Beacon Rock State Park

6.5 miles of hiking • 1250' elevation gain •

We decided to get out to see some white stuff and get a view of the gorge. We had no idea how much snow there was and at what elevation, so we decided to head from the horse camp to the saddle. As we gained elevation the snow started to appear and become constant on the trail. There was as much as 3"-6" in places before we reached Hardy Creek, which was flowing very strongly! There was plenty of exposed grass in the picnic area near Hardy Creek. We then turned and head up towards the saddle. In the trail areas where no tree cover existed the snow started getting very deep when we were about 1/2 mile from the saddle! My estimate is that the snow was from 7"-14" deep! There were a couple of footprints in the snow and we tried to stay in them, but we still had to lift our legs fairly high to keep from dragging them through the snow. About 0.3 miles from the saddle my wife started having twinges in her knee! Sadly, we turned around before reaching the saddle, but my wifes health was more important!!! We also met a very nice gentleman on the way to the saddle and spent a 1/2 hour talking, and had a great time! An excellent day, as always, in Beacon Rock State Park!!