Rowena Plateau
From Portland Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes including this location:
- Rowena Plateau Hike (TH | <-- --> | LOG)
- Latitude: 45.68888
- Longitude: -121.30172
- Maps: Portland Hikers Maps Google Earth
- Elevation: 594 feet
Contents |
Description
Rowena Plateau sits at the far east side of the Columbia River Gorge - right at the point where the lush, temperate rain forests transitions to the arid, high desert plains of eastern Oregon between Hood River and The Dalles. A long, winding road takes you up from the little town of Rowena, Oregon about 550 feet to a turn-around with a great viewpoint of the Columbia River. On a rainy day in Portland, this is great little destination for a Sunday drive.
In early spring, this square-mile expanse of meadows and swamp-like ponds is a wildflower-lover's heaven! Its location on the eastern edge of the Gorge means the flowers come much earlier than such famous wildflower locations as Dog Mountain and Silver Star Mountain.
You can't talk about the Rowena Plateau without talking about the Tom McCall Nature Preserve. The Nature Conservancy has worked to preserve the fauna and flora here. Ecologists work to monitor rare plant populations. Starting in spring, volunteers lead interpretive hikes. Due to these efforts, dogs are not allowed in the preserve.
There's a nice viewpoint at the end of the trail. From here, you can see the Columbia River and the town of Lyle.
Note - this is a popular spot for cyclists in the warmer months, so take it slow as you drive up to the trailhead.
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Rowena Plateau
- Memaloose State Park-Rowena Dell Canyon 11-16-06
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Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Rowena Plateau
- Great wet weather hikes 11/26/06)
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Guidebooks that cover this destination
- 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Portland 2nd Edition, by Paul Gerald
- 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon 2nd Edition, by William Sullivan
- Hiking the Columbia River Gorge 2nd Edition, by Russ Schneider
More Links
- The Tom McCall Nature Preserve (The Nature Conservancy)
- NWHiker.com Hike #54
- L&C's Columbia River - a Photographic Journey
- Rowena Plateau - OregonWildflowers.org
Contributors
- jeffstatt (creator)