Fort Rains Hike

Overview

This short hike takes you on a short stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail, the first on the Washington side of the Columbia River after crossing the Bridge of the Gods. Day hikers have rarely used this section of the trail since the construction of the Bonneville Trailhead. The area is interesting geologically and historically. The trail crosses the Bonneville Landslide, a massive slope collapse that occurred around 1450 A.D., perhaps as a result of a big earthquake. The landslide involved gigantic slippage of the south faces of Table Mountain and Greenleaf Peak, temporarily dammed the Columbia River, and created the Cascades on the Columbia. Numerous depression lakes, including Icehouse Lake at the trailhead, exist in the area. Historically, the trail takes you close to the site of Fort Rains, one of four blockhouses built on the portage route around the Cascades between 1848 and 1856 to defend it from Indian attack. From the Ice House Lake Trailhead, head up the Pacific Crest Trail past a sign mentioning that it's 507.2 miles to Canada. The trail parallels Highway 14 for about 1/10 of a mile, and then it drops to the remains of some kind of earlier road or railroad. The next 0.7 miles are nearly flat as the trail follows the earlier right of way. This path may be the route of Cascades Railroad Company built by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company in 1863. This railroad extended six miles from a upper landing near modern Stevenson to a terminus across the Columbia from Tanner Creek. Photos from the era show the Cascades Railroad line as existing above the earlier rail lines. This piece of the PCT is rarely traveled. The entire path is close to Highway 14 and you'll never escape the traffic noise. On the other hand, you will rarely encounter other hikers and the people racing back and forth on the highway are oblivious to the existence of the nearby trail. You'll likely be alone here. There's a leafy canopy of big-leaf maple, Douglas-fir, and western hemlock and forest wildflowers in the spring. When you reach

Trail Stats

Photos

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