Early May I returned to the northern side of the Columbia River Gorge. The Hardy Ridge Trail, in the Beacon Rock State Park, began at an equestrian trailhead. After two miles of relatively easy hiking, mostly on old logging roads on the westside of the mountain, the Trail began sharply climbing to the spine of the Ridge.
Many early wildflowers were in bloom, including to my surprise some spotted coral root orchids. North of the 45th Parallel it is always rewarding to see orchids in bloom in the wild.
After reaching the ridge top I took a well-deserved break for a snack before beginning the trip back to the Trailhead. To vary the scenery, I took the longer, but easier, loop on the east side of the Ridge. After dropping about 700 feet in elevation, the route followed a series of old logging roads for several miles before rejoining the main Trail.
All in all the hike was 6.8 miles in length with 1,800 feet of elevation gain. It made for a great outing on a nice spring day.
Red Columbine
My daypack & hiking poles on the lower summit of Hardy Ridge
Spotted Coral Root Orchid
Mourning Cloak Butterfly Puddling
Parts of the trail are old logging roads
Fairy Lanterns
One of the better-maintained trailheads
Indian Paintbrush
Garter Snake about 10 inches in length
terrific photos, John. That hike is on my short list–I’ve never done it.
Thanks Debbie. When you do the hike, go all the way to Phlox Point. I stopped at the lower summit on this day because I was short on time. The upper summit is much more spectacular.