NW Oregon Trail Updates

TOLL CHANGES at HOOD RIVER BRIDGE and the BRIDGE OF THE GODS (Hikes #34-44 and #60-64)-- as of April 1, 2025, the cash toll booth at the Hood River Bridge is closed, and payment at the bridge should be made electronically. The toll for a passenger car has been lowered from $3.50 to $1.75, but now frequent drivers should open a "BreezeBy" account at csc.portofhoodriver.com and deposit sufficient funds there in advance. Infrequent bridge crossers can pay the $1.75 fee within 14 days (before or after their crossing) at csc.portofhoodriver.com/paytoll .  The Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks still has a toll booth with a cash option, but the toll for a passenger car is $3 in cash and only $1.25 if you open a "BreezeBy" account in advance.

-- #11 Willamette Mission State Park -- The parking fee increased from $5 to $10 in 2025.

-- #12 Champoeg State Park -- The parking fee increased from $5 to $10 in 2025.

-- #13 Warrior Rock -- The required parking permits for Sauvie Island are no longer available in stores. They must be purchased online at myodfw.com ($10/day or $30/year), printed out in advance, and displayed in your windshield.

-- #17 Steigerwald Lake --  The refuge trailhead on Hwy 14 no longer charges a parking fee.  The gate closes each evening at 8pm. The main hike described in the book is open all year but the "Art Walk" portion of the return loop is closed in winter (Nov. 1 - April 30 ) to protect wildlife. Several million native plants were planted throughout the refuge in 2023. They will gradually revegetate the otherwise barren, muddy portions of the refuge  where the Columbia River dike was removed.

-- #21 Siouxon Creek -- Trails have reopened after a 2020 wildfire, and most of them escaped a smaller 2022 fire. The more recent blaze burned only the upper parts of the Horseshoe Ridge Trail, so that optional side loop will be closed until at least 2024.

-- #22 Coldwater Lake -- The access road to this hike reopened in the summer of 2023; however, the road beyond Coldwater Lake toward the Johnston Ridge visitor center will remain closed until April 2027.

-- #23 Johnston Ridge -- Closed! The access road to Johnston Ridge has been closed by a landslide and is not expected to reopen until April 2027. The trails are open, so it is still allowed to hike the trail system from Coldwater Lake to Johnston Ridge.  

-- #25 Blue Lake & Sheep Canyon -- The final mile of the access road to this trailhead (Road 8123) has become so rutted and rocky that high-clearance vehicles are now recommended. 

--#26 Ape Cave -- Access to the cave is now allowed only between May 18 and October 31, and is only by timed reservation. Get your reservation at recreation.gov .

-- #30 Lava Canyon -- The suspension footbridge will remain closed until it is reinforced to withstand the pressure of hikers who insist on jumping on it. The work is expected to be done by 2026.

-- #31 + 32 -- Windy Ridge and Spirit Lake -- A landslide closed the usual access road to these trailheads in August 2023. Until the slide is cleared (perhaps by 2026), the only access to Road 25  is from the north via Randle, and not from the south via Cougar.

--#33 Lewis River Falls -- A $5 Northwest Forest parking pass is required at the Lower Falls parking area, in addition to the permits that must be purchased online for parking anywhere along this stretch of the river from June 4 to September 9. 

-- #34-39, 43, 44, 60 -- The toll for passenger cars to cross the Bridge of the Gods increased from $2 to $3 in July 2022.

--#42 -- Aldrich Butte & Table Mountain. REOPENED trailhead in 2025. See Hike #142 below.

-- #46-49 --  No permits are now required to drive the "Waterfall Corridor" (Historic Columbia River Hwy), so there are no longer restrictions on driving to Latourell Falls, Angels Rest, Wahkeena Falls, or Horsetail Falls.  Timed reservations are still required to park in the freeway parking lot for Multnomah Falls in summer.  Reservations were required to drive the old highway in 2022, but that system proved too costly and confusing to administer. Instead a flagger at Multnomah Falls will keep cars from stopping  on the old highway by the falls in 2023. If congestion remains a problem, timed reservations to drive the old highway may be required in future years. 

-- #51 Eagle Creek -- Tenas Camp, the first camp on the Eagle Creek Trail,  was all but destroyed in the Eagle Creek Fire. The side trail to the camp no longer exists and only a small, poor campsite remains. 

-- #52 Dry Creek Falls -- A new parking lot on the other side of the freeway from the Bridge of the Gods makes it much easier to start this hike.  To find it, when you are driving into the town of Cascade Locks from exit #54 of Interstate 5, drive past the Bridge of the Gods for one block, turn right on Wasco Street for a block, turn right on Moody Avenue under the freeway for a block, and go straight on Harvey Road for 50 feet to the parking lot. The Gorge Trail to Eagle Creek begins at the far end of the parking lot, but for the hike to Dry Creek Falls, cross Harvey Road to a sign for the "PCT South". 

--#55 Mount Defiance -- A landslide has closed the Starvation Cutoff Trail until at least 2026, so you can't complete the 2.5-mile loop recommended in the book. Instead hike up past Hole-In-The-Wall Falls as far as a viewpoint on Starvation Ridge, and then return as you came. 

-- #56 Wygant Peak -- Construction work began in 2022  to extend the historic Columbia River Highway Trail east from the Mitchell Point Overlook. That nearly level, paved hiker/biker route opens Sept. 20, 2024, going through a rock tunnel that serves as a replica of the original Mitchell Point tunnel that was destroyed in the 1960s during construction of the freeway below, 

-- #60  Dog Mountain -- Permits now cost $2, and are valid for one car, rather than just one person. Sixty permits are issued per day in summer. In addition to these limited issue permits you will need a Northwest Forest Pass, which can be purchased for $5 at the trailhead. 

-- #61 Weldon Wagon Road -- The Klickitat cemetery now has a locked gate with a "No Trespassing" sign, but it's still worth going there because you can see quite a bit from the gate -- including the plastic flowers and whirligigs that have become traditional in Native American cemeteries. The correct mileage for the hike to Sanborn Road is 5 miles round trip, updated  in the 2023 printing of the book from 3.6 miles. 

-- #62 Coyote Wall -- In 2023 the Forest Service proposed replacing 1.6 miles of old road (and many unofficial user trails) through Coyote Wall's upper meadow with 2.6 miles of better-designed official trail. This would not affect the popular 3.7-mile loop through the lower meadow nearer to the trailhead, The relocated route in the upper meadow, open to hikers and bikers, would add 1 mile and 37 switchbacks, and would visit the cliff edge at 7 of the best viewpoints. It's unclear when the Forest Service will have the money to build the trail, and they admit that closing and revegetating the old trails will be difficult, given the dry, shallow soils.  

-- #72 Ramona Falls -- If you  take the "Other Options" suggestion of hiking the Timberline Trail north from Ramona Falls toward Bald Mountain, note that the "60-foot bridge" over Muddy Creek is gone, replaced with a slippery fallen tree trunk. 

-- #74 Vista Ridge (formerly Owl Point and Cairn Basin) -- The road access from Highway 26 was closed in October 2022, so access is temporarily only possible from the north via Hood River.  The southern access route has a gate at Lolo Pass warning that downed trees are blocking the road ahead. Until that route is reopened, drive to the Vista Ridge Trailhead from I-84 by taking West Hood River exit 62. Drive into town 1.1 mile, turn right on 13th Street, and follow signs for Odell 5 miles. After crossing a bridge, fork to the right past Tucker Park on Road 281 for 6.3 miles. Then fork to the right to Dee and follow signs toward Lost Lake 8.3 miles. Where the main 2-lane Lost Lake Road curves hard to the right, go straight on paved one-lane Road 18 past a sign, "Not Plowed for Winter Travel." After 3.1 miles on Road 18, fork to the left on paved Road 16, going uphill under powerlines. At a large paved junction after 5.4 miles on Road 16, turn sharply right on gravel Road 1650 for 2.8 miles, and then fork uphill to the left to stay on Road 1650 another 0.8 mile to its end at the trailhead (GPS 45.4430 -121.7296).

-- #75 Lost Lake -- The access road from Zigzag over Lolo Pass to Lost Lake is in such bad shape (potholes, washboard) that it is only recommended for drivers with high-clearance vehicles. Otherwise you should  drive to Lost Lake via Hood River.

-- #81 Twin Lakes -- an outhouse was added to the camping area at Lower Twin Lake in 2022, but no toilet paper is supplied there, so bring your own.

-- #90 Flag Point -- the Flag Point Fire Lookout reopened as a rental November 1, 2023. The lookout is available only from November to May, becuase it is used by lookout staff in summer. Rental reservations are $50 a night, and can be placed at www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10289153 . 

-- #97 Bagby Hot Springs -- The road to the Bagby Hot Springs trailhead reopened in late August, 2022, and the hot springs itself is expected to reopen by about August 2023 after repairs are completed.  The new concessionaire charges only $5/person for soaking privileges; hiking and parking are free. The fee is payable at the trailhead. 

