Full Moon Hike: Upper Swale Canyon

The Klickitat Rail Trail is a 31-mile rails-to-trails conversion managed by Columbia Hills State Park. This linear park goes from Lyle to Warwick (on the Lyle-Centerville Highway) with several access points along the way. Swale Canyon lies on the eastern end of the trail and offers a quiet canyon, a burbly creek, wildflowers and solitude.

Swale Canyon can be hiked end-to-end (13 miles) or as an out-and-back as far as you'd like. Start the hike at Harms Road and follow Swale Creek downstream as it approaches the Klickitat River. The old railbed is wide, making it fun to walk side-by-side and easy to share the trail with the occasional mountain biker. 

This is lonely country, with broad, windswept vistas that narrow as you enter the canyon. Wildlife is abundant, particularly birds and springtime brings flowers sometimes as early as late February or early March. Look for black desert parsley, balsamroot, phlox, lupine and much more along the trail.

This is easy walking, gently treading downhill along the creek. Take the time to appreciate the trestles and the decking that volunteers have undertaken to make them safe for hikers and other users.