Table Mountain - Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Located on the Washington side of the Gorge, Table Mountain is a must-do hike for all viewpoint enthusiasts. I admit, I tend to pick hikes with big views, which usually entails some serious elevation gain. Table Mountain is no exception. We opted to start this hike at the Aldrich Butte Trailhead, it's a little tricky to find, but it shaves some miles off the overall trip. The trail is predominately uphill for 4 miles, there is very little opportunity for a forgiving level walk. I highly recommend bringing a trail book or detailed map if you are a first timer, there are many unmarked turns which are easily overlooked.

The highlight of the 8 mile hike is the summit, you will see views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood, not to mention the Columbia River stretching for miles. The part of the hike which I would like to forget but never will, is the Heartbreak Ridge portion of the trail. This is a more direct way to the summit, but it literally (and I mean literally) is straight up. You will likely be swearing and cursing me for suggesting this hike, but the view is well worth the suffering. Not far past Heartbreak Ridge is another portion of a rock scramble. This part of the hike is not so much difficult, rather it's slow moving. And dogs hate it. Essentially, you climb up and over a rock slide to the marked path, there will be the occasional red flag trail marker to remind you to keep on trucking.

I could keep rambling but as I always say, I will let the pictures convince you. 3,350ft of elevation gain makes for a great selfie!