-- #142 Aldrich Butte, Table Mountain, and Greenleaf Falls -- The 2024 book directs hikers to the Bonneville Trailhead for a hike to Gillette Lake because the old, traditional trailhead for Aldrich Butte and Table Mountain at Bonneville Hot Springs had been privatized. As of February 2025 the old trailhead is back in business, with a $10 parking fee payable at the desk of the Bonneville Hot Springs resort. Credit the reopening effort to Linda Starr and a host of local volunteers. Here is Linda Starr's report:

<<The rehab plan for the old resort fell apart during the remodel. One minute they were working and gutting everything. The next minute they were gone. The whole place sat neglected but had a caretaker who lived on site in an RV. Twas a surprise to everyone when it suddenly had a buyer. I was contacted by someone who thought the new owners might consider opening the trailhead, so I joined 2 other guys who, for decades, have worked/opened/built trails in the area and had connections to the original Dick Thomas who built the trail from there about 30 years ago.

We orchestrated a handshake agreement to open the trail if the new owners would open the trailhead. We had 25 days from handshake to trailhead opening on Feb. 1, and I was working on the trail all of those days.  And people have already been using it. $10 to park for the day. Honor system and pay at the front desk until they get a fee station set up at the trailhead.

Ten years was tough on the trail, so it was hard work to get something usable, but we had a volunteer crew of about 12. amazing guys, really. I was the only woman. But the trail is better than before, and all the trails in that area are better than before. The trailhead name is Carpenter Meadow, as the lake has morphed into more marsh, and the resort felt that calling it a lake would deceive their guests into an expectation of something more than Carpenter currently is. The position of the trailhead is much improved. we moved it west a bit, cleared the blackberries, built a bridge over the ditch/creek, opened up the woods, and put up a sign for Carpenter Meadow on a cedar.  It's actually pretty welcoming, but will take some regular pruning to contain the blackberries.

The old informal accesses of aldrich butte road and the powerline road are now blocked by a huge gate across the road beyond the resort. That road was always private, and now it really is private. No access period.

There have not been off road vehicles up aldrich butte road for a couple of years, and we piled logs and debris across the road at the trail junction at Carpenter meadow to discourage miscreants. The road/trail to the top of aldrich Butte is in good shape. And the trail down to Cedar Creek is the best it has ever been. we cleared a small picnic spot by the creek. A nice big maple fell across the creek and makes an excellent bridge for the brave. and we did clear the trail on the other side that accesses Cedar Mountain, a seriously steep and difficult trail that also connects to Table. Cedar Falls has a primitive trail, which we left primitive to discourage all but the most hearty to explore. The area is fragile, in my opinion, crazy steep, and the fewer people who tread there, the better,

although it is so beautiful that it seems a shame to not share.

The old road along Carpenter that goes to Greenleaf Falls is really called Two Chiefs Trail, and we have cleared most of it. The old road up to Table and Heartbreak Ridge and the PCT is in good shape. We estimate we cleared about 250 trees in all, some of them  mighty big. We had a couple of sign-creators, so the signage is much better now at most junctions.

The trails, as you have stated in the past, are user built trails, some of them quite steep, and not up to the standards of some official organizations, but they are what they are, and the whole Table Mountain area has such a history of logging and railways that nothing there is pure, but the forest has unique features and beauty to appreciate nonetheless.>>

 --#143 Nesmith Point -- This trail reopened in October 2022 after years of closure from the Eagle Creek Fire.

--#153 Mosier Twin Tunnels -- The parking fee increased from $5 to $10 in 2025. A 2024 wildfire burned the western 2 miles of the trail, from the western trailhead to the Twin Tunnels, but did not burn the the eastern section recommended as the "easy" hike, from the eastern trailhead near Mosier to the Twin Tunnels. 

-- #173 Elk Cove & Dollar Lake -- The access road to this beautiful, back-of-the-book Mt. Hood area, Laurance Lake Drive, reopened July 7, 2022 after washout repair. The final miles to the trailheads remain rough and are recommended only for high-clearance vehicles. 

-- #185 Memaloose Lalke -- The easy access road to this trailhead is still closed due to landslides (from the east on Memloose Road 45), but the rougher western access road opened in June 2023, via Hillockburn Road through Dodge.

--#186 Table Rock's West Meadow -- This trail reopened in May 2023. Although this area was overswept by a 2020 wildfire, not all the trees burned, and of course there are more views. Expect some soot. 

-- #193 Elk Lake Creek -- After fires in 2010 and 2021 this trail was closed. It remains impassable as of 2025 and is unlikely to reopen for many years. In addition a damaged bridge on Road 6380 has moved the trailhead back 0.4 mile, 

-- #195 Hawk Mountain -- This trail reopened in 2023. The trailhead is signed for the Rho Ridge Trail, and is at the junction of Road 6355 and Road 220 (formerly named Road 130). The historic staff cabin atop Hawk Mountain was wrapped in Kevlar during the 2020 fire, so it's still there, unlocked and inhabitable for backpackers. The cabin has 7 windows, a wire spring cot, and mice. Some of the trees along the route survived, and some are black snags. The wildflowers are better than ever.  Incidentally, although Road 6355 continues past the trailhead it is now overgrown because a washout has closed it before Round Lake. If you want to drive to Round Lake after the hike, turn south on Road 220 for 2 miles and then turn right on Road 6370 for 3 miles. Round Lake has a hike-in campground.

100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington, Fifth Edition (2020). 

All of the updates listed below have been incorporated in the new version of this book, "100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon".

CLACKAMAS FIRE CLOSURES: Damaged trails and hazard trees from the large September 2020 wildfires closed access to most hikes in the Clackamas River area, but ODOT will reopen Highway 242 from Estacada to Ripplebrook on May 1, 2022. All campgrounds and trails (and nearly all Forest Roads)  in the burned area will remain closed for the summer of 2022. During that time there will be no access to Bagby Hot Springs, and the only access to Timothy Lake, Olallie Lake, the Rock Lakes, or Harriet Lake will be via Skyline Road 42, which splits off from Highway 26 about 7 miles southeast of Mt. Hood. The Pacific Crest Trail will remain closed from Pamelia Lake to Timothy Lake (including Jefferson Park and the Olallie Lake area) until the summer of 2023.  Although the Olallie Lake resort did not burn and remains open, the only access in 2022 is via Skyline Road 42; access from Ripplebrook will reopen in 2023. Bagby Hot Springs and the Pacific Crest Trail will not reopen until the summer of 2023. Trails that burned and are unlikely to reopen until at least 2024 include #91 Table Rock's West Meadow, #92 Memaloose Lake, #93Clackamas River Trail. #94 Fish Creek Mountain, and #98 Elk Lake Creek. At Hike #98 Pansy Lake, the lakeshore did not burn but the Bull of the Woods lookout and parts of the access road did, so that area is likely to remain closed until 2024 as well.

Click here for the latest info on which state parks are open.         

Click here for a link to see which trails and other facilities in the Columbia Gorge are now open.

-- #21 Siouxon Creek -- Much of this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire, and although the trails reopened in the summer of 2021, the last part of the access road has been closed by a barricade, making the hike 3.1 miles longer in each direction. When driving to the trailhead, note that you need to follow Rd 503  for a total of 16.7 miles (not 10.8 miles) from Battle Ground to reach the Healy Road turnoff by the National Monument Headquarters. Then, when you drive up Healy Road for 9 miles to a fork, note that the right-hand fork is no longer barricaded, but you still need to fork  uphill to the left for 1.2 miles to a junction in a pass. Turn left here on Road 5701 for 0.6 mile to the new Siouxon Trailhead, at a switchback of the road with parking for 15 cars on the left. Walk the old road past the barricade 300 feet to find the trail angling down to the left. The first 2.5 miles of the route are green, but the final 0.6 mile to the old trailhead burned. The bridge 0.2 mile before Chinook Creek Falls is gone, requiring a wade there. For a nice 7-mile loop, hike the Siouxon Trail 3.1 miles to a junction by the old trailhead, continue half a mile on the trail downhill to a viewpoint of the creek, return half a mile up to the old trailhead, and walk the paved road 3.1 miles back to your car. The abandoned road is covered with pine needles and passes two nice waterfalls along the way.

-- #26 Ape Cave -- Limited advance parking permits are now required at the cave during the busy summer season, May 18 through September 30. Book reservations at recreation.gov, and expect to pay a $2 fee. The timed permits are valid for a two-hour window. Most of the permits for the summer season will be available as of 7am on April 29, but a few permits will be made available at 7am exactly three days before a visit.  

