Getting There:

Take WA-14 from Vancouver, WA east toward N Bonneville. Just after Doetsch Ranch you'll see the Ranger Station on the north side of the road just before the Beacon Rock parking lot, then another road across from the bathrooms. The road winds up the hill for a bit.

For the first time since I started hiking here, the upper parking lot was open. I remember going up there years ago (10+) when I had my truck. There was just one spot available.

The Hike:

Distance: 8.15 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,142 feet
Number of Steps: 22,627 (Fitbit)
Zone Mins: 110 (68 fat burn, 42 cardio/peak)
Floors: 259
Calories: 3,625

Since I was parked in the upper lot, I started my hike by heading through the campground to the Hadley Grove trail. I briefly stopped at the plaque and touched the petrified wood.

There were quite a few people out but it didn't feel crowded. As expected, many folks only went to Rodney & Hardy Falls or the lookout below Little Hamilton. There were a pair of hikers with a dog that was a few hundred feet behind me. It was good motivation to keep truckin'. I was feeling pretty tired throughout but found the energy to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Counting the 14 turns at the top really helps.

The place were I turned around (between turns 12,13,14) was easily passable. The snow on the trail was post-holed but had hardened and was easy to walk over, plenty of footprints to follow.

When I reached top, there was a guy resting and the pair with the dog arrived. I pondered heading to the Saddle. I noticed a hiker making their way. It seemed like they were going toward the summit (opposite direction). I sat down and put on my micro-spikes. FINALLY! This was the first time I'd worn them.

They worked perfectly (surprise, surprise!). I stepped down the icy trail with confidence. I took my time to pick a good line through the obstacles and post holes. I loved 'em. There were a few spot where I was walking on mud and rocks but I could see there were more patches of ice/snow. I didn't want to damage the spikes.

When I descended the zag, I dropped below the snow line. I easily slipped off the spikes and secured them to my pack waist strap to save time.

The Saddle had a bit of snow but was mostly barren. A couple of hikers and a dog were enjoying the sunny views on the other side.

The trip back to down was pretty standard but there were lots of downed trees. The Parks crew is going to have some work to do to make the Equestrian Trail passable with a vehicle.

When I reached stairs by Rodney Falls there was a hiker with a cat in a special backpack. I'd seen them earlier. The way they were standing it looked like they were waiting for someone to come up. For a split second I thought I was "jumping the line". I asked this person but they were wearing headphones. After fumbling with their phone and had finally removed one headphone to ask "What??". I sheepishly admitted it was a dumb question and tried to explain. Unfortunately, I only confused the issue with my "clarification" and just said "sorry" and took off down the stairs. Welp. This time, there was someone coming up but they graciously stepped to the side so we could pass with some social distance.

I took the Hadley Grove Trail again and stopped at Little Beacon. The photos below are from that area. The lighting was amazing. I started back and cleared the lookout for a group of 4 that had climbed up there.