Over the last few weeks I've seen hundreds of photographs of the wildflowers blooming in the Columbia River Gorge. Lindsay and I decided we would head out to the Gorge on Saturday and hit a few popular spots - Columbia River Hills State Park, Rowena Crest, and Dog Mountain at sunset to culminate the day. Rather than then driving back to Portland, we'd camp at Beacon Rock State Park.
We hiked Dog Mountain in January but we hadn't hiked it during peak wildflower season since our first summer in Portland back in 2012 - and, at that time, the flowers were past their peak. I was excited for what the day would bring.
We wake to a beautiful morning on Saturday and head out mid-day. We reach Beacon Rock State Park around noon, pitch our tent, and enjoy our lunch in partial shade. To our delight the campground is nearly empty. On the other hand, the Hamilton Mountain trailhead parking area just a few hundred yards down the road is completely jammed, which once again confirms what we now try to live by when hiking: get an early start!
We soak up the beautiful drive east along the Columbia River and reach Columbia Hills State Park within an hour.
The flowers here appear to be a little past-peak so we snap a few photos, take in the views, and decide to head across the river back to Oregon to Rowena Crest.
We wander down a trail in the Tom McCall Preserve to check out the wildflowers and the views - both of which are stunning. Wanting to save our legs for Dog Mountain, we turned back after about a quarter of a mile.
We grab a coffee in Hood River and drive to the Dog Mountain trailhead where we find a packed parking lot. We're on the trail by 5:30 pm and thus begins the calf burning climb. Over the course of the 3ish miles to the summit, we gain 2,800 feet of elevation. We pass maybe 50-75 hikers heading back to the parking lot on our hike up to the summit. Lindsay sets a fast pace and I find myself breathing heavily the entire way. Within an hour or so we climb above the treeline and enter the Dog Mountain Summit Meadow and my jaw drops to the trail. No really.
The entire mountainside is covered in more wildflowers - mainly basalmroot and some lupine - than I have ever seen or could have ever imagined.
We pause at the ridge taking in the views and the flowers and watch as others marvel at the sight. Then we continue onward towards the summit. We reach the top a short while later and find about 15 other hikers resting. We had hoped to arrive with 45 minutes until sunset so we'd have ample time to eat dinner but we arrive with over an hour to just sit and relax. Within 30 minutes everyone had departed except us and we had some moments of solitude before a middle aged man joined us. We enjoyed his company and stories.
Hoping to get a head start we begin our descent just before sunset.
Watching the sunset at Dog Mountain with millions of wildflowers gracing the hillside is an experience that will stay with me forever. I initially was hesitant about hiking down in the dark (with headlamps, of course) but it was completely fine. It was a special time to be in such a beautiful place - long after most other hikers had returned to the city.
Thank you Dog Mountain. Thank you Columbia River Gorge. Thank you wildflowers. You were - and are - magnificent.
“The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.”
Distance: 6 miles / Elevation gain: 2,800 feet