BCEP 2023: Team 21 Indian Point Hike

Activity Notes

From oregonhikers.org: The Indian Point loop travels along forested trails to a memorable viewpoint. The loop will be described clockwise, using the gentler Gorton Creek Trail on the ascent and then the steep, switchbacking Nick Eaton Trail on the descent although it's your choice as which direction you wish to follow. Much of the area was affected by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, but most sections of this loop still enjoy a relatively intact and shady forest canopy even while the undergrowth was burned to the ground. The plants of the forest floor are returning from their roots, and hikers can still enjoy spring and early summer wildflowers along the way. Indian Point itself is a basalt spire perched on the edge of a sheer cliff: It invites a scramble, but with a great deal of care, and the views are not more fantastic than from the ridge behind it. The trip can usually be made at all seasons except when there is a lot of low level snow. 

If we complete the whole loop the milage is approximately 8 miles with about 2700 ft of elevation gain.

The loop hike involves three trails named after early locals: James H. Herman was an early settler near Cascade Locks; a man named Edward Gorton had a homestead claim near the mouth of Gorton Creek in the 1890s; Nick Eaton was a farmer who lived between Cascade Locks and Wyeth at the beginning of the 20th century.

A detailed description of the hike can be found at: https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Indian_Point_Loop_Hike