New Trail at Columbia Gorge Gateway

The next time you are traveling east along SR 14 (one of the state's most scenic highways) be sure to allot an hour or two to check out the new trail at the Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge located right at the entrance of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. A close getaway from the Portland-Vancouver Metro area, the urban sprawl abruptly ends right here at the gateway. Follow the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail for 1.2 meandering miles along sloughs and through columns of cottonwoods towards the Columbia River. Want to stretch your legs out more? Then head east or west on the East Dike Trail, a 3.5 mile trail that connects the wildlife refuge with the historic center of Washougal. All of this will be in my upcoming Day Hiking Columbia Gorge Book. You won't find it in any other book on the region. And it is just one of several other great trails and locations that is in my new book-but not in my colleague's guides. In the meanwhile-don't wait for my book to come out to explore the refuge-check it out this winter if you can, when wintering swans add to the beauty of this special place.

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