3.2 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
This was a very depressing hike! As some may know, this is a very popular biking area, but also is excellent for hiking. It is also private land that the owners have graciously allowed people to use, but doesn't want it widely publicized. We went there many times, and the hiking has always been superb. Unfortunately, a short distance on the trail revealed a huge logging operation that had just been completed. There were a dozen or more smoldering piles of ashes scattered over hundreds (?) of acres. The devastation was on a large scale, and the trail system in this area obliterated! :( We turned around after a short distance as it made us sick, and we won't go to this area again. I really can't fault the owners, as they were generous enough to allow use for recreational purposes, and this is just a warning to others that knew this area and expect to hike after a long drive from the Portland area. Oddly enough, you can't see the devastation from Bingen, and it wasn't obvious from the Hood River Bridge (unless you had been up there). I believe the logging is still going on, despite no signs, as there are equipment tracks within the remaining forest canopy that appears to be gathering up understory debris for easier logging. I'm sorry to see this area destroyed, and I suspect it will be a long time for even replanted trees to provide any canopy in this arid climate.
