Hardy Ridge Hike with Snow

It seams like on Northwest trails every time you hike it it is a new experience. This time I did the Hardy Ridge Loop Trail clockwise with snow being the new point of interest. I started find snow at the 1600 elev. level and 1900 elev. it was solid. It was only two to four inches down lower but by the time I got to the ridge crest it was six to eight inches. The snow was slushy so a lot of slipping and sliding. I found only few tracks of folks getting up to ridge and no track running the ridge. I did about 8 1/4 miles with around 1880 ft gain.

Hardy Ridge Hike

A clockwise hike of Hardy Ridge Loop hike. 8.8 miles, 2200 elv. gain, about 5.25 hrs. on trail.

Of Note- This is the first time I have done this trail clockwise. Coming up the West side is shorter but steeper. The Indian Paint brush we exceptionally nice. Low cloud cover and haze mad for bad scenic photos.

Hardy Ridge Trail

A hike in Beacon Rock State Park up to Hardy Ridge. The ridge had great views of the Gorge and lots of wild flowers in full bloom. The hike was about 9 miles, 2300 elevation gain and on the trail for a little under 6 hours