Hardy Ridge Winter Hike – Columbia River Gorge

At Beacon Rock State Park, several former logging roads have been gated and turned into trails for hikers and equestrians. Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain are the more popular destinations here, while Hardy Ridge is far less crowded.

distance: 8.1 miles (loop)
elevation gain: 2,200 ft.
difficulty: strenuous
drive time from Portland: 1 hour
parking pass: Discover Pass
hike description: OregonHikers.org: Hardy Ridge Loop Hike

The Hike

The lower part of the trail is through forest on closed forest roads, then a narrower trail switchbacks up a forested ridge to the upper portion of trail on a rocky ridge with sweeping views of the Gorge. I was super excited to see hair ice on a couple of branches next to the trail on the way up.