Forest view on the Ainsworth Loop Hike (Steve Hart)

Cascade penstemon (Penstemon serrulatus), Ainsworth State Park (bobcat)

Vegetated scree on the 400 Trail, Ainsworth Loop (bobcat)

The little loop at the Ainsworth State Park day use area (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo/USFS

• Start point: Ainsworth Loop East Trailhead
• End point: Gorge-Ainsworth Loop Trail West Junction
• Trail log : Trail Log
• Hike type: Loop
• Distance: 0.5 miles
• Elevation gain: 85 feet
• High point: 150 feet
• Difficulty: Easy
• Seasons: All year
• Family Friendly: Yes
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: No

Hike Description

This hike is a quick loop for those who want a brief trip in Douglas-fir forest that experienced only ground fire during the 2017 Eagle Creek conflagration. There are possible side trips on the Gorge Trail #400. The land for the state park here was donated by Alice H. and John C. Ainsworth, the latter the son of Captain J.C. Ainsworth, founder of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company.

From the pullout below a small restroom, take the first trail heading right (west) just above the highway. The Eagle Creek blaze of September 2017 scorched the lower trunks of the Douglas-firs here but preserved the canopy although the destruction of groundcover has resulted in proliferation of native blackberry (Rubus ursinus) as in other low-elevation areas fo the burn. Although you won't really see it, you'll pass above a drinking fountain alongside the Historic Columbia River Highway. You'll reach a second picnic area, signposted "Ainsworth State Park", where you can take the signed trail up through a recovering forest carpet of Oregon grape and sword fern. The invasive Eurasian weed herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum) is especially prevalent in this area post-fire. One switchback takes you up to a junction with the Gorge Trail #400 and a large, detailed sign that survived the 2017 fire.

Bear left on the Gorge Trail under a Douglas-fir canopy. Essentially you're hiking on Gorge scree stabilized by hundreds of years of forestation. Big-leaf maple trees here became flaming torches during the Eagle Creek Fire but are resprouting from their lignotubers. Older fire-resistant Douglas-firs preserved their photosynthetic upper branches. When you reach the second junction with the Gorge Trail, bear left. (Here the large sign was significantly damaged by the fire.)

You'll begin descending and pass a big five-foot (in diameter) Douglas-fir. Very quickly, you'll come to a picnic table and small restroom building above your car. (If the restroom has been closed, there will be numerous TP (toilet paper) "flowers" dotted around the area - if you're not too squeamish, clean them up.) Just the below the restroom is your vehicle, and on the east side of the restroom is a track that leads to the Ainsworth State Park campground.

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• Green Trails Maps: Bridal Veil, OR #428 and Bonneville Dam, OR #429
• Green Trails Maps: Columbia River Gorge - West #428S
• Geo-Graphics: Trails of the Columbia Gorge
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management: Columbia River Gorge
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

Fees, Regulations, etc.

• Open 6:00 a.m. - 10 :00 p.m.
• Dogs on leash
• Restrooms, picnic tables
• Nearby campground

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Ainsworth Loop

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Ainsworth Loop

Guidebooks that cover this hike

• Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge: Camping & Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Sean Patrick Hill
• Oregon State Parks: A Complete Recreation Guide by Jan Bannan
• Canine Oregon by Lizann Dunegan

More Links

• Ainsworth State Park (Oregon State Parks)
• Ainsworth State Park Campground (Outdoor Project)

Contributors

• Stevefromdodge (creator)