The Cape Horn Trail is one of the closest Columbia River Gorge trails to the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. It features wide-ranging views up and down the river, rocky cliffs and crags, streams and a waterfall. The route is well signed and has seen numerous improvements over the years, including sturdier trail treads and new overlooks. Link: https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Cape_Horn_Loop_Hike

Activity Notes

A loop hike at Cape Horn with great views of the Gorge and huge basalt pinnacles. This hike will cover about 7 miles with 1400' of gain. Almost all of this gain occurs in the first 1.5 miles, which is a very steep section of the hike.

We will aim to hike at 2 mph up this steep section and faster downhill where the terrain allows. We'll try to finish the hike in 3.5 hours including any breaks. Some pace benchmarks would be Angel's Rest in about 2 hours, Dog Mountain in 3.5 hours, or the Wahkeena & Multnomah Loop in 3 hours. If you're not sure of your pace, consider timing yourself on one of those hikes, or walking on a treadmill on a 15-20% grade.

We'll carpool from the MMC at 2 p.m. and arrive to the trailhead at 2:45 p.m.

If you have not hiked with me before, please make sure when registering for this hike that your profile lists your past activities (either with Mazamas or independently).

Other Information
Driving Distance from Portland 55 miles
Distance - Round Trip 7 miles
Expected Duration Car to car in one day
FIND AN UPCOMING ACTIVITY ON THE Calendar