-- #33 Lewis River Falls -- Due to crowding at parking areas, a new, limited parking permit system in 2021 began restricting parking in a 14-mile corridor along Road 90, including all of the trailheads for this hike. From June 15 to September 15 each summer, visitors must buy a special permit in advance from recreation.gov for $2, print it out, and display it in their car's window to avoid getting a ticket. Buses and cars with trailers are not allowed in trailhead parking areas at all. Parking at reserved campsites in the area's two campgrounds is exempt, as are backpackers without cars and cars that are just passing through. Of the total permits, 80% will be made available on recreation.gov at 7am on May 20 each year, and the remainder will be available  at 7am exactly two days in advance of a visit. A NW Forest Pass or similar parking permit is still also required for cars at trailheads, and can be purchased for $5 at the Lower Falls parking area.

-- #40 Mount Adams South (Bird Creek Meadows) -- The Yakama Nation charges $20 per car, payable only in cash at a roadside fee station by Mirror Lake, for the permit that is required to access the trailheads for the Bird Creek Lake and Bird Creek Meadows. In 2021 this access road was open only for a month, from mid August to mid September. In future years it is likely to be open all of August and September.  The same permit would allow hikers to enter the area via the Round-the-Mountain Trail.

-- #46 Latourell Falls -- Starting in 2022, private cars will need a timed reservation permit to drive the Waterfall Corridor of the Historic Columbia River Highway from the last week of May to Labor Day in September (May 24 - Sept. 5 in 2022). Permits are available at recreation.gov for a $1 processing fee. Checkpoints will be at entry stations west of Crown Point, at Bridal Veil freeway exit 28, and at Ainsworth freeway exit 35. No permits are required in late fall, winter, or early spring. You can also access trailheads along the Waterfall Corridor without a permit in summer if you bicycle or ride a bus.  Two bus lines provide this service. The Sasquatch Shuttle runs a "hop-on-hop-off" yellow school bus the length of the Waterfall Corridor daily every 40 minutes from early May to late September, with stops at Crown Point, Latourell Falls, Angels Rest, Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls, and Horsetail Falls. Car parking is available at Bridal Veil exit #28 (follow yellow signs). For more information, check sasquatchshuttle.com or call 503-852-9092.  Another bus service, the Columbia Gorge Express, runs from Portland's Gateway Transit Center (at the junction of I-84 and I-205) to the Multnomah Falls freeway parking lot, downtown Cascade Locks, and Hood River. The buses run four times a day in winter, and more often in summer. For information, check ridecatbus.com. 

-- #47 Angels Rest -- After this trail reopened in 2021, the parking lots at the trailhead became so overcrowded that a timed reservation permit is now required to drive here in summer. No permits are required if you arrive by bicycle or bus, and no permits are required from the second week of September to the last week of May. For details about permits and buses, see Hike #46 Latourell Falls, above. 

-- #48 Multnomah Falls -- Timed reservation permits are to required to park in the Multnomah Falls freeway lot from late May to mid September 2022 -- unless you arrive by public transit, in which case permits are not required. Permits are available at recreation.gov for a $1 processing fee. The Forest Service limits the number of available permits to 500 per hour from 9am to 6pm in order to limit overcrowding at this popular site. The permit does not guarantee a parking space. No permits are required in late fall, winter, or early spring.  Driving to Multnomah Falls via the Historic Columbia River Highway is also restricted in summer by a limited reservation permit system. For details about those permits, see Hike #46 Latourell Falls, above.  

-- #49 Horsetail and Oneonta Falls -- All the trails here reopened in 2021, but to limit overcrowding at the trailhead parking lot, timed reservation permits are now required  to drive the Waterfall Corridor of the Historic Columbia River Highway from the last week of May to Labor Day in September (May 24 - Sept. 5 in 2022). For details about these permits, see Hike #46 Latourell Falls, above.  Also note that the bushwhack/wade up Oneonta Gorge itself remains off limits due to liability issues and rare plants.  

-- #50 Wahclella and Elowah Falls -- reopened as of January 2021. 

-- #51 Eagle Creek -- reopened in June 2021 after 4 years of closures. A landslide had closed the trail in January 2021, and before that it had been closed due to damage from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. Even now you can expect that the short spur trails down to Punchbowl Falls will remain temporarily closed due to rockslides and trail instability.

-- #55 Mount Defiance -- The steep 0.3-mile Starvation Ridge Cutoff Trail was closed by a slide August 18, 2021. Until it is repaired hikers will have to use the next trail to the west, the Starvation Ridge Trail at Hole-in-the-Wall Falls.  The Cutoff Trail has always been steep and slippery, but is otherwise handy because it is part of a moderate 2.5-mile loop.

-- #56 Mitchell Point & Wygant Peak -- The freeway exit for these hikes will be closed until 2023 while the state rebuilds the historic Mitchell Point tunnel of the historic Columbia River Highway, so the trailheads are not accessible.

-- #64 Cherry Orchard -- A new 2.4-mile "Lyle Loop" opened in 2021,  At the four-way trail junction on the plateau, turn right and climb 0.8 mile to a new junction. To the right is the trail to the Cherry Orchard viewpoint. To the left the Lyle Loop traverses forested ridges and open slopes before switchbacking down past a viewpoint of the "LYLE" white letters  of Lyle. The trail then returns to the 4-way plateau junction. To avoid congestion on narrow parts of this trail, only hike the Lyle Loop in this direction, counter-clockwise.

-- #73 McNeil Point -- A windstorm in late 2020 damaged several portions of the Timberline Trail, including the 0.4-mile section on the north side of Bald Mountain. For the McNeil Point hike, avoid this damaged section by hiking to the right to the Bald Mountain viewpoint, taking the short Cutoff Trail across the neck of Bald Mountain's ridge, and then continuing east on the Timberline Trail toward McNeil Point. 

-- #80 Timothy Lake -- The Clackamas wildfire has closed the access road from Estacada/Ripplebrook until 2023. Until then the only access is from Skyline Road 42 via Highway 26, at the turnoff 7 miles SE of Mt. Hood 

-- #82 Umbrella Falls -- The Mount Hood Meadows ski area has opened a summer trail network beneath their lifts that makes possible several interesting loop hikes adjacent to the Umbrella Falls loop described in the book.  No fees or permits are required to park in summer in the huge parking lot in front of the resort's main lodge, but you should note that the lot is gated closed at night, so backpackers should park outside the gate. Walk behind the lodge to find signs directing you to the Beargrass Trail that traverses underneath the lifts. For a 5.6-mile loop, keep right for 2.8 miles up to the Timberline Trail, turn left on it for 1.6 miles, and turn left on the Umbrella Falls Trail for 1.2 miles back to your car. If you want to save almost all of the elevation gain (600 feet), you can pay $22 (less for kids and seniors) to ride the Scenic Chair (Stadium chairlift) from the lodge. It operates 10am-5pm Thursdays through Mondays from June 24 through September 5.  On Saturdays and Sundays the lift runs until 7pm.

-- #90 Table Rock -- The access road to this hike reopened in the spring of 2022. Although the trail here escaped a September 2020 wildfire, parts of the access road burned, as did the ridgecrest trails near Rooster Rock.

-- #91 Table Rock's West Meadow -- All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The Molalla River Road to Table Rock Hike #90 reopened in the spring of 2022, so it is possible to drive very close to the trailhead for the West Meadow hike, but the trail itself is likely to have some downed or dangerous tree snags, and may not officially reopen until 2024.

-- #92 Memaloose Lake --All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The access roads and trails are unlikely to reopen until 2024. Ironically, the  easy access via Road 45 to this trailhead had briefly opened in the spring of 2020, but closed again in July 2020 due to another, smaller fire. When and if the more difficult access road from the west opens, you can  find this longer, alternate route by driving south of  Estacada 4.7 miles  on Highway 211 toward Molalla. Beyond milepost 29, turn left on Hillockburn Road through Dodge. In another 5 miles, after an open yellow gate, this route becomes one-lane Road 45. The next 15 miles is partly paved, but includes a miserably potholed gravel section before you finally reach the Memaloose Lake trailhead. 

-- #93 Clackamas River Trail -- All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The trailheads and trails will remain closed until at least the summer of 2024.

-- #94 Fish Creek Mountain -- All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The trailheads and trails will remain closed until at least the summer of 2024.

-- #95 Shellrock and Rock Lakes -- Although this area did not burn in the 2020 fire, the access road from Ripplebrook  did, so the only access in 2022 will be longer.  Until 2023, for the longer route to this trailhead, drive Highway 26 southeast of Mt. Hood 7 miles, turn right on Skyline Road 42 for a mile, turn right on Road 4290 for 2.5 miles, to a T-shaped junction, turn left on Road 2660 for a mile to a large junction, and go straight on paved Road 58 for 10 miles to a junction at High Rock. Turn left on Road 58 for the lower trailhead at Hideaway Lake. Go straight on a rough road to the upper trailhead at Frazier Fork.   

-- #96 Bagby Hot Springs -- Although this area did not burn in the 2020 fire, the road  along the Clackamas River did, closing access to Bagby. The state will reopen Highway 224 up the Clackamas River from Estacada by the summer of 2022. The Forest Service is working to remove hazard trees and reopen the rest of the route to the Bagby trailhead, perhaps by the fall of 2022.   

