Updated 1/23/2023
“The Cape Horn trail doesn’t fully open until July 16th,” I said.
Bryan glanced up from our list of Columbia River Gorge hikes. “Well, let’s go on July 16th then. Also…why is it closed?”
It turns out the Cape Horn trail is closed seasonally for a pretty awesome reason. Its pinnacle-like, low cliffs along the Columbia River provide an ideal environment for peregrine falcons. Per the interpretive signs at the trailhead, these fascinating birds of prey can fly up to 200 miles per hour! Peregrine falcons indeed nest and breed in the Cape Horn cliffs, and since human activity can interfere with their breeding, the lower Cape Horn trail is closed every year during breeding season (February 1 – July 15) for their protection.
With the chance to see peregrine falcons, a series of Columbia River viewpoints, a requisite Columbia River Gorge waterfall, and delicious wild summer berries, the Cape Horn trail makes a great day hike. In today’s post, I’ll share the highlights from our July 16th hike on the Cape Horn trail, and everything you need to know to hike this fascinating part of the gorge yourself. If you’d like to start with a video tour, check out the hike highlights in our Cape Horn video below.
Our video of the Cape Horn trail highlights
The Cape Horn Trail in a Nutshell
The Cape Horn trail is a 6.4-mile loop. While most of the hike is on trails, the route also travels along country roads for a stretch. I’d recommend keeping the Cape Horn trail AllTrails map handy for that reason–we definitely appreciated being able to follow along on the map during the road section.
While there’s a road section, it’s not busy or stressful. An idyllic countryside surrounds you, with hay bales in the fields beyond and dramatic cliffs rising in the backdrop. Wild peas burst into bright magenta blooms along the roadside in summer. It feels neat and pastoral, but also a little overgrown and wild. Check out this mailbox being reclaimed by the nature, for example!
After leaving the country roads, the Cape Horn trail’s lower section begins, traveling through forest along low cliffs right above the Columbia River. Many Columbia River Gorge hikes provide fabulous views, but the perspective from the Cape Horn trail is different. Along the lower section of the trail, the cliffs are right over the river, with some of them rising from the water in bizarre pinnacle formations. The low cliffs provide a unique perspective, a view from the river’s edge.
Here along the lower Cape Horn trail, you’ll encounter the first of two waterfall viewpoints. This waterfall isn’t a rushing torrent like so many others in the Columbia River Gorge, but rather a neat spray cascading down chunky, horizontally striated cliffs.
It’s this lower section of the Cape Horn trail that’s closed seasonally. If you go during the seasonal closure, you can still hike the upper part of the Cape Horn trail. The hike becomes an out-and-back route instead of a loop in that case.
Along the lower section, there are stretches where the Cape Horn trail crosses rocky talus slopes like the one shown in the photo below. Puffy moss cushions bloom from the crevices between the rocks. If you’re very lucky, you may see a pika or the Larch Mountain salamander on these talus slopes. The pikas actually eat the moss!
We didn’t see pikas or salamanders on the talus slopes, but we did see a snake. I always find catching sight of a snake to be a bit of a shock, so I jumped about a foot when I noticed the snake on the path. On reflection, it was cool to be able to see it—a non-venomous, ring-necked snake. Per the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife species guide, it’s a fairly uncommon one.
The trail surface on the talus slopes is uneven, with chunky rocks underfoot that are about 6 inches to a foot in diameter. If you’re concerned about footing, consider taking hiking poles on this one.
If you do the full Cape Horn trail loop, the hike is gradual during the country road and lower sections, and then it becomes quite steep as it turns and climbs through the forest to reach the upper trail. The upper Cape Horn trail follows a forested ridge parallel to the lower trail, but several contours higher up the slope. Stone overlooks interspersed along the upper trail provide more sweeping river views, this time from higher ground. The trail then enters a series of downhill switchbacks as it returns steeply down to the parking lot.
The full Cape Horn trail loop is a moderately challenging hike, on the longer side and with a bit of climb in places.
Edible Wild Berries on the Cape Horn Trail
We found two delicious wild berry species at peak ripeness on the mid-July day we visited Cape Horn: thimbleberries and huckleberries. Both berries are bright red, but that’s about all they have in common. Thimbleberries are shaped like a very flat thimble. They’re soft and almost fuzzy in texture, with a bright, tart flavor. Huckleberries are tiny, smooth, and spherical. They’re juicy and have a great zing to them.
Growing up, I only knew this bright red huckleberry, so I was confused when I saw purple huckleberry jams and ice creams in stores. As it turns out, purple-blue huckleberries grow at higher elevations (mountain huckleberry) and near the coast (evergreen huckleberry).
For more on the berries you’re likely to encounter while hiking, check out our blog post on edible wild berries of the Pacific Northwest.
In addition to these native berries, the Cape Horn trail has a pretty extreme infestation of invasive Himalayan blackberries. These are likewise delicious, but totally impossible to control. They typically peak a little later in the summer. We found the blackberries to be growing into the trail in one section of the lower trail, but most of the trail itself was clear.
Wildflowers on the Cape Horn Trail
Several wildflower species were blooming along the Cape Horn trail when we visited in mid-July. Along the country roads, bright pink wild peas were in full bloom. In the forest, red Columbine, purple Cascade penstemon, and bright orange Columbian lily (also known as tiger lily) were blooming. There aren’t dramatic wildflower meadows like there are at Dog Mountain and Coyote Wall, but the wildflowers bring bright pops of color to the woodland scene.
Cape Horn Trailhead and Parking
The Cape Horn trailhead is on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, about 45 minutes by car from Portland. It’s a popular hike, so the parking lot fills up on weekends. The day we went, the parking lot was full when we arrived at 9:30. Just down the road past the parking lot is a wide shoulder where a few more cars can parallel park. We were able to get one of those parking spots on the road.
Other Hikes with Great Columbia River Gorge Views
Other top view hikes I’d recommend exploring in the Columbia River Gorge are Hamilton Mountain, Dog Mountain, and Coyote Wall. These hikes provide Columbia River views from higher vantage points, which are stunning in a different way. Dog Mountain and Coyote Wall are particularly striking during the spring wildflower season, when their slopes are covered with bright yellow Balsamroot flowers.
Other Adventures in the Pacific Northwest
Thanks for joining us on the Cape Horn trail! With its unique Columbia River Gorge views and wildlife habitats, it’s a trail that should be included on any Pacific Northwest hiker’s calendar.
For more adventure ideas in the Pacific Northwest, check out our PNW Trip Planner. You can find adventures near you and filter by season and difficulty level. There are weird and wonderful things to explore any time of year. The trip planner links to blog posts to help you plan your next adventure.
Happy exploring!
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