We hiked north from the South Trailhead just off of SR 142 at the Twin Bridges over the Klickitat River. We hiked 6.3 miles round trip.

The air temperature was in the high 30's under overcast sky and weak sunshine but without any wind. so hiking conditions were pleasant as long as we kept moving.

We had the hike mostly to ourselves as we birded and enjoyed the views of the Klickitat River. We were serenaded by the burbling songs of the American Dippers on rocks in the river.

Our first two miles of hiking were on asphalt. When the pavement ended, the tread turned to gravel for another quarter mile or so. A sign at that point announced the end of the official, maintained trail.

Beyond that point, the road bed has been removed to restore salmon and steelhead habitat, the slope restored, and thousands of native plants have been planted along the riverbank. We continued onward following a boot path that dropped down to river level before climbing up to a narrow rock shelf along basalt cliffs.

Where the former road was located away from the river bank, the roadbed has been restored to dirt tread. We saw lots of deer sign along this section.

We turned around a couple of tenths of a mile short of the end of the hike at a backwater channel of the river that is impassible without wet feet.

I figured my pup could use a break from our local trails so we headed over to check out this trail. We only hiked the first two miles as I twisted my ankle earlier in the day and walking on pavement made the ankle gripe. 

Shortly after the pavement ends there's easy access to the river and a lovely place to have lunch. 

The least lovely thing about this walk was the amount of cow manure on the road. It was all too tempting for the pup, and I spent much of the hiking saying "leave it." It was a boon for him as got a lot of treats.

We started our hike in frosty, 34 degrees air temperature in the shade of the high ridges that rim the Klickitat River canyon. Bundled up in multiple layers, hats and gloves, we walked the road to the end of pavement at 1.2 miles, then continued on gravel until the decommissioned road turned to trail along the river bank.

Columbia Land Trust, which owns the former privately-owned log haul road, recently installed interpretive signs along the route to tell the story of the nearly 20 year effort to decommission 8 miles of road in partnership with the Yakama Nation. We stopped to read each of the signs.

“These signs are stories that help connect people with the rationale behind the project,” said Lindsay Cornelius, Natural Area Manager for the Land Trust. “To see the site from a different perspective than they may otherwise have seen it.  People can also learn about the proactive measures they can take to help continue the recovery process.”

“There are so many different people, plants, and animals interacting with this river, and who have throughout history, these signs don’t do the depth and richness of that history justice,” said Cornelius. “I think the way we honor the past is to step thoughtfully into the future, with good stewardship, open minds, and willing hands.”

We hiked up 3.5 miles to the point where a backwater area must be waded to continue onward. That made a good turnaround point to retrace our steps back to the trailhead.

According to the Land Trust, the restoration area has an unmaintained, non-engineered, path through much of the corridor, except where water has been returned to channels in the footprint of the old road. The floodplain is a dynamic place, with new channels, fluctuating water levels, wood and sediment deposits, and naturally eroding banks. Hikers should be prepared for remote, wilderness conditions. Bikes are not recommended in the interior due to extensive obstacles.

The only other people we saw all day were fly fishers and none of them appeared to be successful. We also saw many bald eagles, including an adult carrying a lamprey it had just caught and followed by its offspring begging to be fed. We also saw lots of dippers and kingfishers along the river. The uplands were busy with both California scrub jays and Stellar's jays, dark-eyed juncos, turkeys, and flocks of pine siskins feeding on the cones of white alder trees.

The air temperature had warmed to 43 degrees by the time we finished the hike, but it still felt cool in the shade.

The Klickitat Haul Road makes a good winter hike, with opportunities to view bald eagles looking for a feast of spawned-out salmon.

The first two miles of the hike are on asphalt, then the pavement ends and turns to gravel for another one eighth of a mile or so before the restoration begins. The road bed has been pulled back, culverts removed and the slope of the river bank restored to allow the river to flow freely. There is a six to ten-foot wide shelf along cliffs -- this is the trail surface. In other stretches where there aren't cliffs and the road bed is back from the river, the route is on the former road now converted to dirt.

After the first 1.5 miles of the hike, Highway 142 on the east bank turns away from the river. From that point on, traffic sound fades and the serenade is from the rushing river and the calls of birds like dippers and kingfishers.

We hiked about 3.5 miles to the turnaround point where the hike reaches a backwater against a cliff. The river shore must be waded in order to continue north.

We found a riverside lunch spot in a grove of Oregon white oaks before heading back to the car. The daylight was rather gloomy with thick clouds draped over the ridges above us. The temperature was 37 when we started and 40 when we returned to the car, but it was dry, which in midwinter is sometimes as good as it gets.

We saw 2 bald eagles, flocks of common mergansers on the river, 35 turkeys on the opposite bank, kingfishers, dippers, lots of Stellar's jays in large, noisy groups, some black-capped chickadees and a rock wren. 

We hiked north from SR 142 on the abandoned Klickitat Haul Road. The first 1.2 miles are on the paved roadbed. Beyond, the Columbia Land Trust and Yakama Nation Fisheries Program have removed the asphalt, pulled the culverts and restored the river bank to enhance fish habitat. There still is a path that can be followed for about 2.5 miles until a river backwater blocks the way.

We passed one angler who had bicycled to the end of pavement; otherwise, we had this hike to ourselves. We saw golden eagles, osprey, kingfishers, dippers, common mergansers, and a variety of other bird species.

We enjoyed the fall foliage of Oregon white oak trees. We saw some late flower blooms, and seeds and fruits of several plant species.

The Klickitat River is the longest undammed river in Washington state. A logging railroad was built along the west bank in the early 20th century, then converted to a two-lane paved private log haul road in the 1950s. After Champion Lumber Company closed its mill in Klickitat in 1994, the road was abandoned. The February 1996 flood washed out sections of the road, making it impassable to vehicles. In 2007, Columbia Land Trust purchased the road right-of-way and began a fish habitat restoration program to remove the asphalt and restore the river bank to bring back salmon and steelhead habitat. The former road corridor is open to the public for hiking and mountain biking. The hike is reached by driving north from Lyle on SR 142 through the town of Klickitat. Continue about 6 miles. Just before the highway crosses the Klickitat River, look for a paved road on the left. You can drive in a few hundred yards and park at a metal gate. The first two miles of the hike are on asphalt. Pavement ends and turns to gravel for another 1/8 mile or so before the restoration begins. The road bed has been pulled back, culverts removed and the slope of the river bank restored to allow the river to flow freely. There is a 6-10 foot wide shelf along cliffs that forms the trail. In other stretches where there aren't cliffs and the road bed is back from the river, the route is on the former road now converted to dirt. At 3.5 miles, the route reaches a backwater against a cliff that is about 3 feet deep. This is a good turnaround point; otherwise, it must be waded in order to continue north. We chose this hike in search of a somewhat dry place to hike on a showery day. The weather alternated among showers, clouds and sun breaks. We had the trail to ourselves although there were lots of steelheaders on the river in drift boats or standing in the water to fish. We did talk to one angler who had caught an 8 lb steelhead. After the first 1.5 miles of the hike, SR 142 on the east bank turns away from the river. From that point on, the only sounds were the rushing water and the calls and songs of birds. We saw lots of bald eagles cruising along the east ridge line, possibly migrating south. Once salmon begin spawning, the Klickitat River will be a major gathering place for wintering bald eagles feeding on salmon carcasses. This hike is a good alternative to the Klickitat Rail Trail for a change of scenery.