-- #97 Pansy Lake -- The Bull of the Woods lookout building burned in a September 2021 wildfire, along with the upper part of Pansy Lake's basin. The area immediately around Pansy Lake did not burn, but because the trail most of the way from the parking lot to the lake was the line where the fire stopped, the trail and access road are closed, and are unlikely to reopen until the summer of 2023. 

-- #98 Elk Lake Creek -- A September 2021 fire burned all of this trail, from the trailhead to Elk Lake, encompassing the forks of Battle Creek and Twin Lakes.  Although this area did not burn in the 2020 fire,  the access road  along the Clackamas River did.  Together with damage caused by the new fire, the trailhead and the trail are closed, and are unlikely to reopen until 2024.

-- #99 Olallie and Monon Lakes -- Most of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire, but firefighters managed to save the Olallie Lake resort and portions of nearby campgrounds.  Until more Forest Service roads reopen in the summer of 2023, there is no access to Olallie Lake via Estacada or Detroit, but rather only via Road 42, which splits off from Highway 26 about 7 miles southeast of Mt. Hood.  

-- #100 Jefferson Park -- All three of the trails leading to this popular alpine destination burned lightly in a September 2020 wildfire. Nonetheless, all trails to Jefferson Park (including the Pacific Crest Trail!) will be closed until 2023.  Even then, advance permits will  be required to hike or backpack in this area each summer, beginning on the Friday of the Memorial Day weekend in May through the last Friday in September. The limited entry permits will be available from recreation.gov for a processing fee of $1 per person for day hikes and $6 per group for overnight stays. The Whitewater Trail still traverses 4 miles of black snags because of a 2017 fire,  now reburnt in 2020. The Pacific Crest Trail from Breitenbush Lake and the South Breitenbush Trail mostly have live trees, now with the lower trunks charred by ground fire.  

-- #113 Silver Star Mountain via Ed's Trail --  The road to this trailhead is still not drivable. Here's a report from Susan Saul in the fall of 2020: I drove my brand new 2020 Outback on this hike. We had heard that the road had been improved by the Friends of Road 4109, and the Forest Service website said the road was "passable for most vehicles." Not true! I was so stressed out by the road and not damaging my new car. I reached that deep rut at the last switchback before the "new" trailhead and announced I could not drive any farther. There was a pull-off just below the rut so I parked there, after trimming back some brush with a folding saw I carry in my car. We walked up the final 1/4 mile to the trailhead, where we saw that people have winched boulders out of the ground so they can drive up the Silver Star Trail. All the signs are gone and someone chopped off the the signposts for the trail signs to burn as firewood in the parking lot. I swore I would never drive that road again until it really is fixed. After we did the hike in early October, the Friends of Road 4109 had a couple more work parties to repair and gravel the first few hundred yards of the road up to the first curve above the junction with DNR Road 1100. Above that, they have only cleaned out the water bars, filled a few ruts and did some brushing. The road needs heavy equipment, not just hand tools, to really fix it. The water bars need much more robust run-offs to really shed water from the road surface. WTA has been proposing a a comprehensive recreation planning process to the Forest Service and DNR for the greater Silver Star area for some time now. It looks like it will be getting off the ground in 2021. You should talk to Ryan Ojerio, WTA Southwest Regional Manager. Meanwhile, I do not recommend you tell people that the road is "driveable." 

-- #136 Three Corner Rock -- The Pacific Crest Trail trailhead here closed in August 2021 due to timber harvest activities, but should reopen by the summer of 2022.

-- #141 Observation Peak -- Much of the area near Observation Peak  burned in a September 2020 wildfire, but trails and trailheads reopened in August 2021. Lower portions of the Trapper Creek Wilderness avoided the 2020 fire.

-- #184 Dry Ridge -- The lower portion of this rough trail  burned in a September 2020 wildfire. It is unlikely to reopen for years, if ever..

-- #185 Alder Flat -- All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The trailheads and trails will remain closed until 2023.

-- #188 Riverside Trail -- All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The trailheads and trails will remain closed until 2023.

-- #191 Butte Creek Falls -- Most of the roads  in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire, but it is probable that the canyons with waterfalls did not.  In any case, the trailheads and trails are likely to remain closed until 2022. Also note that a Weyerhaeuser gate blocked access to this trailhead as of August 2018. The gate is on Crooked Finger Road 0.2 mile before the turnoff to Butte Creek Falls, so it is possible to park at the gate and walk 2.1 miles on the ugly road to the old trailhead.

-- #192 Whetstone Mountain -- The trailhead and most of the trail here did not burn  in a September 2020 wildfire, but the summit of the mountain did and the ridge in both directions did. The trailheads and trails are likely to remain closed until 2023.

-- #193 Dickey Creek -- Most of the Dickey Creek Trail and the Slide Lake area burned in 2021, although the trailhead did not. Nonetheless, the access road and trailhead are likely to remain closed until 2024.

-- #195 Hawk Mountain -- Most of this area burned in 2021, and also in a 2020 wildfire. It is unclear whether the old lookout cabin on Hawk Mountain survived. In any case, the trailheads and trails are likely to remain closed until at least 2024.

-- #196 Fish and Si Lakes -- The trailhead here did not burn  in a September 2020 wildfire, but the area around the lakes did burn moderately. The trailheads and trails are likely to remain closed until 2024.

-- #197 Ruddy Hill -- All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The trailheads and trails are likely to remain closed until 2024. The fire was intense on ridecrests, so Ruddy Hill will once again have a treeless view.

-- #198 Red Lake -- All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The trailheads and trails are likely to remain closed until 2024. The fire intensity was moderate to severe, so much of the area around Red Lake has black snags.

-- #199 Top Lake & Double Peaks -- All of the trails and roads in this area burned in a September 2020 wildfire. The trailheads and trails are likely to remain closed until 2024. The fire intensity was moderate, so there are some trees with green tops, and a few areas of black snags.

100 Hikes/Travel Guide: NW Oregon & SW Washington, 4th Edition (c)2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014. All of the updates below were incorporated into the 5th Edition in 2020, and the new version in 2022.

-- #1 (#14) Warrior Rock -- Parking permits for Sauvie Island are now $10 per day or $30 per year. To find the viewpoint of St. Helens at the northernmost tip of Sauvie Island, walk north along the beach from the lighthouse only 200 yards to a small concrete artillery platform. Turn inland to the left here on a small service road for 100 yards to a T-shaped road junction. The route back to your car is to the left, but first walk to the right along the old road 0.3 mile to the viewpoint at the tip of Sauvie Island. On your way back to the car, stick to the road, because the cow paths leading inland are overgrown.

-- #2 Aerial Tram & Council Crest -- Parking at the Zoo is now $2  per hour. The aerial tram no longer runs on Sundays.

-- #3 Washington Park -- A pedestrian footbridge on the Wildwood Trail opened over Burnside in October 2019, making this crossing much safer and more fun. Designed by Portland architect Ed Carpenter, the bridge is a curve of green and brown pipes. Meanwhile, the Japanese Garden is once again easy to access from the Wildwood Trail. A new connector trail avoids the detour route on Fairview Boulevard and Kingston.

-- #6 Northern Forest Park -- Drivers should note that Germantown Road is backed up with traffic during rush hours.

-- #10 Powell Butte -- Some trails have been renamed and relocated following the reservoir construction project that was completed in 2015. As before, start by following the paved Mountain View Trail to the summit. The Orchard Loop Trail is now Summit Lane. Once you are at the "Mountain Finder" viewpoint at Powell Butte's summit, continue on Summit Lane on a loop by keeping right at junctions for 0.8 mile until you reach a large gravel 4-way junction near the start of the loop. Turn right if you are ready to return to your car. For another mile-long loop, however, turn left on the Douglas Fir Trail (previously the Mt. Hood Trail). After half a mile, turn right on the Cedar Grove Trail and keep right for half a mile back to the summit meadow and the route back to your car. Pipeline Lane, the road/trail around the north side of the reservoir site, reopened in late 2015, now that construction of the new reservoir is complete.

-- #13 Champoeg Heritage Area -- The log cabin museum has been moved away from the eroding riverbank to avoid falling into the Willamette. It is now part of a new Newell Pioneer Village, a complex of historic buildings maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution on Champoeg Road 0.1 mile west of the state park entrance. This excellent little museum complex is open Friday-Sunday from March through October. Pay your admission at the log cabin. The required guided tour takes you to the relocated Butteville schoolhouse and jail, and the 1852 Robert Newell house, where exhibits include gowns from Oregon's first ladies and baskets from Oregon tribes.

