Creating a World-Class Trekking Network Encircling the Gorge
Learn more about the initiative to create a 200-mile loop trail network in the Gorge.
On the Trail
This 11.4-mile, one-way trek on the Klickitat Trail is great for a riverside walk or mountain biking; return via the same route for 22.8 miles round trip, or hike it one way and return via a car shuttle. The route is basically flat, gaining only 315 feet on the 11.4 miles between Fisher Bridge and Klickitat. The river bends constantly along the route, offering great views at every turn.
Permits & Pets
The trail is administered by the U.S. Forest Service. No passes or permits are required. Dogs must be on leash on this stretch of the Klickitat Trail (and the entire trail).
Trail Notes
- Wear boots with tough soles: The trail is on the ballast rock of an old rail line.
- From the parking area, begin walking right on the trail, immediately crossing a pedestrian bridge over the Klickitat River. This stretch of the river is one of several traditional Native American fishing sites along the Klickitat, where Native fishers still dip net for salmon from platforms suspended over the whitewater.
- In 0.5 mile, pass a fish-counting facility operated by the Yakama Nation Fisheries at the Lyle Falls Fishway. Some fish are collected for hatchery brood-stock purposes, but most are returned to the fishway to continue migrating after sampling. The counts don’t include fish that came up the natural waterfall at Lyle Falls.
- In 8.5 miles, pass the Pitt trailhead to the Klickitat Trail, where there is a restroom.
- Continue upstream to the Klickitat trailhead, where there is another restroom.
- There are no restrooms at the trailhead.
- Please always stay on the trail and clean your boots before and after you hike. Hikers are a common vector for spreading invasive seeds.
- Learn about the Klickitat Trail history at the Klickitat Trail Conservancy.
Post-Hike Explorations
Combine this hike with a visit to the other side of the river from the Lyle trailhead at the Balfour-Klickitat Day Use Area and Trail. Afterward, play a game of pool in Lyle, or eat in an old railroad hotel or at a classic corner grill.
Other Hikes at or Near This Trailhead
Directions & Travel Tips
From SR 14 and the Hood River Bridge (tolls are required on the bridge), drive east on SR 14 for 10.8 miles, then turn left onto Highway 142, just beyond the Klickitat River. Drive 1.6 miles and veer left into a parking area for the Klickitat Trail on the left (west) side of Highway 142. The trail begins adjacent to this parking area.
There are no restrooms at the trailhead. The nearest restroom is at the Lyle trailhead to the Klickitat Trail, 1.6 miles south of this trailhead.
For a car shuttle, leave a car at the Klickitat trailhead, in the town of Klickitat, 13 miles north of SR 14 on Highway 142. Trailhead parking here is generally across from Huntington’s Steakhouse restaurant and next to the Klickitat Trail kiosk in the middle of town.