Indian Point - March 7, 2015

Located a few miles east of Cascade Locks, Indian Point is a promontory sticking out into the Gorge above I-84. The hike begins at the Herman Creek Trailhead and gains 2,700 vertical feet over a seven mile loop. Although the path rises almost a half mile from trailhead to summit, the incline is evenly spaced out throughout the hike.

We picked a beautiful Saturday in March to hit the trail. The sun was out with virtually no clouds in any direction. After navigating a few early forks in the path, we found the route through the woods that would ultimately lead to the point. As we gained elevation, the views of the river and surrounding mountains continued to improve. First Mt. St. Helens, and then Mt. Adams, became visible across the Columbia.

Indian Point

After two hours we reached a spur leading to a climbers trail. The steep path rapidly descended a few hundred feet down to a narrow ridge leading out to Indian Point. A dozen others were already there by the time we reached the edge and put down our packs for lunch. We soaked in the view, hiked out to the base of the point, and then climbed back up to the main path. From there we continued upward on a different trail that eventually flattened out and then descended in a loop back to a junction from earlier in the day.  As the trail began to descend, we decided to trail run the last several miles down to the car. It made for a quick journey to the trailhead, but our quads paid for it into the work week.

Looking east in the Gorge with Mt. Adams in the background

Overall, it was a great day on an excellent hike. The combination of weather, friends and scenery created an experience worthy of repeating. We capped it off by hitting the Cascade Locks Ale House for food and a pint before returning to Portland.

Click here for more photos from the day.