Angel’s Rest

Angel’s Rest is a rocky outcrop high above the Columbia River Gorge, there’s a popular hiking trail that leads directly to the top or you can take a more circuitous route starting at Wahkeena Falls and going past Fairy Falls before reaching Angel’s Rest (I highly recommend this route if you have the time).

Scenic Views

Boolie the Brave

When I started the hike, I didn’t know if I’d make it to the end. I’m terrified of heights and while I knew the hike ended at an outcrop high above the Gorge, I didn’t know if there would be exposed bits along cliff walls on the way there, not an unusual occurrence in the Gorge. When I neared the end of the trail I was happy to see that although you do have to walk out onto a narrow section, it wasn’t so exposed as to trigger my vertigo to any great degree. Don’t misunderstand, there were a couple of sections I walked quickly past without looking down, but it wasn’t bad even for a coward like me.

When I got to the end of the trail, I settled in for some snacks in a nice safe spot. Angel’s Rest is a popular hiking destination so a number of families were there, including this nice couple and their dog who made lovely models until I worked up the courage to snuggle up to the edge. The second picture is a look back from the end of the trail to the rocky ridge that leads back down into the Gorge. There’s a person in a white shirt to the left of the middle of the picture to give a sense of scale, unless you’re even more scared of heights than I am (which I find hard to believe) you should be able to handle this hike. I took the picture mainly to remind myself that its good to push yourself every once in a while, especially when the danger is in your head and not your feet.

A family enjoys the view of the Columbia River Gorge from the edge of a cliff at Angel's Rest

A view of the trail that leads to Angel's Rest in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon

Townsend’s Chipmunks

	Tour Guide At the overlook this little tour guide kept the crowd in rapt attention as it described the history of the Gorge and how it was carved out by the great Missoula Floods at the end of the last ice age.
	Head Games I love pictures where an animal is mostly obscured in a uniform environment, such as this chipmunk peeking out from behind a rock. I tried a similar picture in Yellowstone a while back but I wasn’t as happy with the way it turned out.
	Sammy Is That You? Like our youngest cat Sam, this chipmunk had a noticeable kink in its tail. It also had a gap in its fur on its right cheek but moved about and fed with the same speed and agility as the other chipmunks, so it didn't appear to be injured.

Townsend's chipmunk at Angel's Rest in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge

[ Home > The United States > Oregon ]