Klickitat Trail: Klickitat River Segment

Dogs Leashed

Features River/Creek

This is just the first half of the otherwise 31 miles one can hike for the Klickitat Trail. The trailhead starts in the town of Lyle, WA directly off of Highway 14. A PDF detailing the full trail can be found here. At 2.5 miles in, a very serene cascading waterfall runs.

The doubletrack gravel road begins to slowly morph into tame singletrack a little after the three-mile mark. The trail is very flat and lacks any substantial obstacles. The abundant Columbia River Basalt is ever-present along the trail, providing some rocky area, but not overwhelmingly so. Eventually, the trail morphs back into doubletrack, save for a few short stretches of singletrack before it reaches the town of Klickitat.

The trail can be very beautiful to experience in the spring, as the hills come alive with a vibrant green and the rapids of the Klickitat River swell with snowmelt. It can also be pleasant in the warmer months, as the trail traverses underneath both open sky and forest canopy.

One great rest stop is about four miles in where you head towards the river where a small sandbar is. You can dip your feet in the water here (very shallow) and continue on your way. Great on a hot summer day.

This route terminates at the town of Klickitat. A washed-out bridge a mile east of Klickitat formerly connected the entirety of the 31-mile trail; however now one must hike on State Road 142 for about three miles to reach the Wahkiacus Trailhead. Be mindful of this if you intend to hike east of the town of Klickitat on the Klickitat Trail: Swale Canyon Segment.

Make no mistake—this is a "rails to trails" path, and so it is relatively flat and open, but also extremely serene. Those more interested in just getting in some miles when the other trails are wet and muddy could definitely enjoy this trail which can be seen as more fun and engaging than the other nearby rail to trail, the Deschutes River Trail.