Sheppard’s Dell hike is a great way to start preparing your body for spring hiking season. Although it is still technically January it sure hasn’t felt that way here in the Columbia River Gorge. The sun has been shining so if you can handle a little wind there is no reason not to be out hiking the gorge. If you are looking for a family friendly, short and easy hike for this weekend give Sheppard’s Dell Hike a try. Learn more about Sheppard’s Dell Hike below.
Sheppard’s Dell isn’t as much a hike, as a leg stretcher. There are honestly a half dozen more challenging spots within a couple of miles, but Sheppard’s Dell deserves mention for it’s stonework, if nothing else. The entire 3/10 of a mile is cut from the cliffs and protected by a stone wall created by the masons working on the nearby Columbia highway. Young Creek flows down a series of falls into a deep canyon. When looking at the historic bridge, consider that, despite being built in 1914, it can handle the droves of summertime RVs in the present day!
The trail is paved, although rough in spots. It’s perfectly suitable for children and the infirm, but there is a bit of pesky poison oak on the trail, near the highway. A few stairs block the first few feet of the path, making it inaccessible to wheelchairs. There appears to be another falls below the bridge.
It’s possible in the late summer through early spring to see the upper tier of the waterfall from the use trail viewpoint at the north end of the parking pullout.
SRC: Find more information and photos for Sheppard’s Dell Hike at: www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Sheppard%27s_Dell_Hike
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