Features:

NEW!
 Click for PDF Topo Map of this Hike 

This is a revised presentation for the hike up Aldrich Butte in the Columbia River Gorge.
Over the years it has become more and more difficult to reach the traditional trailheads for this hike, so now we explain how to hike this worthy butte via the only legitimate access.
This new route nearly triples the length of the hike and adds considerable elevation gain/loss in the process. However, this new approach offers many additional vistas and features that make this new long approach truly worth the effort.
Here is a little jewel of a hike located just inside of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

This hike now begins at the Bonneville Trailhead which is located just across Hwy 14 from Bonneville Dam. You will follow the trail a short distance and will then encounter the Pacific Crest Trail. You will follow the PCT for about 5 miles.

This part of the hike is the same as the hike description to Gillette Lake and Greenleaf Overlook, in that you will pass Gillette Lake and the Overlook along the way.

A little over a mile from Greenleaf Overlook, you will come to a place where the PCT begins to follow an old logging road. It is at this point that you will need to make a sharp right turn and head away from the PCT, following the old logging road toward Aldrich Butte.

Just before you reach the top you will be able to enjoy vistas of the Columbia River Gorge, including Bonneville Dam.

From the top of Aldrich Butte you have an outstanding view of Table Mountain to the north, the Columbia River with Augspurger Mountain to the east, and the Benson Plateau and Tanner Ridge to the south in Oregon.

Table Mountain as seen from the summit of Aldrich Butte

How to get there:

Bonneville Trailhead:

From Oregon, take I-84 to Exit #44/Cascade Locks. Follow the signs to Bridge of the Gods/Stevenson and cross the bridge ($2 toll). Take a left and travel east on WA Hwy 14 for about a mile and a half. After you see Bonneville Dam on your left, start looking for the trailhead sign on your right.

From Vancouver, travel east on WA Hwy 14 for 35 miles. After you pass Beacon Rock State Park and the town of North Bonneville, you'll see Bonneville Dam on your right. Just past the dam on the left side of the highway is the Bonneville Trailhead.