Arrived at TH about 9:15. This is also a Park and Ride so although there were five other cars in the lot, so I had no idea how many hikers I might encounter on trail. No permit is required, and there are vault toilets available.  You can go either clockwise or counter clockwise, since this is a loop. If you elect to go, as I did, counter clockwise you encounter a fairly constant uphill ascent for about 2 miles, maybe less. The loop is actually an "out and back" at this time of year because of seasonal habitat nesting for the peregrine falcons. This trail offers wooded trail, a small amount of gravel road walking, views of meadows and some homes. Most importantly excellent views of the Col. River. At the Cape Horn Overlook, (not to be confused with the Cape Horn Lookout which is actually on Hwy. 14 for motorists) you can sit on flat stones and grab a bite of your lunch or snack and gaze at the River. I encountered only 3 people going out and coming back, on a Wednesday. At the time I went there was no snow whatsoever. But big winds near open areas.

Enjoy.

Arrived around 0930. 

Road:

Easy and paved the whole way. Parking lot is the park and ride and has a small overflow lot. It was about half full on a rainy Sunday. Multiple vault toilets that were kind of gross and had no TP, come prepared!

Trail:

We decided to do the full loop today because it will soon be closed from February through July. We did it counterclockwise to get most of the elevation gain out of the way in the beginning. The trail is extremely muddy right now. There are some exposed and steep cliff sides, so be mindful of footing in the mud. It was raining on and off for the first hour or so and we were socked in a cloud that didn't break for a few hours. There are a few downed trees to go over or around, but again the muddy trail made it a little spicy navigating them.

Crowds:

It never felt too crowded. We ran into at least 15 other hikers and dogs. 

Misc:

There is a beautiful waterfall you can walk behind near the end of the loop! The last 1.5 ish miles of the loop are paved on a private road overlooking farm property. Lots of horses and cows! It took us about 3.5 leisurely hours taking photos to complete this trail. 7 miles RT. I would love to come back when the weather is better to be able look out of the viewpoints that we missed. 

What a fantastic hike! The drive up was super easy and the trail had lots of markers. There were definitely some rocky/rugged parts on the lower falls trail, but nothing too crazy. Would recommend to anyone in the pdx/vancouver area!

December 7 2024:

Hiked loop counter-clockwise without too much trouble, but the bridge is out by the waterfall about 5 miles in (~2 miles clockwise from trailhead). Wasn't too difficult today to go up behind the waterfall to get through that section. 

Report covers upper trail only. I ran from the parking area to the road crossing. About 2.1 miles one way.

Upper trail is in good condition with a few brushy spots but often is buried by a carpet of fallen leaves which can hide tripping hazards underneath like rocks and roots and would make for slippery conditions if things got pretty wet. If you take the horse bypass option instead of continuing on from the first overlook that stretch is very overgrown!
Also if it rained a lot it seems like this trail would get fairly muddy as well as slippery.
I only saw 1 person when I began around 7:45am on Saturday, 11/9/24. However by the end of my trail run (8:45) there was a steady stream of pedestrians including 2 trail runners and 3 people with leashed dogs. I counted 13 people and just as I was exiting a large group of maybe 8-10 people with 2-3 dogs rolled up. So if you’re seeking solitude go early or avoid a non-rainy Saturday morning!

Final note: the outhouse is completely out of toilet paper. It’s not too gross.