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Hidden Hiking Treasures

Hardy Ridge Trail offers alternative to crowded Hamilton Mountain

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Alisha Delaney (left) and her dog, Goose, followed by Alex Kaye (right) and his dog, Duke, walk the Hardy Ridge Trail in the Washington gorge. "Less people, interesting plants and amazing views," Delaney said about the Columbia River Gorge trail.

Popular hiking trails on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge are being flooded with hikers hopping the river because so many Oregon trails are closed following last year’s devastating Eagle Creek Fire. Employees at Beacon Rock State Park have reported an unprecedented 40-percent increase in hikers from May 2017 to May 2018. Conservation and hiking groups are now urging hikers to spread their wings and discover new trails.

“We are loving our (popular) trails to death,” Sharon Ross with the Cape Horn Conservancy said.

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