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There are great days on the trail, good days - and then, there was last Friday.
After completing our first hike to Coyote Wall in the Columbia River gorge searching for wildflowers, panoramic vistas and alpine meadows, we have a definite recommendation for those who seek the same: take the "face" trail both directions.
We had decided to hike the entire loop trail below the wall up to graveled Courtney Road, Atwood Road and end on a trail that swings around to the top of Coyote Wall meadows and then down the face.
The first two miles of the lower trail is, to use Al's words, quite serpentine with very slow elevation gain. The trail seems to meander without much focus on direction, and this is the place to study prime examples of poison oak in every size and color. Chocolate lilies, Prairie Star and the lovely blue-flowered Hound's Tongue made good company along the way.
Another mile through a forested area and we were on the graveled Courtney Road which rises to a spectacular view of Mt. Hood, Hood River and the Columbia River gorge. Continuing on Courtney, an Atwood Road sign seemed to point uphill at a junction and after a quarter mile, we decided to backtrack and travel the lower road which did prove to be Atwood. All was going well until we took a southward trail and ended up on a very skinny path traversing the edge of a cliff with an 800' drop. It's the only time in all the years of hiking that we were unnerved. It didn't help much that a few turkey vultures made repeated flybys. Not that we spent any time looking up at them (or anything else), however their shadows on the trail were a bit disconcerting, even as they produced a few nervous laughs.
Okay, so, after what seemed like an hour, we finally broke out onto the top of the meadows with much relief. We were now two hours past our normal early lunch time and numbness had taken over the usual exuberance of reaching a hike summit. Eventually, the views for which we had come overtook the hardships of gravel roads and cliff hanging, and we enjoyed the colorful magnificence before us.
The trip down the face of Coyote Wall is a cascade of ever increasing splendors offering dramatic views of the Columbia River gorge and mountains in all their grandeur. Gentle gorge breezes ripple through the meadow grasslands like water on an incoming tide. Exotic wildflowers meet every glance while the bright blue river and gorge vistas fill all senses.
Coyote Wall is definitely a "must see" experience which we'll do again, but next time the enjoyment will be uninterrupted by taking the face trail both directions.
Although the greater loop hike we took was over nine miles and 2000 feet, for the roundtrip face route our hike book lists the elevation gain at 1520 feet with just 5.8 miles total, a steeper but sure-to-be more enjoyable hike, from our perspective.
For trailhead access information, it's best to consult a hike book guide. Our favorite is William Sullivan's 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington (Third Addition). Generally, the Coyote Wall trailhead is east of Hood River, but on the Washington side of the Columbia River at Courtney Road. Be sure not to take the first access trailhead by the cattle chute or you'll be on the long trail we used. Instead, the access requires a 10 minute walk on an old abandoned road strewn with large boulders.
After completing our first hike to Coyote Wall in the Columbia River gorge searching for wildflowers, panoramic vistas and alpine meadows, we have a definite recommendation for those who seek the same: take the "face" trail both directions.
We had decided to hike the entire loop trail below the wall up to graveled Courtney Road, Atwood Road and end on a trail that swings around to the top of Coyote Wall meadows and then down the face.
The first two miles of the lower trail is, to use Al's words, quite serpentine with very slow elevation gain. The trail seems to meander without much focus on direction, and this is the place to study prime examples of poison oak in every size and color. Chocolate lilies, Prairie Star and the lovely blue-flowered Hound's Tongue made good company along the way.
Another mile through a forested area and we were on the graveled Courtney Road which rises to a spectacular view of Mt. Hood, Hood River and the Columbia River gorge. Continuing on Courtney, an Atwood Road sign seemed to point uphill at a junction and after a quarter mile, we decided to backtrack and travel the lower road which did prove to be Atwood. All was going well until we took a southward trail and ended up on a very skinny path traversing the edge of a cliff with an 800' drop. It's the only time in all the years of hiking that we were unnerved. It didn't help much that a few turkey vultures made repeated flybys. Not that we spent any time looking up at them (or anything else), however their shadows on the trail were a bit disconcerting, even as they produced a few nervous laughs.
Okay, so, after what seemed like an hour, we finally broke out onto the top of the meadows with much relief. We were now two hours past our normal early lunch time and numbness had taken over the usual exuberance of reaching a hike summit. Eventually, the views for which we had come overtook the hardships of gravel roads and cliff hanging, and we enjoyed the colorful magnificence before us.
The trip down the face of Coyote Wall is a cascade of ever increasing splendors offering dramatic views of the Columbia River gorge and mountains in all their grandeur. Gentle gorge breezes ripple through the meadow grasslands like water on an incoming tide. Exotic wildflowers meet every glance while the bright blue river and gorge vistas fill all senses.
Coyote Wall is definitely a "must see" experience which we'll do again, but next time the enjoyment will be uninterrupted by taking the face trail both directions.
Although the greater loop hike we took was over nine miles and 2000 feet, for the roundtrip face route our hike book lists the elevation gain at 1520 feet with just 5.8 miles total, a steeper but sure-to-be more enjoyable hike, from our perspective.
For trailhead access information, it's best to consult a hike book guide. Our favorite is William Sullivan's 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington (Third Addition). Generally, the Coyote Wall trailhead is east of Hood River, but on the Washington side of the Columbia River at Courtney Road. Be sure not to take the first access trailhead by the cattle chute or you'll be on the long trail we used. Instead, the access requires a 10 minute walk on an old abandoned road strewn with large boulders.
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