Hiking the Columbia River Gorge [Paperback]

Russ Schneider (Author)

Book Description

Series: Regional Hiking Series | Publication Date: August 1, 1997

A complete guide to more than fourty-five of the publicly accessed hiking trails in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge, a verdant terrain that stretches from Portland to Eastern Washington. This guidebook features fifteen hikes to scenic waterfalls and includes seven mountain ascents and ten extended backpacking trips.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Here is your passport to 300,000 acres of pristine wilderness, encompassing 22 state parks with 167 miles of maintained trails in a brilliantly lush kingdom of mountains and waterfalls on the western end with pastoral farmland and arid desert on the eastern end. The ravages of nature--volcanic eruptions, floods, and landslides--have resulted in incomparable beauty. Eliminate the guesswork with this concise guide to nearly 50 hikes for all skill levels, from leisurely flower watchers to aspiring mountaineers. Let Hiking the Columbia River Gorge be your guide to this 'final passage to the Pacific.' Its beautiful photos, maps, and special sections on safety, geology, and wilderness ethics will make it a welcome addition to your pack.

About the Author

While earning a degree in Portland, Russ Schneider visited the Gorge often for a taste of the wilderness and hiked every one of the trails in this book. As a veteran hiker, guide, and author, Russ has written numerous books, including Best Hikes Along the Continental Divide, Fishing Glacier National Park, and Backpacking Tips.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560445688
• ISBN-13: 978-1560445685
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,187,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful guide to Gorge hikes, October 24, 2002

By 

G. McNutt "fantasy book addict" (WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiking the Columbia River Gorge (Paperback)

If you love hiking and live in the Columbia Gorge area (or plan to pass through) this is a nice guide to have. I learned of hiking trails I didn't know existed and the Gorge seems to have plenty of them. Each hike is listed with a general description, the distance of the trail, how much traffic of people to expect there, the best season to go, the elevation gain and maximum elevation. A map is shown and directions to the hike are given along with detailed description of the hike. Many black and white photographs show views from the various hikes. My one disappointment with this book is that the Deschutes River trail that is branched off directly from the Columbia River Gorge is not mentioned in this book, because it is east of The Dalles; this book only mentions the trails from Portland to The Dalles.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to the Columbia River Gorge, July 11, 2006

By 

Duwayne Anderson (Saint Helens, Oregon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hiking the Columbia River Gorge, 2nd (Regional Hiking Series) (Paperback)

There are few places on earth as majestic as the Columbia River Gorge, and fewer still with its wide variety of climate zones. At the west end one finds temperate mid-latitude forests of ancient fir, while at the east end high desert with scrub oak predominate. There are few places in the world where the weather varies as dramatically over such a short distance.

It's not just beautiful; it's also one of the great places in the Northwest for hiking and recreation. Kayaking, wind surfing, and fishing are among the recreational activities afforded by the gorge. And hiking; lots and lots of hiking.

Schneider's book describes all the well-traveled trails in the gorge, and many of the less-traveled ones as well. He describes the trails on the Oregon side of the river first, where most of the waterfalls are found. In his descriptions he moves from sites near the west end of the gorge to those nearer the east end. Then he takes us across the gorge to the Washington side, following the reverse direction from east to west.

Schneider describes the trails by name, and gives numerical descriptions as well as directions to the trail heads and points of interest along the way. He also provides a rough estimate of the difficulty, along with altitude and distance. I've hiked about half the trails he describes, and generally find his descriptions to be accurate, though there are a few instances in which he over estimates the trail's difficulty.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to become more intimate with this rugged and majestic landscape. It's useful for both the beginner and more advanced hiker. There are lots of similar books on the market, but I think Russ's is one of the best.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, May 18, 2006

By 

J. Scott "Sofa Mellon" (Durango, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hiking the Columbia River Gorge, 2nd (Regional Hiking Series) (Paperback)

My, then girlfriend now wife, and I spent 2 days in the Columbia Gorge this was one of two books that we had on the area and this was the one that we used the most. I just wish it would tell you what the waterfall on the cover was.