-- #13 Tualatin Hills Parks -- Several trails at the Tualatin Hills Nature Park have changed names recently. Notably, the Creek Trail is now an extension of the Old Wagon Trail. All this has been corrected in the 2019 printing of the book. Here's a current park map, sent in by alert reader Timothy Werth:

Cabins, Lookouts & Inns in SW Washington -- Although a fire in the Trapper Creek area burned the rentable Peterson Cabin at Government Mineral Springs, a replacement cabin of 1930s vintage was moved to the site and restored in 2018. The new/old cabin is now available for rent at www.recreation.gov. 

-- #17 Silver Star Mountain -- The access road to this trailhead has become so deeply rutted that the final 2.7 miles on Road 4109 are impassable to virtually all passenger cars. The recommended trailhead is now where you turn sharply right off Road 1100 onto Road  4109 (GPS 45.7947 -122.2509), although this increases the round-trip distance to Silver Star Mountain to a 10.6-mile loop with 3020 feet of elevation gain -- and half of that distance is on an ugly, rutted road. For an easier, prettier route, start at the Grouse Vista Trailhead on the other side of the mountain, via Washougal. This route is described at the back of the book as Hike #114, "Silver Star Mountain via Grouse Vista." From the trailhead, take a rocky trail up to the right. This route is shown as a road on the map, but has become a wide, shady trail that is only steep and rocky for the first mile. From Grouse Vista, it's 3.3 miles to the summit of Silver Star Mountain, with 2020 feet of elevation gain. Returning on a loop via Sturgeon Rock and the Tarbell Trail would bring the mileage total to an 8.3-mile loop with 2100 feet of elevation gain -- although a logging operation will close half a mile of the Tarbell Trail near its junction with the Sturgeon Trail for the entire summer of 2018.

-- #18 Moulton Falls -- The Mt. St. Helens viewpoint that's recommended as a turnaround point ("Lunch Stumps") has been usurped by a new clearcut with a Mt. St. Helens viewpoint a quarter mile earlier. Also, because of increased traffic and more stoplights on the driving route through Orchards, Washington, it is now quicker to drive to the trailhead via Interstate 5 and Battle Ground. From Vancouver, take I-5 north 11 miles to Battle Ground exit #11, turn right on Highway 502 for 6.5 miles to a stoplight in Battle Ground, turn left on NW 10th Avenue (alias Highway 503) toward Amboy for 5.5 miles, and turn right at a sign for Lucia Falls onto NE Rock Creek Road for 5 miles to the Lucia Falls parking lot on the right. Moulton Falls is another 3.1 miles along the road.

-- #19 Siouxon Creek -- The bridge just before Chinook Creek Falls has been replaced, so it is crossable without worry. Also, some spur roads have been closed, so the driving directions to the trailhead are a little different, and a little simpler. The route to the trailhead is still entirely paved, but the final 3 miles have deteriorated, so drive carefully. The simplest route to the trailhead is to take Interstate 5 north of the Columbia River to Battleground exit 11 and take Highway 502 into Battleground 6 miles to a light at 10th Avenue. Turn left on Highway 503 for 11 miles, making several sharp turns to stay on Highway 503. Beyond Amboy 4 miles (and immediately after the Mt. St. Helens National Monument Headquarters), turn right on NE Healy Road for 10.4 miles -- the route narrows and roughens but remains paved. Then turn left on paved, one-lane Road 5701 for 3.8 miles to the trailhead at road's end.  

-- #20 Coldwater Lake -- The Coldwater Visitor Center, closed for years, has been renamed the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater. It is open only in summer, and only for special programs and as a rental space. At the Coldwater Lake picnic area/boat launch/trailhead, visitors are officially supposed to wear armbands purchased from the Johnston Ridge Observatory, but this awkward rule is not enforced.

-- #21 Johnston Ridge -- A new section of the Boundary Trail, 1.6 miles from the Johnston Ridge Observatory, bypasses a steep, exposed portion of the old trail that led directly to the "great viewpoint" on the Devils Point ridge end. To reach that viewpoint now, continue straight on the Boundary Trail another 0.4 mile and then turn right on a deadend trail for 0.3 mile to the viewpoint. Because this cutoff shortens the Boundary Trail a bit, round-trip mileages to Harrys Ridge and Coldwater Peak are now 0.4 mile less.

-- #23 Ape Cave -- A 0.8-mile, above-ground viewpoint trail from Ape Headquarters has been completed, giving hikers the option of hiking to a viewpoint of Mt. St. Helens, If you've brought kids who need to run, this is a better place to do it, because it isn't possible underground. The new path gains 400 feet of elevation, climbing northwest from the Ape Headquarters parking lot along overgrown logging roads, past an old quarry. The trail ends at a switchback of the paved one-lane Road 8303, so it would be possible for wheelchair users to park here and go just 100 feet on an all-accessible portion of the trail to the viewpoint.

-- #24 Mt. St. Helens Rim -- The permits for climbing Mt. St. Helens are no longer picked up at the Lone Fir Resort in Cougar. In winter, from November 1 to March 31, you simply fill out a free, unlimited permit at the Marble Mountain Sno-park. The rest of the year you must buy your permit online at www.recreation.gove. It costs $15 and is limited to 100 people a day in summer, and 500 people a day from April 1 to May 15. Each year's signup begins on January 1. Summer weekends fill quickly. 

-- #27 Lava Canyon -- If you plan to shuttle car to the lower trailhead on gravel Road 8322, be warned that it has become so rough that some passenger cars choose to turn back.

-- # 28 Windy Ridge -- If you are hiking the difficult loop to the Plains of Abraham, be warned that the short, steep trail section down from Windy Ridge to the Plains of Abraham is covered with slippery pea gravel. A walking stick and boots with grippy soles are recommended. Also, note that a trail to the crater viewpoint above Loowit Falls (proposed in 2014) will probably not be built, both because of a lack of funds and because of concern that the crater area should be reserved for scientific research.

-- #31 Lewis River Falls -- Repairs to Road 90 were completed in December 2018, so access to this trailhead is again open.

On the Lewis River Trail itself, a washout just downstream from Middle Falls now requires a detour on the half-mile-longer loop uphill past Copper Creek Falls for this middle section of the trail.

-- #32-36 -- The Bridge of the Gods now charges a $2 toll instead of $1 for cars to cross the Columbia River at Cascade Locks. Also, in August of 2019 a traffic circle was built where the Wind River Road 30 joins Highway 14. If you're driving to Carson you cross the Bridge of the Gods, turn right on Highway 14 for 5.9 miles to a roundabout, and turn left through Carson on Wind River Road 30.  

-- #34 Thomas Lake -- Camping is now allowed only at 16 backpacking campsites in the Thomas Lake and Blue Lake areas. The designated sites are marked by numbered posts; a map at the trailhead shows the locations. Also, a washout on Road 65 closed the driving route described in the book as of August 2019. Fortunately, a shorter and better route to the Thomas Lake Trailhead is open. To find it from Highway 14, drive Wind River Road 30 north through Carson for 29 miles. At milepost 29, turn right on gravel Road 6507. Signs warn that this road is rough but it's actually a good gravel road. Stick to the larger road at junctions to keep on Road 6507 for 4 miles. At a T-shaped junction, turn left on gravel Road 65 for half a mile to the trailhead parking area on the right.

--#35 Junction Lake -- A small 2017 fire, ignited by a lightning strike on East Crater, burned down the cinder cone to the shore of Junction Lake. The fire only touched a small portion of the trail, and doesn't diminish the quality of the hike.  

-- #37 Sleeping Beauty -- Disregard the comment "(from Road 5800)" in the information block. The hike has only one trailhead (on Road 040). And the trailhead parking area has been expanded, so it now has room for more cars.

-- #38 Mount Adams Meadows -- The Bird Creek Meadows area closed in July 2018, but it is rumored that the Yakama Nation may reopen the area (and perhaps also the very rough access road) in September 2019. The area is known as "Tract D", a wedge-shaped portion of the Yakama reservation that includes the meadows, Hellroaring Viewpoint, and Iceberg Lake. Until the tribe officially reopens this area, non-tribal hikers on the Round-The-Mountain Trail from the South Climb Trailhead will need to turn back at the reservation boundary. The Cougar Creek Fire of August 2015 burned across the road to the Bird Creek Meadows trailhead on the Yakama reservation. That road has been gated closed and undrivable since then. The fire burned spottily throughout Bird Creek Meadows.

-- Climbing Mt. Adams -- Climbing passes are required for anyone venturing about the 7000-foot level on this mountain. In 2020 these passes can still be purchased at the Trout Lake Ranger Station and at popular climbing trailheads. By 2021, however, it is likely that only a limited number of climbing passes will be issued (probably about 100 per day) and they will only be available for purchase online at recreation.gov , probably for about $15 per person. This will be similar to the system of limited advance climbing permits that has been used at Mt. St. Helens for years. More information about the new Mt. Adams climbing rules is at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtadams . 

-- #39 Cape Horn -- Because of some rerouting to make the lower, western part of this loop safer, the trail no longer switchbacks down a rockslide, visits a viewpoint above the train tunnel, or ducks behind a waterfall. The trail is still spectacular, but those things are now on unofficial side trails. Meanwhile, the purchase of additional land by the Friends of the Columbia Gorge will make possible a more scenic trail route along the crest of Cape Horn, east of the Russell Overlook.  

