Larch Mountain stands as one of the three big shield volcanoes of the extended Boring Lava Fields. Rising to 4055 feet high, the mountain presents an array of contrasts. Once the site of intense logging industry, the mountain shows an amazing natural renewal a century after most of the timber production came to a halt. Pockets of old growth, wonderful views from the top and remnants of past industry all make Larch Mountain and its crater, a fascinating walk in the woods.
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We saw earlier how to climb to the top of the Larch Mountain crater from the Columbia River on the 1915 historic Larch Mountain Trail. But you don’t have to gain 4,400 feet over the 6.6-mile trek up to Sherrard Point. You can actually cheat and start at the top. Simply drive up Larch Mountain Road to its end. Fourteen miles up from the Columbia River Highway just west from Crown Point. Park in the large lot near the summit.
Continue readingLook out to the east from Portland and your attention draws to the snows and glaciers of Mt. Hood. But search a bit to the left and you can notice another bulky mountain with a notch on its northern rim. This is Larch Mountain one of three shield volcanoes sitting in a line of volcanic vents making up the Boring Lava Field range stretching from Mount Sylvania on the southwest edge of Portland all the way east past Larch Mountain to Beacon Rock standing near Bonneville Dam, almost thirty miles apart in a straight line.
Larch Mountain sits on the western end of the canyon of the Columbia River Gorge rising just over 4,000 feet above the river running about three straight miles to the north of its peak. Coming from the east along the river, Larch Mountain is the last significant Cascade peak on the Oregon side of the Gorge before the mountains begin to ease topographically into the northern end of the Willamette Valley.
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The Columbia River Gorge is one of the natural highlights of the Pacific Northwest. Only the Columbia River penetrates through the Cascade Mountain range and does so in a magnificent manner. Long an important transportation corridor whether rail, old highways, new freeways, canoes or flatboats. Waterfalls tend to bring the tourists to the Gorge along with the views of the immense canyon from spots like Crown Point on the Historic Columbia River Highway. But trails take you to the top of many other vista points as magical as those at the Vista House. Here are a few of my personal favorite Gorge views. Maybe you have others.
In no particular order with regard to personal preference, I present them from west to east.
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The last couple of years, I have linked Heaven and Hell – Angel’s and Devil’s Rests on the same hike – together from the Wahkeena Falls trailhead. This makes a very nice lollipop loop which my corgi Ollie appreciated as much as I did. The Wahkeena Canyon path is quieter compared to the Angel’s Rest trail further to the west, the lack of parking probably has something to do with that. But also, Angel’s Rest is probably the second or third most popular trail in the Columbia River Gorge after Multnomah Falls and maybe Dog Mountain (in wildflower season) and Hamilton Mountain. Just from looking at the Angel’s Rest parking lot on a weekend, I would maybe push it into second spot.
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Recent posts have dealt with history for the most part – military history, mostly – World War 1 and the American Civil War. There are several more to come dealing with the later, so I thought to break it up a bit.
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Flying along Interstate 84, you might catch an ephemeral glance at a waterfall or two. If you know when to look. Traffic speeds along well above the speed limit of 65 mph. The number of cars and trucks seem to exponentially increase with the years. Pity the traveler who finds themselves stuck behind one of the giant propellors heading to the wind farms just south of the east end of the Columbia River Gorge. Road travel has come a long way since the first road was put in over 150 years ago. Basalt columns occur in many areas along the way. So, the columns and cliffs jutting up to the south of the freeway just west of the Bridal Veil exit – exit 44 – might not garner an extra glance from a speeding car. You have just missed noting the Pillars of Hercules.
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Oregon and Washington have used prison labor for various projects throughout their history. Convicts have been working on a variety of projects from laundry to license plates to agriculture. They also worked on convict road projects, though that only arose in the early 20th century. Penitentiaries hoped to relieve overcrowding in the prisons while at the same time providing employment not conflicting with free labor. They saw the employment also as a form of reward to their better behaving prisoners. Prisoners had marks of degradation such as stripes, chains and shaven heads done away with. Here, they gained a certain amount of freedom. The work, done in the public good, was also seen as reformative.
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Funds for The Dalles – Sandy Military Road gained appropriation from the Oregon legislature in 1872 – $50,000. The road finally finished in 1876 after another $50,000 infusion. The road suffers from memory – too windy and parts too steep (20 % grades!). Much of the road was said to have been destroyed by the 1880 building of the railway through the Gorge. Some areas remained to be incorporated into the subsequent Columbia River highway. Other areas were abandoned, though only one section of the old wagon road – Shellrock Mountain – remains known from its day.
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The area around Starvation Creek along I-84 has undergone some changes with the recent restoration of the Historic Columbia River Highway here in 2019. For a long time, the site has been a rest area with a short trail leading to the drama of Starvation Creek Falls. It is also the beginning of a couple of the hardest trails found in the Gorge, Starvation Ridge and Mount Defiance trails. These trails entail a gain of 5,000 feet, with the latter trail doing it in under five miles. But before going high there is a lot to discover down below.
In the short stretch between the rest area and Shellrock Mountain about two miles to the west, five waterfalls easily come into view; one other notable if it has rained hard recently and two or three others a bit harder to access – especially if you have to carry a 38-pound cogi.
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