One sure way to beat the Central Oregon weather blahs and the typical bland high-desert spring landscape is to head to the Columbia River Gorge where spring, although over a month late this year, is arriving. And with its arrival comes brilliant, almost iridescent green foliage, wildflowers and waterfalls crashing with runoff.
A recent ride and hike four-day trip revealed the Gorge at its best. The Oregon side of the Gorge is densely forested and verdant, in contrast to the Washington side, which is browner, sparsely timbered with wild oaks yet spotted with wildflowers and greenery in the gullies cut by small streams and springs.
Nowhere is the Washington side displayed better than at Coyote Wall and the Syncline Trail near Bingen. Here, the hills are alive with wildflowers.
Mountain biking the Syncline is interesting. Like just about every mountain bike ride in The Gorge, you’re riding either uphill or downhill. In our case, we rode well over an hour climbing more than 1,000 feet on the seemingly endless switchback trail to Catherine Creek.
From there we doubled back taking a side trail down what’s known as “Little Maui”. This trail parallels a mountain stream that slices through between two ridges and tumbles over dozens of waterfalls. And all this with spectacular views out over The Gorge toward Hood River and environs on the Columbia River’s southern banks.
A steady diet of riding the Syncline and Little Maui (it’s rock strewn and dicey in parts) would make some give up mountain biking for life. But making the ride once a year works when spring is in the air.