-- #41 Beacon Rock -- You can now use a credit card to pay for your Discover Pass, but only at the Beacon Rock Trailhead by the rock on Highway 14. The pass costs $11 per day or $33 per year.

-- #42 Aldrich Butte & Table Mountain -- The ONLY legal trailhead for this hike is now the Bonneville Trailhead (also for the Pacific Crest Trail) on Highway 14, next to Bonneville Dam. This access to Table Mountain and Aldrich Butte adds 3 miles to the hike, each way. The old trailhead at Bonneville Hot Springs is NOT open to the public as of January 2017. The hotel has been sold to Foundations Recovery Network, an addiction treatment company from Tennessee. The new owners have gated the area for construction, and probably will keep it gated. The undeveloped  "Aldrich Mountain Trailhead" a mile south of Bonneville Hot Springs, off Shelley Lane, is also off-limits. It is on land that was purchased by Pete Kamm. He posted No Trespassing signs there in the summer of 2016, after 30 cars parked haphazardly on the BPA road, under the powerline, and on his property. Meanwhile, the Bonneville Trails Foundation is partnering with the new owners of the Bonneville Hot Springs resort in the hopes of establishing a new trailhead somewhere in the community of North Bonneville. Because this route would cross private land and land managed by a variety of public agencies, the new trailhead is unlikely to open before 2020, and possibly several years later than that. So plan on starting at the PCT Trailhead! And be aware that the Bridge of the Gods now charges a $2 toll.

-- #45 to #50 (Angels Rest to Herman Creek) -- These very popular hikes burned  in the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. Trails in the Herman Creek area reopened in the summer of 2018 (including the Pacific Crest Trail, Indian Point, and Dry Creek Falls). The Angels Rest-Multnomah Falls-Larch Mountain area reopened in November 2018, along with the Historic Columbia River Highway there. The Wahclella Falls trail reopened in August 2019, but without the northern portion of his final 0.2-mile loop. The Eagle Creek Trail area will reopen in the spring of 2020. The trails at Oneonta Creek, Elowah Falls, and Ruckel Creek are unlikely to open until 2021. The fire actually left most trees alive, and understory plants have come back green, so most areas look surprisingly good. Some areas and most ridges, however, burned so thoroughly that hikers can expect black snags and views for quite a while.

After the August 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, a few trails on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge remain closed by rockslides, downed trees, and washouts, as here at Wahclella Falls (USFS photo). 

-- #44 Latourell Falls -- This trail reopened in November 2017. Although this area did not burn in the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, the section of the Historic Columbia River Highway from Crown Point to Bridal Veil was closed from September to November 2017 while crews repaired fire damage nearby.

-- #45 Angels Rest -- This trail reopened in November 2018 after a 2017 wildfire. The fire did not burn the trailhead, but it burned more than half of the trees along the route to the viewpoint, and widened the viewpoint itself by clearing trees near the top of the ridge. The trail was cleared and rebuilt by the Trailkeepers of Oregon.

-- #46 Multnomah & Wahkeena Falls -- The trails here have reopened since the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. Although the Larch Mountain Trail is open, remember that snow blocks the upper trailhead in winter. Trails west to Oneonta Creek will probably remain closed until 2021. Despite the fire, the view atop Devils Rest is still blocked by trees, but a side trail before the summit leads north to a cliff-edge viewpoint.  A $5 shuttle bus from the Gateway Transfer Center in East Portland to Rooster Rock and Multnomah Falls offers 12 trips a day from May through September. If the Multnomah Falls parking lot is full, signs direct drivers to park at Rooster Rock and use the shuttle bus.

-- #47 Oneonta and Horsetail Falls -- A 2017 wildfire burned over all the trails in this area, leaving only patches of green trees. The Horsetail Falls Trailhead reopened in November 2018, and it is now possible to hike the first 0.4 mile of trail as far as Ponytail Falls, where closure signs block further travel. Oneonta Gorge and other trails (including Triple Falls) are likely to remain closed until 2021. The historic, wood-framed highway tunnel at the mouth of Oneonta Creek also burned, and will be closed indefinitely. Wading up Oneonta Gorge from the historic Columbia River Highway is also not allowed. For the Forest Service trail damage assessment as of January 2018, see https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd569550.pdf 

-- #147 (#48) Nesmith Point -- A 2017 wildfire burned all of this trail, leaving some patches of green. Trees on ridges burned more thoroughly. The trailhead and trail are closed, and are not expected to reopen until 2021.

-- #48 (#49) Elowah and Wahclella Falls -- The Wahclella Falls trail reopened in August 2019, but the return portion of the final 0.2-mile loop has been abandoned, probably forever, so the hike is now up-and-back, round-trip 2 miles. Also note that there are only ten parking spots at the Wahclella Falls Trailhead, so on busy days you should expect to drop off hikers here and park half a mile away at the (free) Tooth Rock Trailhead for the State Highway Trail. Meanwhile the Elowah Falls trail remains closed due to the 2017 wildfire, probably until the summer of 2020. The Elowah Falls area burned lightly, so there are many green trees. The Wahclella Falls area burned a little hotter, leaving more snags. For a Forest Service assessment of trail damage at Wahclella Falls, see https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd569591.pdf.

The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire burned moss that had stabilized talus slopes. Rockslides  temporarily closed many trails in the area (USFS photo).

--#50 (#149) Tooth Rock and Wauna Point -- A 2017 wildfire burned this area, closing trails. The Tooth Rock Trailhead reopened in 2019, along with the paved path along the route of the old Columbia River Scenic Highway. The side trails to Wauna Viewpoint are abandoned and overgrown, and may not reopen until 2022. Wauna Point burned very hot, leaving only black snags. The unofficial scramble trail to Wauna Point is now dangerous and may never officially reopen.

-- #49 (#51) Eagle Creek -- This trail closed when a wildfire began here in September 2017 when teenagers were illegally playing with fireworks. The footbridge over Tish Creek, just beyond Punchbowl Falls, had just been replaced, but eight bridges will now have to be replaced that were lost in the fire. The section of trail where a cable handrail helps people cross a notch in the cliff will need serious work because rockslides have eroded the trailbed there. The trailhead and trails are expected to open in the spring 2020. Until then, fines are being issued to people who violate the closure. The Gorge Trail footbridge across Eagle Creek from the Eagle Creek trailhead was also lost in the fire. Because it carried a pipe with fresh water for the campground, the campground will have no water until the bridge is replaced, possibly by 2021.

-- #150 (#52) Ruckel Creek -- The trail up Ruckel Creek and the route up Ruckel Ridge burned in August 2017, although the Benson Plateau did not burn, so the very tops of both routes are still in green woods and the Pacific Crest Trail is open. The Gorge Trail #400 between Eagle Creek and Cascade Locks reopened in 2019, but the Ruckel Creek Trail remains closed. It will need some rebuilding, and the Forest Service has given it a very low priority, so it might not open until 2021, if then. The Ruckel Ridge Trail is an unofficial scramble route, so it will not be rebuilt. Because it follows a rocky crest it may be nearly as passable for adventurers as before the fire -- but with more views. Those who are headed up Ruckel Ridge will find that the "Buck Point" sign is still there at Eagle Creek Campground's site #5, but the trail is closed and unmaintained.

-- #50 (#53) Herman Creek -- The powerline near the trailhead served as a fire break for the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, so the Herman Creek Trailhead is still green, but most of the trail itself is in the burn zone. The fire burned lightly in this area, so virtually all of the trees are green, with char marks near the bottom. The trailhead opened in 2018, and hiking is now allowed on all trails in this area, including the Pacific Crest Trail, the loop to Indian Point, the Gorton Creek Trail, Nick Eaton Ridge, the Benson Plateau, and the entire Herman Creek Trail to Wahtum Lake. Note that the Herman Creek Campground has been permanently closed, so you simply drive past it to the trailhead. The only severely burned areas are on ridgecrests, where fires tend to flame out. For the Forest Service assessment of trail damage in this area, see https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd569549.pdf.

-- #51 (#54) Wahtum Lake -- The access road and trailhead here closed in August 2017 because of the Eagle Creek Fire, although the fire did not actually burn the area around Wahtum Lake. The trailhead reopened in the summer of 2018. The only trail in this area that is closed is the Eagle Creek Trail below Wahtum Lake, and that route will remain closed until the spring of 2020.

