Day 22: Stevenson to Troutdale

September 6, 2011

Today I pedal through the Columbia gorge, where the Columbia river slices through the Cascade range.

Map of today's route. Terrain view looks awesome.

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I slept late and got to the Stevenson post office at 8:40, 10 minutes after it opened. My package contains a new Braun M90 travel shaver to replace the one I lost back in Pateros. I went back to the motel room to shave and pack up. Finally on the road a little after 10.

I continued west on highway 14, but 2 miles west of town I turned left onto Bridge of the Gods to cross the Columbia river into Oregon.

Bridge of the Gods crossing the Columbia river from Washington to Oregon.

On the Oregon side I stopped for breakfast #2 at the Char Burger restaurant next to the bridge. While there I met two northbound Pacific Crest Trail hikers from Israel who started at the Mexico border on May 10, nearly four months ago. They are hiking 2663 miles (4260 km) from Mexico to Canada on the spine of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. I imagine it's frustrating to descend almost to sea level to cross the Columbia river. No other river slices through the Cascade range or the Sierra Nevada range.

Bridge of the Gods from the Oregon side.

West of the bridge a bike trail goes well above I-84 for several miles. One of the most notable features is the stairs that climb up to the level of the old highway. It took me two trips to get my bike up the stairs. I tried, but couldn't push the loaded bike up the ramp because the bike is too heavy and the underseat panniers are too wide.

2021 update: a newly built elevated trail section eliminates this staircase.

A portion of the infamous stairs on the bike trail.

The bike trail has some great views of the river, but it's never quiet. I hear I-84 constantly except when a train drowns out the highway noise. The Columbia river gorge is a busy transportation artery for trucks, trains, and ships. It's the only flat route across the Cascade range.

The Columbia river is a major transportation artery.

After a few miles the bike trail ends and I had to pedal 3 miles west on I-84. Navigating the bike route through the Columbia Gorge is confusing. The signs aren't clear when a thru-cyclist must ride on I-84. There are frequent dead-end trails to confuse and confound a cyclist. It's best to navigate using the printed trail map, not the signs. Printed maps are widely distributed, or you can download a 3-page printable version:
https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Regions/Documents/HCRH/HCRHST-Map-2019-Printable.pdf

I exited I-84 at the Dodson exit, where the Historic Columbia River Highway begins. But after crossing I-84 I went east a short distance to where the road dead-ends at the Elowah falls trailhead. It's not well marked. Signs direct me to Yeoh State Park but don't mention a waterfall.

I hiked this trail once before during a 1999 bike tour. It's not crowded because it's off the historic highway and poorly marked. First I hiked the trail to Elowah falls. The flow is very low in late summer, but it's still an impressive plunge.

Then I took the longer trail which climbs several hundred feet to the upper falls. Part of the trail is on a ledge blasted in a cliff, with awesome views north to the Columbia river.

View of the Columbia river from the trail to upper McCord creek falls. Mount St. Helens summit on the right.

Elowah falls from the trail to upper McCord creek falls.

The upper falls is nice, but the trail to the upper falls is the main attraction to me.

Columbia river and the trail to Upper McCord creek falls.

The total hike is 3 miles to see Elowah and Upper McCord Creek falls.

The remainder of today's route is on the Historic Columbia River Highway. It's a popular scenic route that takes visitors to several waterfalls. Completed in 1916, it was the first road through the gorge. It was built very high above the river to avoid floods.

The first waterfall is Horsetail Falls which is so close to the road that motorists don't even need to stop to get a good view.

Then 1/4 mile further is Oneonta gorge which was the highlight of my 2006 tour through the Columbia gorge. Less than half a mile up the narrow gorge is an impressive waterfall. But a logjam recently formed at the mouth of the gorge. It's possible to climb over the logjam, but I wasn't motivated. It's hard work, with considerable risk of injury. And it's already getting late...

The logjam in Oneonta gorge prevented me from seeing Oneonta falls.

Here's what it looked like during a 2006 bike tour. Some wading was required but there was no logjam.

I stopped at Multnomah falls for a few minutes. It's always crowded because it's the highest waterfall in the Pacific Northwest and because it's the only waterfall accessible from I-84.

Multnomah falls drops 542 and 69 feet, tallest waterfall in the Pacific Northwest.

Next is Wahkeena falls. I had good conditions for photographing the waterfalls today. Deep shade allows me to use a long exposure. All the waterfalls are on north-facing cliffs that tend to be shady most of the time.

I suspect most cyclists miss Bridal Veil falls which is the only waterfall below the Historic Columbia River Highway. There is a small sign for Bridal Veil Falls State Scenic Viewpoint. But once in the park there are no signs directing visitors to the waterfall. At the east end of the park is an inconspicuous trail that goes 1/3 mile downhill to the bottom of the falls.

I see a pattern that the National Recreation Area waterfalls are well marked, but the State Park waterfalls are not well marked.

120-foot Bridal Veil falls is the only waterfall below the historic highway.

The final waterfall is Latourell falls. The overhanging basalt formation has columnar basalt near the bottom.

Latourell falls plunges 214 feet over an overhanging basalt formation.

After Latourell falls the Old Columbia River highway slowly climbs to Crown Point in dense forest. Cars weren't very powerful in 1916, so the grade is a gentle 5%.

Most of the Historic Columbia River Highway is in dense shade.

I only stopped at Crown Point long enough to take pictures. The building has interesting exhibits about construction of the highway, but I'm running out of daylight.

I got to the final overlook just 10 minutes before sunset. The Portland Women's Forum overlook is higher than Crown Point and has a dramatic view of Crown Point.

Columbia river gorge from the Portland Womens' Forum overlook.

Eventually the road descends towards the Portland suburbs. My plan was to camp at an RV park in Corbett. I camped there in 2006, but now it has multiple No Tents signs at the entrance. That's a shame because the RV park is in a good location on a renowned scenic route that is also the Lewis and Clark bicycle route.

I had no choice but to continue to Troutdale. It was mostly downhill, but it was getting dark and traffic was heavy.

Neon sign at an old restaurant along the Sandy river in Troutdale.

The final few miles are along the Sandy river. I considered free-camping along the river, but the parks are posted No Camping and no place was out of sight from riverfront homes.

There are no warning signs, but the Sandy River is a volcanic hazard zone. All of the homes along the Sandy river will be destroyed the next time Mount Hood erupts, suddenly melting huge glaciers that drain into the valley. That's happened 3 times in the past 1800 years. Fortunately, a mudflow is a slow-motion disaster that gives residents time to evacuate. And Mount Hood eruptions are less violent than Mount St. Helens eruptions.

Twilight at the Sandy river in Troutdale.

It was almost dark enough to see stars when I got to Motel 6 on the I-84 access road. The room was only $41, but the traffic noise was annoying.

Today was a great day to explore the Columbia river gorge. Sunny all day with light wind and a high of 80F.

This was my 3rd time to bike through the Columbia gorge, and I wouldn't mind doing it again!

Distance: 40.9 mi. (65.4 km)
Climbing: 2037 ft. (617 m)
Average Speed: 9.8 mph (15.7 km/h)
Hiking: 4.5 mi. (7.2 km)

Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 1,040 miles (1,674 km)

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