Wahkeena-Angels-Devils-Rest Loop Hike – Columbia River Gorge

This challenging loop starts at Wahkeena Trailhead, climbing to Wahkeena Springs, Angels Rest, and Devils Rest for a great conditioning hike.

distance: 8.3 miles round trip
elevation gain: 2,730 ft.
difficulty: very strenuous
best season: spring, fall
drive time from Portland: 40 minutes
parking pass: none

The Hike

This was my first time doing this loop after the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. The forecast called for wind up to 22 mph, and since trees damaged by fire are more likely to fall, it’s a good idea to be cautious when hiking here during high winds.

We started at the Wahkeena trailhead and hiked up to the Angels Rest trail junction. Although there is some visible fire damage along Wahkeena Creek, it still looks as lovely as ever.

We turned onto the Angels Rest trail and took a short snack break at Wahkeena Springs.

Continuing on the Angels Rest trail, a bit more evidence of fire damage is visible.

View of Angels Rest through the burned trees. Although we could see a few people venturing out onto Angels Rest, it was far too windy for us to give it a try.

We took the Devils Rest trail at the junction with the Angels Rest trail. Along this section, it was nice to see that some areas were still full of green moss that the fire did not reach.

As we got closer to Devils Rest, we were in a fog bank. The fog was freezing when it hit the trees, and the wind immediately blew the ice off into shards that landed on us as we were hiking. The photo below is Devils Rest, which is really not much more than a bunch of large rocks covered with moss.

The fog remained high, and the river below glowed blue.

On the Devils Rest trail, an area that was relatively untouched by the fire.

In some places, the fire stayed low and burned trees from the roots.

This section of trail was rebuilt with sturdy steps. Thanks to all of the volunteers that worked to clear these trails!

We took the Vista Point trail back to the Wahkeena trail… this is the view near the end of Vista Point. The wind was blowing so hard it made the river look like the coast line.

Back at Fairy Falls on the Wahkeena trail.

A great conditioning hike with a lot of elevation gain, and it’s not far from Portland, so it will be easy to do this one again and again.