FOR YOUR SAFETY:
1. Carry a day pack with the ten essentials for a safe hike (see link below for list). Recommended maps include: Trails of the Columbia Gorge (Geo-Graphics), Hood River (Green Trails), or Mount Defiance (USGS).
2. During winter months, use Herman Creek and Gorton Creek Trails for an out-and-back hike of about eight miles. Otherwise, from the start, continue on Herman Creek 1.5 miles (past the Gorton Creek junction) to the junction with Nick Eaton Trail. Ascend Nick Eaton Trail (No. 447) and turn left onto Ridge Cut-off Trail (No. 437), which eventually intersects Gorton Creek Trail. At the junction with Gorton Creek Trail, follow the directions above to Indian Point. This loop will take you past some wonderful waterfalls on Herman Creek Trail and offers the chance to see amazing wildflowers on the west slopes of the ridge. Roundtrip distance: 8.3 miles.
3. This hike/scramble is appropriate for families with older children. Do not take your young children out onto the rocky point. Always instruct your children on good hiking etiquette, including: Yield the trail to hikers ascending; do not take short-cuts; and never throw rocks or sticks, even if it looks like no one is below you.
4. Poison oak grows along many Gorge trails, and this route is no exception. Use caution when answering nature’s call and be sure someone in your group can recognize poison oak. If you think you have been exposed, wash thoroughly with Tecnu, a product that removes poison oak and ivy oils, available at drug stores and outdoor shops. |
Take a Hike: Trail Tips for the Indian Point Scramble
Article and Photography
By Barbara I. Bond
A scramble is more rigorous than an on-trail hike and calls for using your whole body to scale challenging ascents. Scrambling requires no specialized gear or training. – Ed.
The Columbia River Gorge is one of Oregon’s outstanding natural resources. Besides the scenic waterfalls and rugged cliffs, there are nearly limitless opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, and scrambling among the maze of basalt ridges and dense forest.
Outside Cascade Locks is the Herman Creek Campground and Trailhead. The surrounding forest has one of the few remaining populations of old-growth trees in the area and is a hiking wonderland. Herman Creek is also the start for a challenging hike ending in an exposed scramble on a narrow spit of rock called Indian Point (neither the Forest Service nor local climbers seem to know how Indian Point got its unofficial name). Scrambling out to this amazing viewpoint will reward you with an incredible view and a sense of accomplishment.
What to Expect
Begin on Herman Creek Trail (No. 406) and hike 1.4 miles to the junction with Gorton Creek Trail (No. 408). At the trail junction, turn left onto Gorton Creek Trail. Notice how quiet it gets as the forest becomes dense with Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock. The heavy canopy keeps this area shaded year-round. In the spring, look for wildflowers in the meadows and along the first section of the trail. As you ascend, look northward for the occasional view of Mount St. Helens across the Columbia River. Continue past the junction with Ridge Cut-off Trail at 2.6 miles. About 20 yards past that junction, on the left, is an unmarked trail. This is the un-maintained trail that takes you down to Indian Point. The Forest Service says this trail has been off their books for at least 20 years.
Descend on the narrow, sometimes overgrown, trail that leads out to the narrow outcrop of rock. Approaching the rocky point, the trail levels off and you will be able to see past the trees. Note the impressive expanse of vertical rock to your left across a deep chasm. Ahead the route leads to the end of Indian Point.
Scramble along towards the point and remember to pay attention to the narrow spots with airy drop-offs. Once you reach the band of broken rock, scramble carefully out to the point, just before the spire of rock at the end. This is a wonderful place to end your adventure and just soak up the incredible views all around. On a clear day you may see Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams to the north; closer in and to the northeast are great views of Wind and Dog Mountains.
Return the way you came.
If You Go:
From Portland, drive east on Interstate 84 for 40 miles. Take Exit 44 and drive through Cascade Locks. Drive to the stop sign and onto the frontage road towards Oxbow Fish Hatchery. Pass Oxbow and turn right at the sign for the Herman Creek Campground. During winter months, the campground is closed, so just park outside the gate. A Northwest Forest Pass is required year-round.
Barbara I. Bond is a freelance writer and photographer and is the author of 75 Scrambles in Oregon. Her work has appeared in a wide variety of publications since 1987. Barbara can be reached at www.barbaraibond.com.
Resources:
10 Essentials for Trail Safety
www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/forest/recreation/trails/TrailSafety.shtml
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/forest/
Trails in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/forest/recreation/trails/index.shtml |
