Parking
Start at Rainy Lake Campground & Trailhead, off Forest Road 2820 (Dead Point Road). From Lost Lake Road, it is about 11 miles to the campground; take #409 for this circuit.
Overview
About Rainy Lake Loop
Why go
- Green Point Mountain viewpoints without a full-day route
- Rainy Lake, an old signal hut and the low dam in one circuit
Heads up
- Wet tread and loose talus make footing uneven
- Remote access by Forest Road 2820
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Columbia River Gorge map
Full mapElevation4,078–4,711 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Columbia River Gorge alerts
- ClosureEagle Creek Fire area closureDo not enter Oneonta Gorge or the specified trail sections because hazards remain following the Eagle Creek Fire.Official details
- CautionAircraft and drone restrictions at developed recreation sitesAircraft and drone landings, drop-offs, and pickups are prohibited at six high-use developed recreation sites to protect visitor safety.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide
Your drive to Rainy Lake Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
More stories near here in the app
- A Bridge Over Land
- Wyeth Campground and Trails
- The Dots Beneath a Sword Fern
- A Slide Beside the Water
- 217 audio storiesacross Columbia River Gorge’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bald Eagle, Black Bear, American Pika, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 111 trails, 78 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Rainy Lake Loop
A short loop with a real climbRainy Lake Loop is a 3.
Rainy Lake Loop is a 3.1-mile circuit from Rainy Lake Campground: climb Rainy-Wahtum #409 to Gorton Creek #408 at Green Point Mountain, descend North Lake #423 and return beside Rainy Lake on #423A. It gains 755 feet and combines old-growth forest, ridge viewpoints and a high-country lake. For a compact climb, allow 2–3 hours.
Up to Green Point Mountain409 climbs through damp montane forest on an old road grade to talus and the Herman Creek…
#409 climbs through damp montane forest on an old road grade to talus and the Herman Creek Cutoff junction, where an old World War II signal hut stands. #408 climbs among huckleberries and lodgepole pines; openings near Green Point Mountain look toward Mount Defiance, Mount Adams and Goat Rocks. Look back for Mount Hood. Include lodgepole trunks in a photo of Mount Adams for scale. Continue to #423 and descend through rocky ground, brush and fir-hemlock forest. Talus openings look over the Hood River Valley.
Rainy Lake and the way backA creek footbridge leads to Rainy Lake’s low earth dam, built as a log pond in the early 20th…
A creek footbridge leads to Rainy Lake’s low earth dam, built as a log pond in the early 20th century. Cross the uneven outlet bridge to a small southeast-shore beach, then follow #423A through hemlock and cedar to camp. Wet tread, talus and the buckled outlet bridge need careful footing. The campground has an outhouse and picnic area; carry food and water because neither was confirmed there. Snow can linger into spring; summer through fall is the steadier season.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Columbia River Gorge
267 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
51 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
136 sightingsAmerican PikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
16 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
195 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
74 sightingsChinook SalmonMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Columbia River Gorge. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
