klickitat trail

I am afraid I have done you a disservice, dear readers. I'm forever posting photos from the Columbia Gorge featuring deep green forests, cascading waterfalls and neverending climbs. You might think that this is all that the Gorge trails are made of. And while it is true that many of my favorite trails do feature these things, there is much more to the Gorge than just temperate rainforest.

The truth is that much of the Gorge is surrounded by dry plains and scrub reminiscent of California. Just 75 miles from Portland lies the Klickitat Trail, a converted rails to trails project nearly 31 miles in length. As soon as I heard about the trail, I knew it would be one I would have to explore.

Thankfully I roped faithful running buddies Julie & Sarah into joining me this weekend on an out and back from the start point in Lyle, Washington. We had no idea what to expect.

Within a mile of the start, we were drawing in sharp breaths at the beauty of the wild and scenic Klickitat River. Our appreciation for the beauty of the place was quickly replaced with fascination for the tribal fishing we could see on the wild river below us. Turns out that this is a culturally important spot for the Yakama Indians.

Traditional steelhead fishing on the narrows of the Klickitat.

With a gentle grade, the running was fairly easy along this beautiful river. While late fall rains have claimed most of the fall foliage, we could still see sparks of color along the banks.

Enjoying the view.

We decided to turn back at the 8 mile marker; while it was tempting to keep going, we knew we couldn't spend all day on the trail.

We were spared the heavy rain of the day before. Low lying clouds danced across the rocks for us.

Large stands of oak dotted the hillsides. This would be a stunning run in October.

A lone apple tree along the trail. 

Before we knew it, we were back at the car. A full morning of beautiful vistas, good running, better conversation - does life really get any better than that?

More information on the Klickitat Trail.

strange things are afoot on devil's rest

November in Oregon means grey, threatening skies and the dull light of persistent cloud cover. It is the time of year when your love of the state begins to be challenged by the bleak reality of a climate that sees too many dark, dreary days to count.

But then you go on a run like the one I did today, and you fall in love with the beauty of the state and the quirkiness of its inhabitants all over again.

We started at the Angel's Rest Trailhead, a popular jumping off point for many of the gorge's best trails. A quick climb and you are already witnessing your first waterfall.

As we climbed higher into the gorge, we were rewarded with a sneak peak of the Angel's Rest rock formation.

Looking west towards Camas, Washington and Portland. 

Angel's Rest is about 2.5 miles from the parking lot and would make a fine adventure in itself. But you can't really go to Angel's Rest without hitting Devil's Rest too, right? 

After a nice respite for photos, we continued our climb up the Foxglove Trail towards Devil's Rest. It's a pleasant enough trail, but there really wasn't much to look at.

Finally we popped out at Devil's Rest, only to be greeted by a strange sight.

Garden gnomes. With creepy red eyes. Pumpkins hanging from trees. I found four gnomes, though I have a feeling there were more. How funny that folks took the time and effort to hike these things up to Devil's Rest - we're talking at least 3 miles and 2,000 feet of climbing from the nearest trailheads...ah, this is why I love Oregon. We do keep it weird.

Even in the dull light of the overcast sky, Oregon is a beautiful place. Hitting the trails always reminds me of how lucky we are to have these trails to explore whenever we would like.

Route details:

Angel's Rest/Devil's Rest loop

franklin ridge, revisted

I did not have a chance to take many photos as I spent most of this running well behind my friends and wallowing in self pity. At least I really love the two I did get.

salmon river trail

Some days, I wonder if my memory is failing me.

I can't seem to remember to buy everything on my list at the grocery, I forget where I've laid my keys, birthdays slip my mind.

But yesterday I was reminded that perhaps my brain just wants to love what it remembers.

I met Julie just as dawn was breaking, excited to introduce her to a trail I had run before - the Salmon River Trail on the lower hills of Mt Hood. It was one of the first trails I had ever run; I earned my first bloody knee on its winding course. I remember trying to run the first big climb and having to walk, feeling I had failed. Thankfully I am an ultrarunner now and can dispense with such nonsense.

The trail begins along the river - two and a half miles of easy running along the shore of the lively Salmon River. We started at the campground so it was an out and back, and as I ran along the trail I had walked with my girls a couple of summers ago, I could remember trees and turns, places they had played. My memory wasn't failing me at all.

Autumn is on its last legs now, leaving bright spots of color along the ground.

After the river portion, you begin a gentle climb to some gorge-like terrain.

After some fairly level running, you climb again to this open spot. The sun warmed our faces and hearts.

Julie's favorite spot of the day.

We finally reached the top of the ridge - I only had to screech "Yowch" one time - and then continued on along the ridges above the river. We could in fact have gone out 15 miles, but we ran out of time and only made 17 on the day. (Not that we were planning to go that far anyways...we aren't overachievers!)

A forest rainbow

The Salmon River Trail is a great trail for a training run. Highly runnable, non-technical, with great views and nice swimming holes (if you head out on a hot day), it's a runner's paradise. Several other trails in the area allow for loops or gnarly climbs if you are so inclined. (We only climbed about 3,600 feet - the Green Canyon trail climbs nearly this far in 3 miles...)

Hikes in the area:
Salmon Butte
Devil's Peak 
Salmon River