Indian Point Loop Hike – Columbia River Gorge

A tough but rewarding hike to Indian Point via the Herman Creek, Nick Eaton Way, and Gorton Creek Trails.

distance: 8.6 miles (out and back)
elevation gain: 3,000 ft.
difficulty: very strenuous
drive time from Portland: 1 hour
parking pass: NW Forest Pass
hike description: OregonHikers: Indian Point hike

For this loop hike, we started at the Herman Creek trailhead, about 2 miles east of Cascade Locks, Oregon. It was a cloudy day, with fog obscuring the views but providing a mystical feel in the forest.

We started on the Herman Creek trail, passing the junction for Gorton Creek Trail (which would be part of our loop hike), and continued for another 1/10 mile to the Nick Eaton Way trail. Doing the loop in this direction gets the hardest part out of the way (the Nick Eaton Way trail is steep!), with a much easier descent on the Gorton Creek trail.

A short distance from the trail junction is an old large stone trail sign. They don’t make them like this anymore.

Going up. And up.

We stood here for several minutes watching the nearby ridges appear and disappear in the clouds. The wind picked up and it got much colder. This was right before it started raining lightly.

Near the top of the ridge, the forest had a mystical quality with the thick fog. The rain picked up and it didn’t let up for the rest of the hike.

At a trail junction, the Nick Eaton Way trail goes to the right and we took the Ridge Cutoff Trail to the left for just under a mile to a junction with the Gorton Creek Trail.

Just past the Gorton Creek junction, take a side trail for 2/10 mile down to Indian Point. This section is quite steep, and slippery in the rain. At Indian Point, all we could see was fog everywhere. Occasionally, we would get a peek-a-boo view of the surroundings. Be extremely careful if you decide to go out to Indian Point. The sides drop over 1,000 feet and a fall here could be fatal.

As someone who lacks vision with depth perception and is afraid of heights, I chose not to go out to the point. Instead, I sat to eat my lunch at the Gorton Creek trail junction while trying to stay dry in the rain.

We took the Gordon Creek trail back to finish off the loop part of the hike, then the Herman Creek trail back to the trailhead.