Early-season wildflowers, quiet trails, and a side trip to the iconic old truck made this Dalles Mountain Ranch loop a rewarding spring hike.

distance: 8 miles (with side exploration to see old truck)
elevation gain: 1,035 ft
difficulty: moderate
drive time from Portland: 1 hr 40 min
parking pass: Discover Pass
hike description: OregonHikers.org: Dalles Mountain Ranch loop

Note: This area is known for ticks, poison oak, and rattlesnakes. Crowds also build quickly during peak wildflower season — visiting midweek is your best bet.

The Hike

Late March is still early for wildflowers here, but this year’s early season brought the first balsamroot blooms to life across the hillsides. Even without peak color, it felt like an ideal time to visit — quieter trails, mild weather, and just a hint of what’s to come.

This was my first time hiking here, and the lack of crowds stood out as much as the scenery — we saw fewer than ten people all day. While this area is known for ticks, poison oak, and rattlesnakes, we didn’t encounter any on this trip.

We started at the Crawford Oaks trailhead, hiking the loop clockwise. The route begins on an old road, climbing gradually through the lower slopes dotted with rimrock formations.

The lower section is filled with rim rock

View towards Horsethief Butte with Mount Hood on the horizon

View to the east of the Columbia River

We were excited to see balsamroot blooming near the start of the hike.

Before reaching the main trail, we crossed Eightmile Creek. There’s no bridge, though a few branches offered a possible crossing. I opted to wade through in my trail runners — they drain quickly, and I don’t mind wet feet. (I do wish I’d taken a photo.)

The terrain here is quite different from other Eastern Gorge hikes… with more rolling hills and fewer trees.

Eightmile Creek as it runs through ravines in the hills.

We wanted to find the old truck that I’d seen in so many photos, so we took the side trail towards the northern trailhead for this hike.

When we reached the ranch, we followed the road past the ranch and took a side trail to see the old truck on the hillside behind the barns. Just past a large barn, we went through a gate with sign that says “no parking”. From there, we followed a faint trail and went downhill along the fence line to another gate next to the hillside with the old truck. You can’t see it until you are almost there.

At the ranch, we followed the road past the buildings and just beyond a large barn, then we passed through a gate marked “no parking”. From there, we followed a faint trail downhill along a fence line to another gate near the hillside. The truck doesn’t reveal itself until you’re almost on top of it.

We stopped for a long snack break by the truck, then tried to find a cut through back to the main trail. There was no way through without going over fencing, so we returned to the road and back to the main trail.

As we continued, the wind picked up, with strong gusts along the more exposed sections of trail.

View of the Columbia River and Browns Island from the eastern section of the Vista Trail.

Even without peak blooms, this hike was beautiful — and it left me wanting to return when the hillsides are fully covered in wildflowers.