We picked a winter hike on the Weldon Wagon Trail because we were looking for a hike away from the crowds in the Columbia River Gorge. We encountered about 15 other hikers.

The trail tread was muddy from all the recent rain, but in good condition as we hiked up the ridge on this former wagon road.

Despite being in the depth of winter season, we saw signs of spring in new plant growth, including emerging lupine leaves and sprouting desert parsley seeds. 

Very enjoyable hike with wildflowers and mountain views! The small trailhead was just about full at noon when we arrived. The trail is fairly narrow with steep slopes for much of the way, so letting others pass can be tricky. There was only one car at the upper trailhead.

Some trails opened up this week! But this was the only open one on my Backpack list. And the only one in the Gorge that is open. Even the state parks in Skamania Co. are still closed. It's a 3-hour drive from home, but I had to get out! It turned out to be a lovely 5-mile ramble through the oak trees, just below the ridge line and far above the valley. Lots of flowers! Some, particularly the prolific balsam root and the lupine are a bit past peak, but still beautiful.

The trail is relentlessly up, but a gentle incline, but relentless. Views of Mt. Hood. The end of the trail is anticlimactic; could turn around when it goes back into the woods.

I was the only car in the small lot at 8:00 and saw no one until I was almost back to the bit of gated gravel road between the parking lot and the trail head. Two parties coming up, wearing masks. Then two more parties on the road, not wearing masks, and two guys in the parking lot, ditto.

A beautiful day. Go soon for wildflowers and early in the day for solitude.

More photos (including flowers) and words on my blog.

The colors were out and no day in October could have made this hike better.  Cold air, clear skies, sunny morning, and a Mount Hood peak beckoning over the next ridge.  This is a good trail in many ways.  It starts in a mixed Ponderosa Pine –and broad leaf woodlands in a dell.  As the trail ascends it transitions to a forest widely spaced with oak trees of varying age.  Along the way alpine meadows become the landscape – again intermittently with a mixture of oak and pine.  Here the few shrubs over knee high are primarily poison oak (none on the trail).  This is a 100-year-old former wagon road that is only now a narrow path.  The tread is firm and well-trod.  No erosions but in places some cupping with 6-8-inch berms – presumably from a century of feet and wagon wheels.  But someone is taking care of this path with trail dips, water bars, and clipped vegetation.  At the halfway point the trail enters The White Salmon Oak National Resource Conservation Area.  An interpretative sign notes that this area was established to protect stands of Oregon White Oak (Quercus garyana).  Traveling through this area another ecosystem emerges and the oaks now become interspersed with Douglas Fir for the final third of the hike.  This area is reported to be habitat for >150 species of wildlife.  The Department of Natural Resources holds adjacent lands adding to the size of this land. 

 The trail ends at Sanborn Road and is the turn around point.  At this trailhead another sign identifies it as the historic Weldon Wagon Road created to link a farming area to Husum, WA, on the White Salmon River 3 miles back.  The return trek was as enjoyable as the ascending one as more could be viewed west and north.  Of note, there must have been a coordinated acorn drop over the last day or two as the trail was littered with them acting like ball bearings. 

I rate this trek as moderate in difficulty because of the elevation gain but at no time was the grade more than 10% (making it a great hike).  This is a family friendly trail, 5 miles round trip, and the views make it worthwhile.  All together 3 hours.  I know to return in the Spring when the wildflowers are in bloom.

We were 1-2 weeks early for peak bloom. Grand-Hound's Tongue was prevalent in the wooded areas of the trail. Chocolate lillies, small flowerd blue eyed Mary, yellow desert parsley, balsamroot, Columbia desert parsley, prairie stars, manroot (wild cucumber), and yellow violets were some of the flowers blooming. Balsamroot and Columbia desert parsley were just beginning to bloom. Yellow desert parsley was the most prevalent flower. We saw a 12 Inch lizard, two small snakes and a Douglas squirrel eating an acorn. Poison ivy is beginning to leaf out and there is a lot of it along the trail. There were two areas with many chocolate lilies near each other.  We met 12 other people enjoying the beautiful sunny day.