Looking up to Accordion Rock, The Labyrinth (bobcat)

Ball-head waterleaf (Hydrophyllum capitatum), The Labyrinth (bobcat)

Labyrinth Falls (Steve Hart)

Grass widows are common here (Steve Hart)

The route through the Labyrinth in yellow (bobcat) Courtesy: Google Maps

• Start point: Labyrinth Trailhead
• End point: Rowland Basin Viewpoint
• Hike type: Out and back
• Distance: 3.6 miles
• Elevation gain: 915 feet
• High point: 1,005 feet
• Difficulty: Easy
• Seasons: All year
• Family Friendly: Yes
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: Yes

Hike Description

The hike into the Labyrinth is one of the gems of the Washington Gorge and, while it is popular, it doesn't quite get the crowds of the Coyote Wall Hike. The Labyrinth Trail winds its way up through this maze of basalt outcroppings in a thin-soiled landscape scoured by the Missoula Floods at the end of the last ice age. Labyrinth Creek and its waterfall is one feature; spring wildflowers are another; and the hike ends at a viewpoint that takes in much of the east Gorge as well as Mount Hood. Poison oak is rampant in these environs, however, and with an official trail system now in place, make sure you stay on the designated paths. Note that dogs must be on leash in this area from December 1st to June 30th.

Walk west along an abandoned section of former Highway 8 below basalt cliffs. Cross a rock slide, and pass Lower Labyrinth Falls, which splash down over the road cutting: this two-tiered falls was created when both the old and new alignments of the highway were blasted. Monkey flower, pungent desert parsley, fiddleneck, and prairie star bloom here in the spring. Approach another cutting: to the left is a grassy promontory that hosts a population of cluster lilies and offers views downriver to Mosier as well as up the rugged landscape of the Labyrinth.

Just beyond the promontory is the Highway 8-Labyrinth Trail Junction. Wind up the Labyrinth Trail #4423, keeping right at a junction to enter the Labyrinth’s maze of basalt outcroppings. Pass under a ponderosa pine to drop into a hollow, and then follow Labyrinth Creek up past where it plunges through a narrow defile on the right. You’ll pass by Labyrinth Cave on your left, and then you can take a side trail to get a better view of Labyrinth Falls. Switchback up twice to get a view of Labyrinth Falls’ upper tier, and then cross Labyrinth Creek on a single plank bridge. Hike up under oaks and then through a meadow under a palisade of columnar basalt known as Accordion Rock (and to local climbers as Wankers Columns). To your left, Labyrinth Creek funnels through another gorge. Enter an oak wood that is carpeted with lupine, buttercups, and poison oak. Exit the woods, and wind up to a T-junction at a fence and telephone line. Go left here (the trail to the right is unofficial), and head up the slope, now getting views upriver to the Columbia Hills. Swing right to pass under the phone line and through the fence line to get a vista down to Rowland Lake, the Rowland Wall, and across the river to the Rowena Plateau. Mount Hood stands out to the southwest.

Reach the Labyrinth-Upper Labyrinth-Desert Parsley Trail Junction (unsigned in 2022), and go left up the grassy slope through clumps of poison oak. Cross a trickling creek, and rise to the Rowland Basin Viewpoint at a grassy picnic spot. The viewpoint offers sweeping views east to the Columbia Hills, Sevenmile Hill, the Rowena Gap, and McCall Point. The Memaloose Hills are across the Columbia River, and Memaloose Island is just to the east. Below are the rubbly hollows of the Rowland Basin and the cove of Rowland Lake. Views west include the Labyrinth, Mount Defiance, and Mount Hood. Scan the skies for soaring vultures, red-tailed hawks, and bald eagles. After admiring the scenery, return downhill the way you came. For those interested in a longer loop, see the Labyrinth-Coyote Wall Loop Hike.

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• Green Trails Maps: Columbia River Gorge – East #432S
• Burdoin/Coyote/Catherine Recreation Plan (USFS)
• Adventure Maps: Hood River, Oregon, Trail Map
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

Regulations or restrictions, etc

• Stay on trails
• Share trails with mountain bikes
• Dogs on leash: December 1st to June 30th
• $3.50 toll each way at Hood River Bridge

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Labyrinth

• Labyrinth Trail (March 16)
• Labyrinth Trail (Dec 28)
• The Labryinth - 2023-03-01
• Labyrinth 2/16/2022
• Surprise on the Labyrinth Trail
• Labyrinth – snow and flowers 2/25/11
• Labyrinth 3-29-09

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Labyrinth

Guidebooks that cover this hike

• 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland by Paul Gerald
• Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
• 70 Virtual Hikes of the Columbia River Gorge by Northwest Hiker
• 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington by William L. Sullivan
• Day Hikes in the Columbia Gorge by Don J. Scarmuzzi
• Day Hiking: Columbia River Gorge by Craig Romano
• Take a Hike: Portland by Barbara I. Bond
• Columbia Gorge Getaways by Laura O. Foster
• Curious Gorge by Scott Cook

More Links

• Coyote Wall (USFS)
• Labyrinth Trail (#4423) (USFS)
• Upper Labyrinth (#4424) (USFS)
• “Bingen Gap, Washington” (The Columbia River: A Photographic Jounrey)
• Coyote Wall, the Labyrinth & Rowland Lake Plant List (Paul Slichter)
• The Labyrinth (Northwest Wildflowers)

Contributors

• Stevefromdodge (creator)