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Do you like forested walks, quiet trails and killer views of Oregon’s Columbia River & Gorge? If so, this is your trail. Well, probably not the quiet part, unless you’re willing to start early like me, but the rest is right.
With my trip to Rainier just a few weeks away, I’ve spent the summer hitting the trails to practice and ended up on some pretty fantastic hikes as an unintended result. Angel’s Rest certainly makes that list coming in near the top, especially if you’re looking a quick trip. Rated as moderate, the 2.3 mile (4.6 out-and-back) route of switches keeps a pretty solid clip as it scales just over 1450′ to put you right on top of the gorge with “270-degree” views around (elevation 1650′).
Starting off at around 7:30, I was by no means the first on the trail but it was quiet for the way up with a cool morning start to encourage a brisk pace along. The route takes you out of civilization and into dense trees almost immediately. Soon, you parallel a small stream and hit a small waterfall about 1/3rd of the way up. Turning away from the water, the shade continues almost to the top but the road certainly dries out, bigger rocks enter in and the view starts to open up at a few points. It’s nice but gets way better.
Starting early turned to be a great decision as the top is fully sun exposed and even at 8-something, those last few bits were warming up fast (note: there’s a fierce wind at the point that can really chill you back down). Reaching what feels to be the end, the trail forks and as you head left, don’t be fooled by the first views and sitting-sized boulders,” there’s a quick — and easy — scramble out to the true “rest” point. As you reach it, look for the official marker below the memorial bench, where the views are best. Small cut-trails run across the entire point as people have stamped their own way to small features over the years.
Not ready to throw in the towel, I decided to take a fork I had read about up to Devil’s Rest. Traditionally, this is done as part of a loop from the nearby Wahkeena Falls with Angel’s Rest a visit on the way down but up works just as well though only for stretching more, there’s no view to speak of.
The trail up gains another 850′ in vertical elevation taking you to the “summit” of 2450-ish but accounting for the ups and downs along the way, it’s more like 1000′ total with the bulk happening in the first and last 1/4 of a mile stretches (3.4 miles round trip). You’ll feel both and pretty much jog between them.
Like the trail below, the entire route is shaded, but with far less foot traffic (I saw 2 groups at the top and one going down), the forest has made great strides to reclaim the mountain. Navigation is pretty simple but brush levels are high enough to warrant long pants. Unfortunately the destination is nothing much more than a hill top with trees obstructing the view every which way. This is spelled out in the guide sites but I still figured there’d be something to see — maybe I missed it — but in any case, it’s a nice workout addon and a quick turn back to Angel’s Rest.
Directions from Angel’s Rest to Devil’s Rest:
While the trail has grown in, the difficulty navigating here is more the fork options than keeping to the paths themselves. There’s only one real marker point along the way so I highly suggest a detailed map (AllTrails has a nice one of the section, cell signal was decent too though your phone should never be your sole navigation tool).
- Start up the road from Angel’s Rest (sharp right at the original fork)
- Stay to the right at the first split (left for the quick way to the falls)
- Take a hard right at the next fork
- Curve around to the left (skip the small cut trail out)
- Stay straight past the cut trail to the left
Quick Facts:
- Official Rating: Moderate
- My Rating: Treadmill Run
- Start point: Marked trailhead with a parking lot + road parking
- Distance: 7.7 mile round-trip (out & back) / 2300′ gain / 3+ hours
- Recommended time: Early morning for crowds, but not that exposed for later day
- Facilities: Parking, no restrooms and no water (nearest ~1 mile)
- Cost / Permits: None required
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