Private Land Owners Cutting off Public Treasures

Perhaps I should be totally grateful that the Cape Horn Trail even has a chance to become an official reality. Sure, the U.S. Forest Service wants to water the experience down by rerouting the trail away from the Cape Horn waterfall among other choices. The reason of course is that it passes by a Peregrine Falcon nest just adjacent to the falls themselves; a bird that nests under bridges in the City of Portland.

By far, the most disappointing realization was that private landowners are selfishly keeping the rest of the world from special places. Having traveled modestly, this is probably a common problem, but having grown up in Oregon where special places are uniquely public, the climate here in Washington uniquely supports the landowner.

The most striking example that I have found is a location where the Skykomish River drops its full flow over about a 40 foot waterfall near Index. All access to view the spectacle is on private land.

Such is the case at the base of Cape Horn on the Columbia River. A fantastic basalt rock formation lies at the bottom of the cliff. As it happens, the railroad tracks exit a tunnel and not too long ago, railroad enthusiasts could access the east portal for an amazing photograph.


Photo by Ted Curphy (used with permission)

No longer. A gate blockades the public from the river’s shore and barely allows access to the Cape Horn Trail. It seems that one mistake and the total use of the Cape Horn Trail could be derailed by this landowner.



It seems to me that the even the sign that is posted at the trailhead is illegal. Sure, they could block use of the 50 yard portion of the trail that is on private land. I can even live with the request not to park along the side of cape Horn Road, but to say that nobody can drive to the trailhead on a public road and pick up or drop off a passenger at the trailhead is outrageous.

I wish you guys could have seen the look on my son's face when our plans to eat our packed lunch within view of the tracks and the river so that we could watch a train exit the fabled Cape Horn Tunnel. Instead, we had to settle for lunch on a public road just outside of the private gates that block our access to a very famous portion of a scenic Columbia River. It seemed like a less than fitting protest for such an unjust exclusion.

Shhh...We Hiked Cape Horn

A few weeks ago, while hiking in the Beacon Rock area of the Columbia Gorge, my boys and I came upon a trail at the base Cape Horn that sparked my curiosity. As it turns out, we actually hiked a small part of it near Highway 14 later that afternoon. While there, I determined to return for further explorations.

After doing some research online, I discovered that there was nearly an 8 mile loop available to explore on the Washington side of the gorge. Unfortunately, the trail is still in a clandestine form after near a decade of work by an army of volunteers, unsanctioned by the U.S. Forest Service. Friends of the Columbia Gorge spent 1.5 million for a key piece of private land near Pioneer Point that helped make a true loop trail possible. Most of the trail is on Forest Service lands, but in several locations, delicate agreements with private land owners and a mile stretch on a Skamania County roadway make passage for hikers possible.


Clouds and fog prevented us from seeing the view at Pioneer Point, the highest location on the trail. The fog in the trees made for a great photo.


On many locations along the trail, perches on top of basaltic cliffs create dramatic views if not a fear of heights.

The trail is not for the geographically challenged, or the geologically skittish (fear of heights). In several locations, the trail is not well marked and a little confusing, but I was fortunate to have a map and a well-used description of the trail’s route with me. In many locations, the trail parallels tall basaltic cliffs that cause a case or two of the willies. Those with weak ankles need not apply either. Large scree is a staple on the tread of the lower portion of the loop.


Larkspur were the most common and striking bloom along the trail.

One piece of real-world advice that I would give is to take the trail from the parking area in a counter clock-wise direction so you head uphill initially and then descend to a couple of hundred feet above the Columbia River itself. The opposite route would result in a semi-sadistic, 1,400 feet climb up one of the highest points in the Gorge. As it is, except for the initial climb up to Pioneer Point, the only other significant uphill grade is a gentle walk up Cape Horn Road back to the original starting point.


Columbine was a common sight along the trail.

There are many highlights on the trail including views from Pioneer Point, and the ability to walk behind the Cape Horn waterfall but the pure exhilaration of the rugged trail south of Highway 14 topped my personal list.


Cape Horn Falls is the final highlight in a counter clockwise hike on the trail.

In all, the route took us about 5 hours to complete. I can not emphasize the importance of research on this route. On a nicer day, this would have qualified as one of my two top hikes this summer.

The best resource that I found on the trail is at http://www.hikingupward.com/WSP/CapeHorn/