Indian Point Loop

Indian Point Loop is a 7.6-mile marked circuit from Herman Creek Trailhead, gaining and losing about 2,800 feet through forest, steep trail and ridge meadows. Its payoff is a view of Indian Point’s pointed basalt outcrop from Gorton Creek Trail, followed by open looks toward Mount Hood on the Nick Eaton return. Plan on about six hours. This is a hard, sustained hike with a long climb and an equally serious descent, a good choice for a full Gorge day rather than a quick waterfall stop.

From the trailhead, the Herman Creek path drops and climbs through fir and hemlock, crosses a powerline opening, then joins an old logging road. Stay left at the 406E junction; about 0.7 mile later, turn onto Gorge Trail 400 toward Gorton Creek. Gorton climbs for roughly 2.5 miles. Burned slopes open views over the Columbia, with surviving canopy, recovering understory, shaded creek gullies and a creek crossing breaking up the hard grade. Near the ridge, a wide viewpoint frames Indian Point’s dark rock with Wind Mountain across the river. The marked loop turns onto Ridge Cutoff here. Leave the informal trail to the point alone: it follows loose rock along a narrow ridge with steep drops on both sides.

Follow Ridge Cutoff about half a mile to Nick Eaton Trail, then hike about 1.6 miles to the Herman Creek junction and follow Trail 406 back to the start. The return descends through switchbacks and open meadows; from one meadow, the forks of Herman Creek sit below Mount Hood. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire badly affected parts of upper Nick Eaton, and some tread can be faint, so route-finding matters. A valid Forest Service recreation pass is required. The trailhead has parking for 10–12 cars, a vault toilet and no potable water. In winter, a road gate may leave you a 0.4-mile paved walk from Frontage Road. Dogs must be leashed. Cascade Locks has restaurants and a brewpub for a separate post-hike stop; nothing to eat is on the route.