Table Mountain – Heartbreak Ridge Loop

Table Mountain – Heartbreak Ridge Loop is an 8-mile lollipop loop from the gravel lot behind Bonneville Hot Springs Resort. It follows the forested Carpenters Meadow approach to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), climbs Heartbreak Ridge, crosses the summit ridge, then descends West Table Mountain Trail and retraces the PCT and access trail to close the loop. The route gains about 3,200 feet; allow around six hours plus breaks. This is an expert-grade outing for hikers who enjoy steep talus and summit exposure, not a gentle forest wander. Its reward is a huge view over the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascade peaks.

The first mile rises on a mossy old road track and the Carpenters Meadow Trail, with plank bridges over small streams, cobbled tread and young alders. In the wet season, this stretch can be muddy. The forest grows older as you climb, with Douglas-firs, vine maple and sword fern around hummocky ground shaped by an old landslide. Near Carpenters Lake, an old beaver marsh, an opening frames Sacaquawea and Papoose Rocks with Table Mountain beyond. From there, an old logging roadbed reaches the PCT, briefly crosses it and joins it again farther north. Those PCT connections are genuinely confusing: follow detailed route directions toward Heartbreak Ridge instead of trying to improvise at the forks.

Heartbreak Ridge is the sustained climb: roughly 1,600 feet in 1.1 miles. Its lower tread is comparatively good, then steepens across loose talus and a boulder field. The south face appears only in short glimpses through the trees before the route opens onto the summit ridge. The broad top is wooded, but its open meadows carry spring wild onions and lead to viewpoints above an 800-foot cliff. On a clear day, look for Bonneville Dam, the Gorge, Mount Hood, Adams, St. Helens and Rainier. The south face is a landslide scar; a major slide sometime between 1200 and 1600 CE sent debris into the Columbia and created the original Bridge of the Gods. At the exposed viewpoint, include the cliff wall and talus below it in a phone photo so the scale reads; stay on the trail near the edge.

The loop leaves the summit by the West Table Mountain Trail, a very steep, rocky descent with loose stones near Windbreak Rocks. It eases into forest before meeting the PCT; retrace the PCT and the resort approach to finish. Expect careful footing both uphill and down, and use a current detailed route map at the junctions. Start at the resort’s gravel back lot, reached from Washington Highway 14 via Hot Springs Road and Cascade Drive; do not start at the separate Bonneville Trailhead by the dam, which adds a much longer approach. Day parking at the resort is paid; confirm the current fee onsite. Washington DNR prohibits pets in the conservation area, so dogs cannot accompany this hike.