Friends of the Columbia Gorge

June Gorge Morning Walk
2026-06-18 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Gorge Morning Walks are casual, no-frills hikes in the Columbia Gorge; an easy way to get outside and start the day with fellow Friends on the trail. We’ll be gathering once a month, at the same time and place, so it’s a standing option you can drop into whenever it works for you. No registration necessary!
Meet at Mosier Totem Pole Plaza
The hike is 3.5 miles, out to a loop and back, with 600 feet of elevation gain.
All are welcome, including babies in carriers and dogs on leashes. Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and bring water. We’ll be there rain or shine, so please dress accordingly.

Spring Geology Hike to Larch Mountain Crater
2026-05-23 10:00 - 14:00
Join outdoor guide & Friends board member Jayson Moorman for an adventure through old-growth forest ablaze with spring colors.
6 mile loop with ~1,200-feet elevation gain

Friends of the Columbia Gorge Annual Meeting 2026
2026-05-17 11:30 - 14:00
Join us Sunday, May 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 pm. at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington, to celebrate how your support makes Friends’ mission possible.
This gathering is open to members, donors, and the public.
What to Expect:
🌱Insights from our leadership team on the future of Gorge conservation and how you make an impact
🌳A timely look at the forces shaping conservation and advocacy in the Columbia River Gorge
🌿A Pacific Northwest-inspired lunch
Register here

The Hanging Gardens of the Gorge – Upper McCord Falls Trail
2026-05-15 09:00 - 12:00
Join Hike Leader Sharon Ross as she guides you to beautiful McCord and Elowah Falls along the upper McCord Falls trail.
Moderate: 3 miles | 600-elev. Gain

Waterfalls and Wildflowers Hike at Triple Falls
2026-05-06 08:45 - 12:00
Join Steve Carples on a loop hike to Triple Falls along Waterfall Alley.
Moderate: 4.5 miles | 850-ft elev. Gain

Stewardship Saturday at St. Cloud Day Use Area
2026-05-02 09:00 - 12:00
This is our final stewardship day of the season at St. Cloud! We will continue to tend to the riparian restoration area and remove invasive blackberry and jewelweed before summer sets in. This is also an excellent birding area so if you are a bird enthusiast or bird curious, be sure to bring your binoculars!

Advocacy Walk & Talk at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge
2026-04-28 10:30 - 13:30
Join Renee Tkach (Friends’ Conservation Director) and Madison Kenney (Friends’ Advocacy & Policy Coordinator) for a hike at Stiegerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Easy: 3 miles – Refuge River Trail

Spring Wildflowers & Discovery Loop Hike at Lyle Cherry Orchard
2026-04-26 10:00 - 13:30
Join Friends Board Member and local naturalist Jayson Moorman for a hike at Friends’ Lyle Cherry Orchard Preserve.
Strenuous: 4.5 miles | 1,200-ft. elev. gain

Swale Canyon Bike Ride - Celebrate Trails Day with Klickitat Trail Conservancy
2026-04-25 10:00 - 13:00
Join Friends Hike Leader/ Klickitat Trail Conservancy president Ken Hansen on a 8-mile mostly downhill bike ride from the Pitt trailhead to the Lyle trailhead, a portion of the “Rails to Trails” route.
Bike Ride Difficulty level: Easy 8 miles | ~220 feet- elevation gain.

Spring Wildflowers Hike at Four Sisters Natural Area & Mill Creek Ridge Preserve
2026-04-23 09:30 - 15:30
Join hike leader Steve Carples for a wildflower-filled day visiting Four Sisters Natural Area and Mill Creek Ridge, two Columbia Land Trust properties above The Dalles.
Moderate: 5.5 miles | 600-ft. elev. gain

Steamboat Landing to Steigerwald Dog-Friendly Walk
2026-04-21 09:00 - 13:00
Join Hike Leader and dog lover, Don McCoy, for a hike at Steamboat Landing in Washougal!
Moderate: 8.2 miles | 300-ft elev. gain

Spring Birding with Vancouver Audubon
2026-04-19 08:00 - 10:00
Join us for a spring bird walk at Doetsch Day Use with Cindy McCormick from the Vancouver Audubon.
Easy: 1.2 miles | No elev. Gain

Stewardship Day at St. Cloud Day Use Area
2026-04-18 09:00 - 12:00
We will keep momentum going on riparian restoration by tackling invasive blackberry and jewelweed in the newly planted area along Good Bear Creek.

Shared Wild Film Series Screening
2026-04-17 18:00 - 20:00
Join Friends of the Columbia Gorge for a special screening of the Shared Wild Series, a short film series directed by Friends’ Digital Content Producer Monique Trevett that celebrates community, conservation, and recreation in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

This series celebrates the joy of outdoor recreation while exploring how our experiences shape conservation, belonging, access, and stewardship. Across the Gorge, recreation can be a powerful entry point—not just to the landscape itself, but to a community of people of all ages. With Shared Wild, we’re sharing stories of community members who are making a direct impact by breaking down barriers to recreation throughout the Columbia Gorge.

