Some friends of Boyd were running in the Columbia River Gorge Marathon this weekend so we decided to make a weekend of it and join them in an Airbnb in Hood River. I obviously agreed to make the trip down for the weekend with the hope of doing a hike in the area.

We lucked out with the weather for this weekend, it was sunny and warm, completely unknown for this time of year. On Sunday morning we had breakfast in Hood River then headed to do a short hike I’d looked up that was nearby. Without much planning and not really knowing what would be accessible after the fires that ran through the gorge last year I chose Mitchell Point. I had wanted to drive to Mount Hood but it seemed out of the question when I realized we all had to drive back together.

Mitchell Point

Mitchell point is a very short hike that would lead to a big view over the gorge. The mileage was short but the elevation gain was high. The trail was steep the whole way. There were sections that were really rocky too and Boyd wished he had his hiking shoes for. There are lots of cuts off the trail too so keep your eyes peeled to make sure you’re heading up the right one and avoid cutting the switchbacks.

The trail zigzags until it reaches the ridge behind Mitchell Point where it passes under the powerlines. It’s weird huffing up through the forest and coming out to a clearing with such evidence of humans. The final part of the trail is pretty exposed, hiking up the ridge to reach the high point. There isn’t much room on the top so hopefully, you can get it all to yourself as we did. You get a good view across the gorge either side. It was a little hazy but when you normally expect grey and showers for this time of year you really can’t complain!

Further info on trail