Spent a couple of days on the Columbia River Gorge and getting some pre-holiday hikes in and before increment weather hits.  This was just a really nice trail. True to gorge weather, there was everything from fog and mist to rain to hail to sun on this hike.  Arrived to the trail head at 10am and with just a hand full of cars.  Even though I printed out hike instructions, I didn't have to consult them once.  Well maintained and marked every step of the way.

The meandering trail system doesn't allow for a really fast pace if that's what you're looking for, yet it was nice to enjoy the scenery and many viewpoints along the way.  I imagine this trail is gorgeous every season of the year.  Today it was mossy old growth and big fern everywhere. The rock field was magnificent as well. The last 1.5+- miles along the farmlands on paved road was a slog, yet neat to be alongside the land that was so gorgeous to view from above.

We hiked the entire loop counter-clockwise from the park and ride. Still open all the way (no Peregrine nesting closure yet, but check before you go). The funny thing about this trail is that it is out in serious big nature (the Columbia Gorge is stunning), but it is surrounded by big human noise - from the roads and trains, to overhead with planes coming into Portland.

I found the most detailed trail description at OregonHikers.org but honestly, reading about all the twists and turns made me nervous that we might get lost. Nothing could be further from the reality though of this extremely well signed and maintained trail. It is perfectly clear where to go at each turn. The Friends of Cape Horn had recently had a "rake-a-thon" and so, in actual fact, they raked the forest (like in Finland). 

We ran into a three-person volunteer crew cutting a couple of logs off the trail. And again, so grateful for all the hard work that goes into these things.

Be aware that this trail is not exactly a walk in the park. There is a lot of topography and tricky walking on the talus slopes. Also, be mindful of the short daylight and make sure you have time for the entire loop because I don't think there are places to bail out, despite how many times the trail crosses roads.

So where do two hikers recovering from foot injuries go to “get back out there”?  Why they go do the whole Cape Horn Loop, of course...

This was my first time on the trail but my friend who lives in Ridgefield has done the loop clockwise before.  We opted for counterclockwise because there  was a threat of rain and we wanted to do the upper lookouts before that might happen.  Luckily, rain never materialized for us.

Arriving at the park and ride, we snagged the last parking spot, yay!  It was not super busy but at least a few cars were circling.  We had been a little worried with our late start we’d be out of luck but the grey skies must have kept a few hikers home.

The trail was nice and dry, plenty of crunchy leaves.  We stopped at every lookout except one down by the water, each one had a different perspective of the Columbia Gorge below.  Mt. Hood was obscured to the south but we could see the expanse of the river.  The waterfalls were merely trickles over the basalt rock but I loved the moss covered scree field below the peregrine nesting areas.

We were the slowest folks on the trail today, taking about 4.5 hours to do the 7 mile loop. I do think quite a few folks hiked in from various parking spots/pullouts around the loop and just did in and outs. The road walk at the end was brutal on the feet, I would probably choose to go the other direction next time.  I’d love to go in the late summer, there were so many blackberry vines it must make for good picking!

We completed the portion of this trail starting at the Strunk Road trailhead down to the closure for the falcon nesting. If you're looking for views, this is it. Plenty of people out to enjoy the many beautiful overlooks today.

Berries just starting to ripen. This is one of the best trails I've done in terms of variety of flora - just so many different plants to stop and admire.

There are multiple spots that are really overgrown. I see a work party is set up for a few weeks from now so hopefully they will address this.

Fun, beautiful day hike. 

After the first lookout (which is a great place to hang out and water break) there are patches of overgrown plants. You can definitely still pass through. 

We had a great time on this warm, family-friendly 4th of July hike!