Join us from 6 to 8 PM for an in-person screening of all six films in the series. The screening begins at 6:45 PM. After the first three films, we will take a short intermission featuring a panel conversation with people featured in the films.

Fire Ecology Walk with Botanist Brance Morefield
2026-04-12 10:00 - 13:00
Join us for a fire ecology walk Brance Morefield, US Forest Service Botanist. He will guide the group to a post-wildfire restoration area along the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail, covering fire burn severity, the ecological role of fire, and what recovery looks like on the ground.

Stewardship Day at Balfour-Klickitat Day Use Area
2026-04-10 09:00 - 12:00
Join us in kicking off Lyle Community Clean-up weekend with some stewardship and clean-up at this local preserve overlooking the Klickitat River.

Stewardship Saturday at Sams Walker Day Use Area
2026-04-04 09:00 - 12:00
Come help tackle spring invasive weeds and enjoy the first wildflowers emerging in the pollinator meadow restoration area!

Stewardship Saturdays at St. Cloud Day Use Area
2026-03-21 09:00 - 12:00
Kick off spring with a stewardship day at St. Cloud Day Use Area! For March we will be doing a stream clean to remove litter and unwanted debris from the restoration areas, trails and parking lot.

Stewardship Saturdays at Sams Walker Day Use Area
2026-03-07 09:00 - 12:00
Join us for monthly Stewardship Saturdays at Sams Walker! This month we will be planting native strawberries and pulling invasive English ivy and herb Robert geranium to free up more space for those spring wildflowers!

Volunteer Planting at Sams Walker Day Use Area
2026-02-28 10:00 - 14:00
Join us in planting native shrubs in oak understory at Sams Walker Day Use Area as this restoration area transforms from years of overgrown Himalayan blackberry to healthy native understory.

Volunteer Planting at St. Cloud Day Use Area
2026-02-21 10:00 - 14:00
Come out for a day of salmon habitat restoration in the Gorge! Volunteers will be planting native shrubs alongside Good Bear Creek, a salmon bearing stream that flows into the Columbia River at St. Cloud Day Use Area.

Burdoin Fire Restoration
2025-11-21 09:00 - 13:00
Join Friends of the Columbia Gorge and US Forest Service this fall in helping spread a mix of native grass seed to boost land recovery within the Burdoin Fire Area.

Burdoin Fire Restoration
2025-11-14 09:00 - 13:00
Join Friends of the Gorge and US Forest Service this fall in helping spread a mix of native grass seed to boost land recovery within the Burdoin Fire Area.

Burdoin Fire Restoration
2025-11-07 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-24 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-17 09:00 - 13:00
Join Friends of the Columbia Gorge and US Forest Service in helping spread a mix of native grass seed to boost land recovery in the Burdoin Fire Area.

Mt. Ulka Fire Restoration
2025-11-05 09:00 - 13:00
Mt. Ulka is a Land Trust Preserve along the west end of The Dalles that burned during the Rowena Fire in June. At this stewardship event we will spread native grass and wildflower seeds in efforts to bolster the native plant community post-fire and help suppress non-native weeds.

Fall Hike on the Cape Horn Trail
2025-10-25 10:00 - 16:00
Join Outdoor Guide & Friends Board Member Jayson Moorman for a scenic loop hike on the Cape Horn Trail.
Strenuous: 7.2 miles | 1300-ft elev. Gain

Fall Stewardship Saturday at St. Cloud Day Use Area
2025-10-18 09:00 - 12:00
The wall of blackberry alongside Good Bear Creek is mostly gone! Come check it out and help tackle remaining weeds before winter and possibly spot small salmon fry in the stream.

Hiking Through History Near Hood River - 2 PART HIKE & WALK OUTING
2025-10-17 09:00 - 15:00
First part – Strenuous hike to Summit of Mitchell Point – Hike Difficulty Level: 2.2 miles | 900-feet elev. Gain
Second part – Easy Walk Through the Mitchell Point Tunnel and Along the Pipeline Trail – Hike Difficulty Level: 3 miles

First part – Hard hike to Summit of Mitchell Point
Steve will lead a short but strenuous hike FOR EXPERIENCED HIKERS ONLY to the summit of Mitchell Point to enjoy 210 degree panoramic views of the Gorge. Please note that this hike is very steep (climbing 900 feet over 1.1 miles), crosses three scree fields with loose rock and then climbs an exposed ridgeline with significant drops on both sides. This part of the experience is difficult, so only those with experience hiking these conditions should consider doing this!

Second part – Easy Walk Through the Mitchell Point Tunnel and Along the Pipeline Trail
Those who only want to join for the easy walk will join the group at 11:15 AM to walk along the rebuilt section of the Columbia River Historic Highway through the new Mitchell Point Tunnel.** We will discuss the history of the first scenic highway in America and enjoy a picnic lunch along the way. Afterwards, we will caravan by cars to Hood River to walk the Pipeline Trail (3 miles in and out) and learn about the history of the Hood River water system. Both of these fairly flat walks provide beautiful river views.
