🥾 ActiveDay trip · from Portland, OR
Angel's Rest & Dog Mountain: Gorge Ridgeline Classics
The Columbia River Gorge's two most celebrated ridge hikes sit on opposite banks of the river — Angel's Rest on the Oregon side delivers a dramatic basalt cliff-edge viewpoint 30 miles from Portland in the Columbia River Gorge; Dog Mountain on the Washington side climbs 2,800 feet through wildflower meadows to a 360-degree Cascade panorama. Together in a day, they constitute the Gorge's finest ridgeline experience.
Day 1 — Columbia River Gorge
Day 1 — Columbia River Gorge
Day 1 — Columbia River Gorge
🚗 2 hr 25 min driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Portland, OR → Angel's Rest Trailhead
35 min8:00 AM → 8:35 AM
Angel's Rest Trail
The 4.6-mile round-trip climbs 1,500 feet from the Historic Columbia River Highway trailhead to a basalt promontory at the edge of the cliffs above the Columbia. The final approach crosses a saddle with views both east and west along the gorge; the summit rock outcrop projects over a 1,000-foot drop to the river below. One of the most dramatic viewpoints accessible within an hour of Portland.
8:35 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
🚗
Drive
Angel's Rest Trailhead → Skamania Lodge Restaurant
20 min9:35 AM → 9:55 AM
Skamania Lodge Restaurant
★ 4.1The main restaurant at the Gorge's most prominent lodge, on the Washington side above Stevenson — a panoramic dining room overlooking the river from 150 feet above. The menu runs to Pacific Northwest standards: Columbia River salmon, Dungeness crab chowder, Gorge-grown produce. The right refueling stop between the two major ridge hikes.
9:55 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
🚗
Drive
Skamania Lodge → Dog Mountain Trailhead
15 min12:00 PM → 12:15 PM
Dog Mountain Trail
★ 4.8The Columbia Gorge's most demanding day hike climbs 2,800 feet in 3.7 miles to a summit wildflower meadow above the Washington bank — the balsamroot bloom in May turns the upper slopes gold and draws crowds; the off-season delivers the same panorama with solitude. The view from the summit takes in 60 miles of the Columbia corridor and the full volcanic arc from Rainier to Jefferson.
12:15 PM📍 See location
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Evening
🚗
Drive
Dog Mountain Trailhead → Walking Man Brewing
20 min5:00 PM → 5:20 PM
Walking Man Brewing
★ 4.5A Stevenson brewpub that has been the post-hike institution for Dog Mountain parties since 2000 — the Homo Erectus IPA and the Walking Man Pale Ale are the house standards, brewed with Cascade hops in a converted downtown building. The kitchen runs pub food; the outdoor seating faces the river.
5:20 PM📍 See location
🚗
Drive
Walking Man Brewing → Portland, OR
55 min6:20 PM → 7:15 PM
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