile is another junction leading uphill. That is the old trail and leads to a pasture. Continue downhill and after descending about .2 mile on some switchbacks, you will enter a clearing that has nice views of the Gorge. The trees have been cut at the clearing because it is the beginning of the fencing that protects the highway and cars below from rocks falling off the cliffs. You can’t see Highway 14 because it is so close to the cliff. You will see some of the retention cables as you walk down the trail. There is another trail junction here. The trail to the right leads away from the cliffs, through the woods. The trail to the left goes out and along the edge of the cliffs. The trail then switchbacks down towards highway 14. Just a short time before you get to Highway 14, you pass a building that looks like an outhouse. Perhaps there was a homestead near here. The trail comes out at Highway 14. Until the pedestrian tunnel is open (sometime in 2012), follow the guardrail to the left and go straight across the road. Do not walk back to the trailhead along Highway 14. The road has no shoulders and steep cliffs in places. Be careful crossing the highway because there is limited visibility and the cards zip around the corners. Pick up the trail which descends away from the road. Take care of exposed skin because the trail descends through some stinging nettle. Cross a small stream, climb a bit up the other side, and continue through the woods. The trail soon comes to a 4-way junction. The right trail leads to parking on SR14 and the left trail leads to a view of a waterfall and an overlook of the gorge. It is interesting to note this overlook is less then 100 horizontal feet from the lower trail, but over 1 mile farther along the trail. The stream to the left forms the waterfall that the trail later goes behind. From the junction, the trail continues to descend and crosses another small stream on a sturdy bridge built by the Washington Trail Association. The trail now drops down a number of switchbacks and descends towards the Columbia River. About .4 mile from the junction is where the trail is closed from February 1st to July 15th for falcon nesting. One interesting place is where the trail comes out to a rocky slope and you can see the next six switchbacks going down towards the river. After the last switchback there is a trail junction at N 45°34.063, W 122°12.030'.Heading to the right leads downhill to an overlook almost above a tunnel portal on the Burlington Northern railroad. This trail continues to the left along the cliffs and joins back after about .2 mile. The junction to the left bypasses some of the cliffs and joins the trail in about .2 mile. It was built by WTA over the past couple of years. From the junction where the trails meet back up, continue east on the trail. After climbing several switchbacks across the broken basalt, you will hear a waterfall. Pretty soon you’ll se it come into view. Follow the trail to the left and don't cause erosion by walking up the stream to approach the waterfall. After a few switchbacks, the trail drops back down and goes right behind the waterfall then climbs a bit. The trail traverses the slopes above the river and drops down onto the paved road. Stop and take a look around and above you. You can see SR 14 going around Cape Horn high above you. From here, follow the road uphill about 1.25 miles back to your car. Next year there will be a pedestrian tunnel for crossing Highway 14. Please respect the request not to park, pick up, or drop off hikers here so that the property owner doesn’t shut down access to this trail. The trail was quite dry and mostly well marked when I hiked it but I'm sure it is getting slippery by now. All the brush and plants have been trimmed along the trail so it is no problem hiking in wet weather.

It was a fantastic day for a fantastic hike. We parked at the gated area at the end of Strunk Road. We wanted to hike to the Nancy Russell overlook which is under construction to check out the progress. When we first arrived all was pretty quiet. We came to the overlook and with the clear day we had you could truly absorb the majesty that is the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Though this overlook is still under construction, you can still see what an amazing feature this addition will be to the Cape Horn Trail. We continued our hike on the trail which zig zagged through the forest. We slowly made our way, conditions were perfect. We took lunch under a large Doug Fir and enjoyed the warm weather. On our way out we encountered a WTA work party. They were cutting a brand new trail that leads from the gravel road to the future sight for the overlook. After some investigation we found out that this trail was to be wheel chair accessible when completed. It was amazing to see the path that they had cut through the meadow and forest. One can easily begin to picture the vision of the people of the Gorge, the Forest Service, and every agency who is involved. This is a remarkable place to hike and it seems it will only continue to become better and better. I would suggest this hike to anyone who wants to squeeze in a quick hike or to those who want to impress visitors with the grandeur of the Gorge. It will unveil itself to you as the unique and dynamic gem of a trail that it is.

Despite the damp weather we headed out to the Cape Horn Trail to take in the upper section. With clouds breaking we thought we might get a rainbow. But we just got muddy shoes. The trail was extremely muddy and the herbaceous vegetation growing up was damp leaving us wet from the waist down. The trail was also extremely slick; I fell down twice - should have brought my hiking poles. On the positive side the purple larkspur were still in bloom and the shifting clouds were beautiful to behold as they blew through the Gorge. Some sections were WTA volunteers have done maintenance were less muddy since the water could shed off, but with such a rainy spring even those areas were a bit slick.