-- #52 (#55) Mount Defiance -- All of the trails here are open as of May 2018. Meanwhile, a new paved section of the historic Columbia River Highway has been completed for hikers/bikers/equestrians from Starvation Creek Exit 55 west to Lindsey Creek 1.2 miles. An additional 3.3-mile section west to Wyeth Exit 55 is expected to open in late 2018. The new bike path at the start of the Mt. Defiance hike is described in the 2018 version of the book. If you have an earlier version, you will want to follow the bike path 0.8 mile and turn left 100 feet to a circular stone patio with a view of Hole in the Wall Falls. Continue toward the falls, cross the creek on a footbridge, and follow the Starvation Ridge Trail 0.1 mile uphill to its junction with the Mount Defiance Trail under a powerline. If you are climbing Mt. Defiance, you will climb for 3 miles up a ridge that served as the eastern boundary of the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, so the trail weaves in and out of the burn zone.

-- #53 (#56) Mitchell Point -- The Wygant Peak Trail was restored by The Trailkeepers of Oregon in 2018. The lower trail crossing of Perham Creek has no bridge, but logs make it easy to cross. The entire trail to the summit of Wygant Peak has been cleared. Trailside poison oak is still a problem until you climb above about 1000 feet of elevation. The "clifftop viewpoint" mentioned in the book as a destination was bypassed by the new trail route. There still is no view at the summit, but an obvious footpath leads SW 0.3 mile to a hillside meadow with a nice view west. The Chetwood Trail around the upper part of the Perham Creek canyon is still unmaintained and abandoned, and the bridgeless upper Perham Creek crossing is not easy.

-- #56 (#59) Dog Mountain -- As of 2019, advance permits are required to hike this trail on weekends from April 20 to June 16. In addition, cars at the trailhead must display a NW Forest Pass or a $5 parking permit purchased at the trailhead. Parking has always been tight at this popular trailhead. The Forest Service cracked down on "wildcat" parkers in 2017 by demarcating 70 official parking spaces and putting up "No Parking" signs everywhere else. On weekends from mid-April to mid-June, it is recommended that you park at the Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson and ride a $2 shuttle bus back to the trailhead. Everyone who rides this shuttle will be given a hiking permit at the trailhead. The bus leaves every half hour, on the half hour, from 8:30am to 1:30pm. The last bus back from Dog Mountain leaves at 4:30pm. Well-behaved dogs are allowed on the bus. Call 541-296-2266 or check Skamania Transit's Facebook page for details. Those who do not ride the shuttle on these busy weekends must compete in advance for one of the 165 hiking permits issued each day for Dog Mountain at www.recreation.gov. The online permit costs $1.50 and is non refundable.

-- #58 (#60) Coyote Wall -- The trailhead was upgraded and expanded in early 2015. Now when you turn off Highway 14 onto Courtney Road, you turn RIGHT into a large, new paved parking lot with an information kiosk and a restroom. Parking is tight on spring weekends.

-- #59 (#61) Catherine Creek -- Parking at the gated road to the Indian Pits is no longer allowed. Walk there in from the official Catherine Creek parking area, either along the highway (not recommended) or on the old road/trail system across the plateau above the highway. Also, the trail on the plateau above the rock arch has been rerouted somewhat. If you are doing the loop here, you will be encouraged to take a new trail that avoids the viewpoint at the top of the arch -- this has a fragile plant ecology that is being hurt by hikers, and it is a sacred place for the Klickitat tribe. At the end of the loop, instead of walking back to your car along Highway 14, a safer, nicer return trail has been opened that parallels the highway.

-- #62 (#60) Lyle Cherry Orchard -- The Friends of the Columbia Gorge have begun work on a trail that will connect the plateau trail junction with a new trailhead in the town of Lyle itself. Meanwhile, several changes have been made to the trail to the Cherry Orchard. After the 4-way junction, a new large switchback adds 0.3 mile to the distance but reduces the grade up to the plateau. Closer to the cherry orchard, a new loop trail veers to the right from the old path, loops around the cherry orchard meadow, and returns to the north. The old trail to the cherry orchard is still there, but it is abandoned because of the new loop.

-- #63 Klickitat Rail Trail -- This trail is still open and public! If you see a sign claiming that a 2014 Supreme Court ruling closed this old railroad right-of-way to the public, ignore it. The Washington attorney general has ruled that the case does not apply here. You may also be talked at by the squatters who illegally built homes here in the 1980s. These people do not own land and do not pay taxes. They have not harmed hikers, but they occasionally harass hikers in the hopes that the squatters can claim the land by default. Ignore them politely. The trail is public.

-- #64 Wildwood Area -- The Bonanza Trailhead described as an option at the end of this page has always been confusing and contentious. Local landowners try to block hikers (although the Forest Service does have a legal right of way) by limiting parking and removing signs. Now there isn't even a sign that says "Narrow Bridge". Where the sign used to be, turn right on Bridge Street, cross a narrow bridge, and then turn left at confusing signs for East Grove Avenue and East Grove Drive. The start of the correct trail is still difficult to find, but then it is in good condition.

-- #71 Ramona Falls -- The seasonal footbridge across the Sandy River a mile from the Ramona Falls Trailhead washed out unexpectedly in August, 2014, resulting in a fatality. The bridge was not replaced in 2014, and now the Forest has decided not to replace it at all, for liability reasons. There are unofficial crossing sites in the area on logs, but they differ each year, and all of them are less safe than the Forest Service's seasonal bridge would have been. Cross at your own risk, and then continue on the maintained trail on the far shore.

-- #72 McNeil Point -- The unofficial loop trail around Bald Mountain has now been signed by the Forest Service as the "Cutoff Trail." When you are hiking the Timberline Trail to the right around Bald Mountain's viewpoint meadows, you don't need to count steps or check a GPS. Just watch for the "Cutoff Trail" sign to the left. And certainly don't wait to find a stock gate that blocks horses. That gate has been removed.

-- #75 Laurel Hill -- A widening project with a median divider on Highway 26 has made it impossible to cross the highway from the Laurel Hill pullout to the Pioneer Bridle Trail that leads toward Little Zigzag Falls. It is still possible to explore the Laurel Hill wagon chute area if you drive Highway 26 eastbound toward Mt. Hood and park in a very small pullout by the Historic Oregon Trail signboard. To visit Little Zigzag Falls and the attractions on the north side of Highway 26, however, you will need to turn off the highway between mileposts 48 and 49 (4 miles east of Rhododendron) at a sign for Kiwanis Camp Road 39. Follow this paved road (which is a portion of the original 1926 Mt. Hood Highway) for 2.1 miles to its end at a big parking area. A NW Forest Pass or other parking pass is required here. From here the trail to Little Zigzag Falls heads upstream 0.3 mile. Or you can walk past boulders on an abandoned section of the old highway 0.2 mile to the tunnel at the crossing of the Pioneer Bridle Trail.

-- #75 (76) Mirror Lake -- The Forest Service relocated the Mirror Lake Trailhead in October 2018. The new parking lot, on the loop road next to Ski Bowl, has room for 50 cars. From this starting point, the trail to Mirror Lake is half a mile longer than before, but much gentler, with 250 feet less elevation gain. The first 0.2 mile of the new trail, switchbacking down to Camp Creek, is paved and accessible to wheelchairs. The old trailhead is closed and parking is banned along Highway 26 near the old trailhead's site.

-- #79 (80) Umbrella Falls -- The trail sign is fallen that marked the turnoff to Sahalie Falls. When you hike this loop, listen for the sound of the waterfall and look for the concrete bridge down through the trees to the right to find the steep, scrambly side trail down to the historic highway bridge.

-- #80 (81) Elk Meadows -- The hike as described is fine, but if you take the Bluegrass Ridge Trail shown on the map (to the south and east of Elk Meadows), you traverse an area burned by the 2008 Gnarl Ridge Fire. The Bunchgrass Ridge Trail has been reopened, but the little switchbacking tie trail down to Elk Meadows has been abandoned.

-- #84 Timberline Trail at Cloud Cap -- The Timberline Trail had been closed between these hikes for years because glacial floods reamed out the Eliot Branch creek crossing, but the round-the-mountain trail is now open, thanks to a new trail segment at the Cloud Cap Trailhead that opened in the fall of 2016. The new segment detours downhill from the trailhead 0.8 mile to a BRIDGELESS crossing of the Eliot Branch. Do not expect to cross dry-footed on a log, because there are few logs in this timberline chasm. Wading this torrent is particularly dangerous (or impossible) in the afternoon, when snowmelt increases the stream flow. If you make it across, it's 5 miles to Elk Cove. Entire mileage for the whole of the Timberline Trail is now 40 miles.

-- #87 -- Fret Creek & Oval Lake -- About 100 blowdown trees were across the trail along Fret Creek to Oval Lake and out to Flat Point in early July of 2016. Hikers can step over the trees, but it is tiring. The Forest Service is low on manpower to clear trails such as this, and are looking for volunteers who are willing to train for the service.

-- #88 -- Butte Creek Falls -- A Weyerhaeuser gate blocks access to this trailhead as of August 2018. The gate is on Crooked Finger Road 0.2 mile before the turnoff to Butte Creek Falls, so it is possible to park at the gate and walk 2.1 miles on the road to the old trailhead. This walk, however, is fairly ugly, descending through a clearcut before you get to the lovely Butte Creek Falls trail. The new gate does not block access to Abiqua Falls, although that hike is still not recommended. Not only is Abiqua Falls on private land, but the access road is too rough for most vehicles and the trail itself is a very rough scramble route.

