"MT DEFIANCE" Top 5 Page for this destination Hood River Things to Do Tip by mtncorg

You can 'cheat' and drive 4WD roads up Mt Defiance's backside, but most hikers 'earn' Defiance the hard way, beginning on the Columbia River at Starvation Creek State Park. The climb is 4960 feet up to the summit on a trail that takes five miles to get there - the first mile is flat, which means you gain almost 5000 feet in four miles! There are two trails. The Mt Defiance Trail is the shortest way. As I wrote, the first mile is flat and the second is not. Nor are the other three, though it is the second that you will remember. After about two mile, there is a nice viewpoint of the Columbia and Wind Mountain on the Washington side of the Columbia. Look at it well, though, because there is not a lot else to see as you climb through evergreen forests for what seems to be an eternity. The view from the top of Defiance is very nice - Hood River Valley, southern Washington's Cascades, the wild high regions of the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge and Mt Hood's glorious north face. It is a bit marred by the communication station and the road atop. If you see someone hiking not looking tired, you know that they 'cheated'! The other trail goes up a ridge fatter to the east - it still will gain the 5000 feet! - the forest is a bit taller and more open with several short - very short - flat areas to recoup. You also pass the small Warren Lake. I personally prefer going up this route and going back the Defiance Trail. In springtime, many of the people you will meet on the paths are trying to harden themselves for summer mountains that might lie in their future. If you do Defiance in the summer, you are truly masochistic for there are much better options awaiting you after the summer melts up higher. See: for more opinions on this trail: http://www.localhikes.com/HikeData.asp?DispType=0&ActiveHike=6&GetHikesStateID=1&ID=4384

Directions: Take I-84 eastbound approximately 50 miles, ten miles past Cascade Locks. Take the Starvation Creek exit near milepost 54. (From Hood River take Wyeth exit #51 turn around and head back east).
Website: http://www.johann-sandra.com/hiking/defiance.htm