Table Mountain Loop Hike
From Portland Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Aldrich Butte Trailhead
- End point: Table Mountain
- Trail Log: Trail Log
- Hike Type: Out and back
- Distance: 8.0 miles round trip
- Elevation gain: 3350 feet
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Seasons: April-October
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: Yes
- Crowded: Yes
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Hike Description
The reopening of the Heartbreak Ridge Trail has made a new loop possible on Table Mountain.
From the Aldrich Butte Trailhead, hike up a road that currently serves as a power line maintenance road. There's a fork near the trailhead and you'll want the left side. This road climbs a bit to the left, then heads back to the east (right) and soon enters the trees. This is the abandoned Aldrich Butte Road, built to access a military defense position on Aldrich Butte during World War II. The old road starts out pretty steep (for a road), but then the grade eases.
After about a mile, you'll come to a somewhat complicated trail junction near Carpenter Lake. The first trail to the right is the Dick Thomas Trail, which provides an alternate route up from the road. Next, you'll see Carpenter Lake itself, which has degenerated into a boggy meadow since resident beavers left. Just passed this, the road makes a sharp hairpin to the left and another old road continues straight ahead. This is the Two Chiefs Trail which heads northeastward to intersect the Pacific Crest Trail before reaching Lower Greenleaf Falls. Stay on the Aldrich Butte Road a bit farther and you'll come to another, nearly identical switchback and another northbound abandoned road. This is your trail, cleverly labeled by us as the Aldrich-PCT Connector Trail. You'll know you have the right trail as it climbs northward.
Soon, there's a small saddle and the trail enters the Cedar Creek drainage. The PCT is hidden in the trees, just above you to the right, so don't be surprised if you hear people. The two trails parallel each other for a ways and they intersect about 1 mile from Carpenter Lake. You can take either path north from here as they intersect again about 150 yards farther north. From this second junction take the Crest Trail northward as it begins to climb the west side of Table Mountain.
A half mile later, you'll come to the Heartbreak Ridge Trail. There's a new nice sign with a map of the local trail system. From, here, you'll turn right and head up the hill. The trail is in pretty good shape, but this is one STEEP trail. Plan on struggling a bit and pausing often. You'll climb about 700 feet in the first half mile. At the top of the first pitch, the trail opens on a small rock viewpoint. This is a great place to stop and look down on how far you've come. There's also a good view looking up at the top of Table Mountain, where you're going to be. From here it's a short stroll through a flat, if steeply slanted, trail to the viewpoint we've labeled Heartbreak Ridge. You'll be right at the edge of the lower clifftops on the west side of the Table Mountain Slide Area. There's a great look at the higher cliffs across the way.
From here, the trail drops steeply for a couple hundred feet the works its way through the forest. After a bit, the trail switchbacks upward for a bit, regaining the elevation lost. Soon there's light head as the trail comes to the bottom of the Table Mountain Talus Climb. Older versions of this trail traveled through subalpine meadows and hikers did a lot of damage to the fragile terrain. The current version of this trail avoids that problem by climbing straight up a rocky slope. There's no real trail here, so just climb over the rocks however you can. The path is marked by several blaze orange ribbons tied to trees and poles stuck into the rock.
An obvious trail leads to the left from the top of the rock field. After a couple of switchbacks, there's a junction with a connector trail. Turn right at the junction and you'll soon come to another junction at the crest of the ridge. Turn tight here again and start dropping through stunning open meadows. Near the end of the trail, there are a couple of sketchy viewpoints. The south edge features incredible views of the cliffs framing the landslide, as well as views of the entire Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood. Be careful here, as a stumble would mean sure death. Take your time exploring the summit, then head back up to the second trail junction.
Take the right fork and walk north along the flat top of Table Mountain. Soon after this the trail comes to a fork. Angle to the right to the open North Viewpoint, where there are views of Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Rainier. After you've had your fill of the north views, return to the fork and take the right fork. The trail skirts the top of the bluff, then passes another rocky viewpoint marked with a cairn and then passes a couple of rock switchbacks.
Continuing on, the trail alternates between small timbered patches and open hillsides. The open areas are mostly right on the edge of a cliff and have great views to the west. The trail drops tp a large flat area at the Lower Table Mountain Viewpoint. If the trail seems to have disappeared, walk back looking for a small cairn on the south side. The cairn marks the continuation of the West Table Mountain Trail and the start of a particularly treacherous section. As the trail passes Windbreak Rocks, it's filled with loose stones that tumble with the slightest footstep. After about a quarter mile of slipping and sliding the trail reenters the woods. Hike down the steep wooded slope to the Pacific Crest Trail. Turn left here and walk about a quarter mile to the Heartbreak Ridge Trail Junction. Continue south on Crest Trail and return to your car the way you came.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
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