Things to Do near Portland, OR | Beacon Rock Trail in the Columbia River Gorge

[Music] Welcome or welcome back to living in the Pacific Northwest with Hal Bird. I'm Halird joined by >> some of our flock >> at the traffic circle. Continue straight to stay on Washington 14 East >> and we are headed to >> Do you want to tell the folks Jared, did you plan this?

We're going on a hike, a guided hike of Beacon Rock, which is um in the Columbia River Gorge. >> Mhm. >> Um it's a pretty famous and popular hike primarily because of where it's at.

Pretty vertical, lot of switchbacks. >> It's like less than 2 mi round trip, but 800 ft of elevation gain. So, you're basically walking up a spiral staircase 4,000 ft and the views are great.

>> Yeah. >> So, yeah. Um I forget how I heard about it, but it's it's a guided.

It's actually uh I think a r it's going to be guided by a park park ranger. So, always like a good educational experience, learn something new. Um and I always love driving to the board.

It's totally mind not mind alternative. >> In half a mile at the traffic circle, take the second exit on Washington. >> Actually, I was here a week ago.

I was in on uh Cascade Lux on the bike ride. >> Mountain biking, right? >> Mikey, maybe.

>> All right, I'm going to turn it around. >> You do that. >> And uh talk to the folks in the back.

>> So, Lana, I heard that you came in clutch on making sure that we had parking. Do you want to tell them about the discovery pass like what it is? Me too.

>> It's a one-year um pass that you can get so you don't have to pay parking traffic on Washington >> and you can use it anywhere on the um >> continue on Washington. >> No, only Oregon. You have to get a different one for Washington state.

So, there's like the Discover Pass and what are the other ones called? >> Um, the one I get from REI is called like the America the Beautiful and it's basically gives you everything. If I'm not mistaken, it's like $80 a year, but it covers basically everything local, everything national, but basically it's like all inclusive pass.

And I think I'm pretty sure it's called American. And there's also like a $30 a year pass or you can pay $10 per. Like today if we didn't if Lana didn't let us borrow her pass then we would have had to pay $10.

So I heard this is your first time hiking Beacon Rock. This is my first time and I don't know what to expect and I'm just going to go out and lips. >> Do you like switchbacks?

>> Um maybe. We'll see. We'll see how it goes.

Not a big hiker. So, um, >> are you afraid of heights? >> Yeah, I want to be, but um, >> are you afraid of heights?

>> No. >> Are you afraid of heights? >> No.

>> Am I the only one that's afraid of heights in this whole car? >> You're afraid of heights? >> Yeah.

>> I didn't used to be. >> You're going to walk on the edge then? >> You know what?

Part of the reason why I've never done this hike is because I've seen the little railings and I'm like, that's scary. You could totally like slope under them. Yeah.

>> No, >> there's that's a lot of space. >> Jared will like it though because it'll remind him of being in Amsterdam and Europe where they don't have any not any protections, but they're like survival of the fittest out there. >> Yeah.

Common sense. Common sense rules apply. Everything's not nanified like it is in in the United States.

>> Oh man. Spoken like a true Gen Xer. Did you bring your helmet to wear?

>> No. [Music] >> Um >> uh for context, it's uh Saturday morning. It's uh mid June.

Uh temperatures chilly morning as we head out into the gorge. It'll be probably like in the high 40s. Uh but no rain.

So nice crisp chilly day. >> Yes. All right.

We'll take you along. [Music] Heat. Heat.

[Music] [Music] Um, we have Aaron here and Uh we are putting on this guided hike as part of a three-day event. Uh we're partnering with Bonavville Dam. So we have a a ranger from Bonavville Dam as well over there.

It's an excellent place to to check out and uh they get free tours all the time. So pretty special place here in the Columbia River Gorge. Um we're going to go up this rock right here.

It's uh Beacon Rock and it's the heart of a uh ancient volcano. So pretty pretty cool experience. It's a uh it's a 848 foot rock.

Oh, we're starting. [Music] >> All right, guys. You ready?

>> Start heading over. [Music] [Music] I'm a little bit naughty. I'm a little bit too consumed.

But every part of my body is telling me to run away from you. Come a little bit closer. Yeah.

Yeah. Come a little bit closer. Yeah.

You're a little bit crazy. It's been days, but you never change. What's love got to do with it?

He comes around. Better knock that stuff down. Come a little bit closer.

Yeah. Yeah. Come a little bit closer.

Yeah. To all my ladies who got a brother that doesn't treat them right, put your finger right in his face and tell that man bye-bye. I'm too fly.

Put your finger right in his face and tell that man bye-bye. I'm too fly. I'm too fly.

Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

You're a little bit selfish. You get mad every time you lose. You can't take me with you.

I'm scared you're going to blow your fuse. Come a little bit closer. >> And uh they spread out over the country creating trails, creating parks.

Um just to get people out of my responsible fin. Yeah, I can finally start over. Yeah.

So, all my ladies who got a brother who doesn't treat them right, put your finger right in his face and tell that man bye-bye. I'm too fly. I'm too fly.

Bye-bye. Byebye. Byebye.

>> You can kind of make your way down at your own pace. So, thank you for joining me and stay around here for a while and every other day you want to come out and visit the park in the future. >> Thank you.

Enjoy the rest of the hike. It's a nice view. All my ladies who got a brother that doesn't treat them right, put your finger right in his face and tell that man bye-bye.

I'm too fly. I'm too fly. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye. You going to get a group photo of us? Maybe.

So, you made us at a time. >> What do you think? >> I love it.

It's so beautiful. Yeah. >> One reason I live in the Pacific Northwest is because of the beauty.

>> Who wouldn't want to live here? [Music] >> You're giving that sign the eagle eye. Says much of Portland and Vancouver would have been under 400 ft of water during the largest floods.

>> Oh boy. What's our elevation at home? >> Minus 56 ft.

>> No, it's not. All my ladies who got a brother that doesn't treat them right, put your finger right in his face and tell that man bye-bye. I'm so fly.

I'm so fly. Oh, bye-bye. Bye-bye.

You L. That's how you spell goodbye. U L Y.

You'll never see me cry. U T L Y. That's how you spell it.

Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.