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Three Corner Rock (formerly Cape Horn Staircase)

Day Work Party

Fri Oct 24, 2025: 8:30 AM — 3:30 PM

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Region

Southwest — Columbia River Gorge - WA

Features: Earn Northwest Forest Pass

Crew Leader: James Alexander

Photo by Stasia Honnold

Overview

Camp (if you want) in a campground by a waterfall, open only to WTA participants, then spend a day or three helping re-open this trail that's been closed since 2017!

This is a strenuous work party; consider your physical ability to move and safely work with heavy rocks. By Cigar Rock viewpoint, there is a stone staircase that WTA has been tasked with rebuilding. Over three work parties (maybe more), you will remove the old staircase, split and haul rocks, and rebuild the staircase in a slightly different location (and also slightly larger).

About the Area

Three Corner Rock is a relatively unknown but absolutely beautiful lookout site on a rock pinnacle with a view of 5 snow peaks and segments of the Columbia River. It sits atop of broad, open ridge surrounded by beargrass meadows in the spring.

The Cape Horn Trail makes a 7 mile loop hike that showcases the Gorge's incredible scenery. Originally pioneered by hiking enthusiasts, the trail was not sanctioned by the Forest Service until 2010. WTA has worked closely with the Cape Horn Conservancy and the Forest Service to upgrade the trail to modern standards and perform annual maintenance.

What to Expect

We'll have fun, work hard and make a difference! No experience is necessary.

Project Description

Your crew will be helping bring a trail back to life! Expect to use digging tools to re-establish the walking surface. You will also spend some time improving several switchbacks and just generally making this a trail again.

From the Cape Horn trailhead, you will consolidate into fewer vehicles and carpool to park at a closer access. For this work party, we will be focused on removing the existing staircase, saving the rocks, splitting a few other rocks near the work site into manageable chunks (with Forest Service support), and staging other rocks and fill for the folks on the next work parties to use. You should be ready to move heavy objects with rock bars or rock nets, carry buckets of rocks, and travel over uneven terrain.

Hiking Information

The work starts almost immediately from the parking area. You will hike as far as your work takes you.

The hike in is 0.7 miles on a rocky, narrow trail. There are a couple places with very steep drop-offs straight down to the Columbia River!

Camping Information

You are welcome to camp before or after your work party at Dougan Falls Campground, which will be open only for WTA work party participants. Your crew leader will be in touch about camping details.

Schedule

  • 8:30 AM: Be ready to sign in and meet the crew, rain or shine. Gather for a safety briefing, then hike to the project site
  • Morning: Work at your own pace, and take breaks throughout the day
  • 12:00 PM: Lunch
  • After: Consider trying a new task before wrapping up the day's work
  • 3:30 PM: Sign out after enjoying refreshments at the trailhead

For safety reasons, arriving late or leaving early is not allowed.

Planning Information

Get ready for a great day outside!

What it Takes to Do This Work Party

  • No experience is necessary—just bring a great attitude for working with a team! WTA provides the training and tools you need
  • Expect to be physically active at your own pace for up to 6 hours on uneven terrain
  • Recommended for ages 10 and older; under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and a parental consent form must be signed for anyone under 18

What to Wear

Required:

  • Sturdy closed-toe shoes
  • Work gloves
  • Eye protection (glasses, sunglasses, or safety glasses)
  • Long pants

Recommended:

  • Sturdy work or hiking boots
  • Long sleeved shirt

A hard hat will be provided by WTA. Additionally, work gloves and eye protection will be provided by WTA if you do not have your own, but when possible we recommend bringing your own. For safety reasons, certain tasks may be assigned based on the safety level of your footwear. Volunteers who do not have long pants, or sturdy closed toes shoes, will not be able to participate in the work party.

What to Bring


  • Lunch and plenty of water
  • Rain jacket and pants
  • Extra warm clothing in case of wet or cold weather
  • A pack to carry your personal gear
  • A sense of fun and adventure for learning new skills and meeting great people!

Firearms and weapons are not allowed.

More Information

From the Hiking Guide

See what WTA's hiking guide and trip reports say about this area.

Join Work Party

Partners

Directions

From Highway 14, turn onto Washougal River Road. Follow this road all the way to Dougan Falls, a little over 17 miles. Right after you cross over the falls, turn right onto Rd W-2000. After 3.4 miles, the trailhead will be an area where you can pull out on the left. There is a DNR sign, though it does not have much information on it.

Note: Please follow the written directions above instead of using a GPS device. This will ensure that you get to the correct meeting location for this work party. The location of the pinpoint below is only approximate.

Getting to WTA work parties can involve travel on rough, unpaved roads in areas without cellular service and without street addresses that can be accurately used by navigation devices. Unless specifically noted otherwise, routes can generally be traveled by all types of vehicles. Volunteers with limited experience driving on unpaved mountain roads may want to allow extra time, beyond what is recommended in the directions above, to get to the meeting location.

Required Documentation

You must be part of this crew and have a My Backpack account to see the Crew Corner.

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Carpool

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