Klickitat Trail

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Today I explored two sections of the Klickitat Trail, an old rail line converted into a hiking trail. In the morning I parked at the Wahkiukus Trailhead and headed east:

Klickitat Trail

This section is forested and protected from the wind:

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

I passed what I think is a hunting cabin. There was a car that had clearly been sitting there for a long time:

Klickitat Trail

Most of the time Swale Creek was out of sight, but occasionally it came into view:

Klickitat Trail

Another cabin:

Klickitat Trail

After hiking for just over an hour I reached this old trestle at the three mile mark:

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Hills above the trestle:

Klickitat Trail

Just beyond the trestle is another piece of private property. This one had a whole lot of junk laying around:

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

I turned and headed back to the car:

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

After that I drove over to the trailhead on Harms Road. If I had kept hiking another eight miles past that trestle earlier I would have ended up here:

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

This part of the trail was very different from where I had just been. It was much more open with hardly any trees, and therefore less protected from the wind. Swale Creek was much more visible than it had been on the other section:

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

There weren’t many wildflowers, but I did some grass widows:

Klickitat Trail

Klickitat Trail

I believe this is a northern harrier:

Northern Harrier

I took a break sitting on a rock by the creek for a little bit and spotted this killdeer:

Killdeer

Killdeer

I only hiked 1.5 miles before turning around and going back to the car.