Go right here to the largely unburned summit of Devils Rest with its mossy arrangement of boulders. The main Devils Rest Trail veers left, and then rises steeply from an old logging road to a trail junction. The side trail leads to a pinnacled clifftop promontory with extensive views including Mount Saint Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Skamania Island and the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Back on the main trail, drop and rise to look for a faint user trail just after an obvious survey marker. A spur trail leads right for a clifftop view west towards Yeon Mountain on the Oregon side of the Gorge and Hamilton Mountain and Table Mountain on the Washington side. Drop to cross two footbridges below a set of springs, and hike up through a thicket of devil's club. The forest opens up for a view north to Silver Star Mountain. Western hemlocks dominate the forest on this rim, and you'll pass through a grove that didn't even experience a ground burn. Pass the junction with a short spur that leads out to gated Multnomah Basin Road. Hike along the rim of the Wahkeena Bowl, getting views of the cliff faces and scree slopes below Devils Rest. At a break in the trees, you'll get a view over to the prominence of Devils Rest. Make six switchbacks up along Shady Creek to reach a shallow bowl of large Douglas-firs and hemlocks. Go right here and, in 25 yards, come to the junction with the Devils Rest Trail #420C. Reach the upper junction with the Wahkeena Trail at 1,575 feet in elevation. As you continue on the loop, switchbacking up three times through the thimbleberries, look for blooming irises along the trail in spring. On the Oregon shore of the Columbia River below is the small delta of Wahkeena Creek and Fashion Reef. On a clear day, you can see the top of Silver Star Mountain and also Sturgeon Rock peeking above Archer Mountain. From the viewpoint, there are views east past the Bonneville Dam, while the Prindle Cliffs are directly across. The spur to Vista Point leads steeply down to the left. Rock hop the creek, and make a traverse in burned woods with a very brushy understory where thimbleberry dominates. Turn left here and take the Vista Point Trail #419, which may be running a channel of Fairy Creek. Now make five switchbacks up a burned slope with the conifer canopy still intact to reach the junction with the Vista Point Trail #419. Day hikers often tarry here to take photos and imbibe the negative ions. You'll arrive at Fairy Falls, a beautiful fan waterfall right next to the trail. Six more steep switchbacks take you up rushing Wahkeena Creek and cedar-shaded Wahkeena Canyon. Recross the creek on a new footbridge at an open mossy face. Cross a footbridge, and hike up the west side of Wahkeena Creek. Sometimes a seasonal waterfall splashes down this face. ![]() Enter a defile with a massive dome of basalt to your right. Vistas extend across the Columbia River to Cape Horn, the Prindle Cliffs, Archer Mountain, Hamilton Mountain, and Beacon Rock (For a description of a short but sketchy off trail excursion near the viewpoint, see The Necktie). ![]() Take the short spur to the right to reach Lemmons Viewpoint, named after a fire fighter who lost his life in the line of duty. From here, the pathway, which is still paved, rises in 11 stone-walled switchbacks to a junction. After admiring the falls, continue west to pass the former junction with the closed Perdition Trail at a large Douglas-fir. The trail traverses to cross the stone bridge in front of Wahkeena Falls, which may douse you with heavy spray. Then make a traverse on a paved trail into Douglas-fir/hemlock woods before making a switchback up. Head to your right, and cross a footbridge over Wahkeena Creek. You can appreciate the tiers of Wahkeena Falls from here, but in spring and summer, the view is partially obscured by leafy maple trees. Walk up to the viewing plaza just above the parking area on the highway. Bear in mind that the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire affected almost the entire area of this hike and parts of the optional user loop have not been maintained. You can return the way you came or, if you're up for a loop using the user network below Devils Rest, you can come back via the Angels Rest Trail. You'll see a couple of pretty waterfalls, get some Columbia River Gorge views, and appreciate a few large old growth trees in the Wahkeena Bowl. This hike goes all of the way to Devils Rest, a forested Boring volcano 850 feet above Angels Rest. ![]() A couple of shorter hikes that are possible are the Wahkeena Falls Hike and the Fairy Falls Hike. The Wahkeena Trail can be explored at some length depending on your fitness level.
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