Cape Horn — Saturday, Jul. 19, 2025

Did the upper and lower trails with the road in a counterclockwise loop from the park and ride TH.

Recommend an early start to beat the heat and get a parking spot. The spots are pretty small there, so recommend not trying to park a massive truck there, though there is more spacious overflow parking. Got there at 9am on a Sat, and there were plenty of spots left, but given the sun, wish I had started at 8 instead.

counterclockwise takes you up to the highest point first, allowing you to get the hard work out of the way in the beginning when it's cooler. This area is decently shaded and there are several nice views of the gorge.

the trail leads down the hill, then along some farmlands, then across a grassy field, then a gravel path, then down a wooded hill until passing under the highway.

The lower trail is now open (closed Feb-July 15). This trail continues down a wooded hill to more viewpoints until hitting volcanic cliffs over the river. The trail is easy to find, though vegetation is thicker in the lower bit and parts of the trail are canted. After a stunning cliff view, it back to walking uphill through rocky patches in the sun and shaded forest bits. A bridge is gone, requiring you to walk behind or through a small waterfall that is a nice refreshing shower after the heat. The lower trail has less shade than the upper, particularly once you hit the 1.5mi roadwalk back to the lot, so bring a hat. This road is a very boring part of the walk that feels longer than the initial hike up the hillside for whatever reason, and you will look at cows in blackberry and sweet pea lined fields.