BACKPACKING AT COLUMBIA GORGE
Located less than an hour's drive east of Portland, Oregon, the Columbia
River Gorge offers casual visitors many beautiful sites, from cascading waterfalls and
steep cliffs to blossoming fruit orchards and imposing dams.
Much more natural beauty lies just off the beaten path, revealing itself to those willing
to invest some time and effort. Backpacking in this country is relatively easy, enormously
popular, and almost always rewarding. Portland backpacker Douglas Lorain maps out a
39-mile loop trail in his new book, Backpacking Oregon, that begins and ends at the Eagle
Creek trailhead, located just off Exit #41 on Interstate 84.
The loop starts on Gorge Trail #400 going upstream on the south side of the river through
forests of fir, maple and dogwood before joining up with a segment of the Pacific Crest
Trail. Climbing up Nick Eaton Trail to the east, the route passes by lacy waterfalls,
craggy rock pinnacles and broad meadows full of wildflowers on its way to the scenic Rainy
and North Lakes and the summit of Green Point Mountain.
From there, the loop makes a long, gradual descent along a jeep road to excellent
campsites beside Wahtum Lake.
The 4-5 day loop trip concludes with a day-long hike down Eagle Creek Trail. "Cliffs
draped with moss and ferns, lush forests, and a clear stream will be constant companions
for the next several miles," Lorain explains. "Punctuating this lovely tapestry
are a series of spectacular waterfalls. The falls come in a variety of shapes and heights,
but they are all beautiful."
The trails along this loop are usually open from mid-May to November, Lorain points out,
but some sections are especially crowded on weekends and its important to arrive at the
trailhead early to get a parking space. Wildflower blossoms peak about mid-May; maple and
dogwoods show their best color in late October.
"The loop can be hiked in either direction," Lorain points out, "but is
more enjoyable going clockwise since this saves the spectacular Eagle Creek Canyon for the
end."
In Backpacking Oregon, Lorain celebrates the geographic diversity of Oregon with 27
handpicked trips illustrated with photos and trail maps: "Here you can hike wild
beaches, enjoy colorful desert canyonlands, walk amid stunning granite peaks, relax in
wildflower meadows, circle glacier-clad mountains, and explore trails through the deepest
river canyon on the continent -- all in one state!"
______________________________
Backpacking Oregon by Douglas Lorain
Trade paperback, 206 pages. Wilderness Press, 2000
GETAWAYS is a feature of Outrider News Service, located on the Internet
at http://www.webcom.com/outbooks/getaways.html