Devil's Rest Trail

Devil’s Rest is a 6.7-mile out-and-back from Wahkeena Falls Day Use/Picnic Area/Trailhead. Follow Wahkeena Trail #420 to the junction with Devil’s Rest Trail #420C, climb to the summit, then retrace the same way. The walk is about 3.35 miles each way and takes roughly five hours. The destination is a rocky outcrop among trees; the Gorge views are along the route, not a broad summit panorama.

The approach has more to look at than the name suggests. Wahkeena Creek drops through several falls, and Fairy Falls, about 1.1 miles up the trail, is a short fan-shaped cascade. Beyond the junction, old-growth forest and patchy post-fire regrowth frame occasional openings toward the Columbia River Gorge. On a clear day, Mount Adams can appear from the upper ridge. Choose this for a sustained forest climb with scenery breaks, not for a big summit view.

The signed start is just west of the Wahkeena Falls viewing platform. The lower trail reaches a stone bridge over Wahkeena Creek, then climbs quickly through switchbacks that can catch spray from the falls. Continue past Fairy Falls to the #420C junction. The first stretch of #420C is steep; after the ridge, the grade eases and the trail heads west past rocky ledges and intermittent Gorge views. One especially good outlook is reached by a short brushy side path about 0.2 mile before the summit. Near the end, take the right-hand branch at the signed Y and walk about 50 feet north to the rocky outcrop and survey marker.

Park at Wahkeena Falls Day Use/Picnic Area/Trailhead on the north side of Historic Columbia River Highway, then cross to the start on the south side, just west of the falls platform. Expect roughly 2,300 feet of climbing over natural-ground trail. The route is listed as year-round but snow-dependent. Waterfall spray can leave the lower switchbacks treacherously icy in winter, and the trail may remain open when icy; traction devices can be necessary. Dogs are allowed on leash, and there is no fee.