-- #90 Memaloose Lake -- The shorter, paved access to this trailhead reopened in September 2019 after Road 45 was finally repaired after damage from a wildfire in 2014. It is no longer necessary to drive the confusing, arduous back road from Highway 211 south of Estacada.

-- #92 Fish Creek Mountain -- When driving up the Clackamas River on Highway 224, the turnoff to the Indian Henry Campground is just before the fourth green bridge, not the third. Also, in August 2014, a dozen trees were down across the upper part of the trail, and three large trees were down across the side trail to High Lake.

-- #95 Bagby Hot Springs -- In the off-season from about November to April, and whenever a uniformed employee is not at the trailhead, the private concessionaire has self-pay envelopes at the trailhead (instead of wristbands) where you can pay  the $5-per-person fee to use the hot springs. Parking is always free for hikers who do not intend to soak.

-- #96 Pansy Lake -- The "three confusing trail junctions" described in the book are no longer confusing. The side trail at the first junction is so faint that it is no longer tempting. The main junction at the start of the loop is well marked, with Trail "549" going left to Dickey Lake and Trail "551" going right to Pansy Lake. 

-- #100 Jefferson Park Ridge -- The detour to Pyramid Butte has become much less fun since a 2010 fire burned the forest there. The section of the old Skyline Trail to Pyramid Butte is findable but unmaintained, blocked by downed logs. The same fire destroyed the footbridge 0.6 mile from the Breitenbush Trailhead that used to mark the fork for the Skyline Trail loop. Fortunately the PCT is still quite nice in this area, so follow it straight up to Park Ridge.

Advance permits to enter Jefferson Park will be required as of May 2021. The number of permits will be limited per day, and will be available for $6 per group on www.recreation.gov beginning at 7am on April 6, 2021. The permits will be required both for backpackers and for day hikers from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend in May to the last Friday in September.

The 2017 Whitewater Fire burned nearly all of the Whitewater Trail, but none of Jefferson Park, the South Breitenbush Trail, or the PCT in this area.

-- #114 Silver Star Mountain via Grouse Vista -- A logging operation has closed half a mile of the Tarbell Trail near its junction with the Sturgeon Trail during the entire summer of 2018. It may be possible, but is not recommended, to ignore the warning signs and hike through while the closure is in effect. The logging will leave a large clearcut in this area.

-- #115 Tarbell Trail -- This long, woodsy trail along the west side of Silver Star Mountain is popular with equestrians, but the 5-mile section from the Tarbell Trailhead to Hidden Falls is short enough and scenic enough to be great for hikers too. The book's directions to the trailhead are accurate, but these directions are clearer: From Vancouver, drive Interstate 5 north 11 miles to Battle Ground exit #11, turn right on Hwy 502 for 6.5 miles to a stoplight in Battle Ground, turn left on NW 10th Avenue (alias Highway 503) toward Amboy for 5.5 miles, turn right at a sign for Lucia Falls onto NE Rock Creek Road for 8.5 miles (a quarter mile beyond Moulton Falls), turn right on NE Sunset Falls Road for 2 miles, turn right across a bridge onto NE Dole Valley Road for 2.4 paved miles, turn left on gravel Road L1100 for 2.1 mile to a big junction, and turn right for 300 feet to the Tarbell Trailhead, where a Discover Pass is required (but cannot be purchased here). Half a dozen picnic tables are hidden in the woods along the start of the trail uphill.

-- #128 Quartz Creek Ridge -- After driving up Road 90 you should turn left on Road 9075 (not 9025). Also note that motorcycles are allowed on the trail.

 -- #146 Stebbins Creek -- The trailhead was blocked by a fallen tree in April 2018, and the trail beyond was obliterated by logging. The Washington Department of Natural Resources commented on these disruptions, "Well, logging happens a lot around here." The trail is currently unfindable for most of its route, and the DNR has no timeline for rebuilding it.

-- #147-148 -- The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire thoroughly burned Munra Point and Rudolph Spur, so these unofficial scramble trails are dangerously unstable, sooty, and unattractive. The Toothrock Trailhead, however, is open as of July 2019, so access to the State Historic Columbia Highway Trail is fine both toward Eagle Creek/Cascade Locks and to the west. Side trails to Munra Point and other destinations remain closed.

-- #149 Dry Creek Falls -- A 2017 wildfire burned all of this area down to the I-84 freeway, although many green trees remain. The trailhead by the Bridge of the Gods was narrowly missed by the fire. The trailhead and the Pacific Crest Trail reopened in 2018.

-- #153 (#156) Wyeth Trail to North Lake -- The first 5 miles of this trail burned in 2017 and will remain closed until at least 2020, but the final 0.7 mile and the area around North Lake remain intact.

-- #155 (#159) Rainy Lake -- The driving directions are fine until the end. Instead of ending "continue on gravel Road 2820 for 1.5 miles," you need to "continue on gravel Road 2820 for 11 miles to a fork. Veer right for 0.2 mile to reach Rainy Lake. If you veer left to stay on Road 2820 for a mile you will be at Black Lake."

-- #155 Hood River Mountain -- The SDS Lumber Company which owns the trail system here replaced the popular 0.9-mile trail from the Pass to the Summit with an active logging road in April 2015. Bulldozers flattened the mountain's summit viewpoint for use as a log-yarding deck. This is private land, so this is their right. The new logging road is closed to the public during the operation, but is likely to reopen for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians within a year. The summit and road itself will recover somewhat with time. Meanwhile, the trails along the ridge south of the summit are still intact and open to the public, so you can start your tour at the gated road to the radio tower instead.

-- #157 Wildcat Mountain -- Yahoos have not only removed all signs from this area, but in 2019 they also chainsawed posts off at the trailhead parking lot and drove vehicles up the first mile of trail into the Wilderness, widening the trail to a Jeep track. It's still a nice hike, especially beyond that point. Without signs, be sure to follow these new driving directions: Drive Hwy 26 east of Sandy 2 miles, veer right onto SE Firwood Road for 0.7 mile to a stop sign, and turn right to stay on Firwood Road another 2.6 miles. At another stop sign, turn sharply left onto SE Wildcat Mtn Road for 9 miles of two-lane pavement and another 4 miles of one-lane pavement, keeping straight at junctions. The road turns to very rough gravel at a paved turnaround spot where low-clearance vehicles should park. Otherwise continue 0.4 mile to road's end at a rough dirt parking area marked only by a "No Shooting" sign spray-painted on a boulder. From that boulder the trail (now a Jeep track) climbs up to the right. Vehicular damage to the trail ends in a mile, at a switchback beyond the 3600-foot-elevation viewpoint.

-- #169 Paradise Park -- This trail was impassable at the 4-mile mark in July 2017. It was even worse in June 2018, almost unfindable due to blowdown logs. It may not be cleared until 2020.

-- #170 Timberline Trail -- The Eliot Branch crossing reopened in 2017 with a 0.8-mile detour. See Hike #83/84 above. 

-- #176 & 177 Elk Cove Trail & Pinnacle Ridge -- These adjacent trails on the north side of Mt. Hood were overswept by a 2011 fire. Despite maintenance you can expect some fallen black snags across both trails.

-- #187 Eagle Creek (Clackamas) -- This trailhead reopened in 2018 when the Forest Service put a sign at the trailhead and convinced the Weyerhaeuser timber company that they cannot block the public right-of-way with a gate. The access road remains confusing and unmarked, and does cross private timberland, so the right-of-way battle may not be over.

-- #190 Old Baldy and Tumala Mtn -- If you start at the Baldy Trailhead it is easy to overlook the left-hand trail that leads north to Old Baldy. The more obvious trail leads to the right toward Tumala Mountain. If you pass a sign marking the relatively well-traveled Eagle Creek Cutoff Trail you will know that you are headed south toward Tumala Mountain. 

-- #195 Whetstone Mountain -- Road 7030 is overgrown and washed-out, so take a different route to the trailhead. From the Bagby Hot Springs trailhead, continue west on paved Road 70 for a mile, turn left on gravel Road 7020 for 7 miles, and turn left on the short spur Road 028 to the Whetstone Mountain Trailhead.

-- #202 Fish and Si Lakes -- The final 0.7 mile of Road 120 to the lower easy trailhead has been blocked by a ditch and a berm, although high clearance vehicles can drive around it.

-- #205 Butte Creek Falls -- A Weyerhaeuser gate blocked access to this trailhead as of August 2018. The gate is on Crooked Finger Road 0.2 mile before the turnoff to Butte Creek Falls, so it is possible to park at the gate and walk 2.1 miles on the road to the old trailhead. This walk, however, is pretty ugly, descending through a clearcut before you get to the lovely Butte Creek Falls trail.