NICK EATON RIDGE (COLUMBIA WILDERNESS)

WHERE:  From Portland Take Interstate 84 to the Cascade Locks exit.  Follow the exit as it continues as a road through Cascade Locks and continue following until you reach Herman Creek (there is a sign pointing to the trailhead).  Follow the trailhead signs to a parking lot just past the campground.

THE TRAIL:  This trail begins following the Herman Creek trail for 1.5 miles before reaching a junction with the Nick Eaton Ridge trail (right after the Gorton Creek Junction).  From here the trail gets steep for a few miles as you climb  to over 4,000 feet in elevation over the next 3.5 miles.  There are many loop opportunities including two early cutoff trails down to Gorton Creek which occur at 2 and 2.5 miles up the ridge trail as well as the Casey Creek cutoff down to Herman Creek.  Further up the trail you can make a longer loop by following the Gorton Creek trail back from where it meets the ridge or go even farther to Cedar Swamp cutoff (incidentally there is a really nice campsite on Cedar Swamp near Herman Creek) or even go all the way to Wahtum Lake where you can follow Herman Creek back or take the PCT over the beautiful Benson plateau before following the Herman Bridge trail back to you starting point.

There are a couple of nice view points going up the ridge trail.  The first photo opportunities overlook the Columbia River and there are a couple of good views into the Gorge looking toward Wooly Horn Ridge and Chinadre.  I did not make it past Gorton creek as the snow in mid April covered the trail as I approached the Gorton Creek junction and I was not able to follow the Gorton Creek trail back so I backpedaled to the Deadwood cutoff.  There was also a lot of snow on the east slope of the ridge at elevations where it didn't exist on the trail or on the west slopes.  This a good trail for excercise through a very typical Columbia River Gorge forest.