6/60 Coyote Wall-The Labyrinth

Adventure is out there!

Completed: 3/9/11
Difficulty: Moderate
Rating: 4 stars
Time: 3 hours
Length: 5.2 miles










This was our first Washington hike! About 60 miles east to Hood River, OR, and then just across the Columbia River is Coyote Wall and the trail system known as The Labyrinth. It's a popular mountain bike location and the trail gets its name from the various off shoots and options you have when traveling from the top to the bottom.


We started our hike by following the ridge along Coyote Wall. The trail runs through a grassy field with lots of exposed rocks and boulders everywhere. It reminded me of what I always imagine Scotland look like.

Washington

Scotland

Climbing the ridge gave us a great vantage point over the Columbia river as well as the forested valley below. As we hiked the ridge it seemed to wind on forever. Switchbacks were built into the trail to make the ascent easier for foot and wheeled transportation alike, and every time we were back on the ridge there seemed to be more ground added as we looked ahead. It made the trail seem daunting at times, but we continued to put our best foot forward.

We encountered a few bikers as we were out, and I started imagining what each turn and rock drop would be like from behind the saddle. Megan will attest that "this would be fun on a bike" has been a comment uttered from my lips frequently on our hikes, but it was even worse as bikers descended around us on their full-suspension machines. Half of my hike was spent mapping out how I was going to work my mountain bike back into a more solid riding condition.

catching sweet air would be extra rad with this scene
of the Columbia River in the background

The ridge continued on and we continued on following it. It eventually turned as we neared the top so that we were moving parallel to river. This lent itself to an excellent view of the river with the valley below. The trail had a descent from the top that dove down into the valley. It looked steep and it looked like it would be fun on a mountain bike, but we turned on our heals and headed back down the way we came so that we could enter, and explore, the labyrinth.

We stuck to a trail that led us on the outside of the labyrinth and let us see a good amount of the surrounding area. The trail ducked in and out of big boulders, shot over a creek, ran down the hillside, and nestled right along a bunch of mini waterfalls formed by a combination of the rocks and hillside (this was Megan's favorite part).

The labyrinth is a destination we will be returning to. Hopefully I will be back with a couple of wheels to accompany me, but I know we will come back to hike because during the summer the field is FILLED with wild flowers. While they weren't in full bloom, it is always a treat to see some color like this in March!