1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

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mileagemike25000
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1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by mileagemike25000 » January 15th, 2013, 7:23 pm

In an effort to minimize travel on icy roads we decided to go to Sauvie Island. We've only done one very short hike there, many years ago, so it's mostly new to us. Suffice it to say, the parking lot was almost completely full, and we believe it was due to waterfowl hunting season! :shock: Had we known it was going to be so full of gun fire, we would have saved this for a non-hunting time of year. But, no matter, it was still a fine day and we mostly heard and only saw two hunters!
1 Sauvie Island Hike to Lighthouse and Warrior Point_DxO_(1).jpg
We headed on down the trail/road and turned right onto the obvious trail north towards the lighthouse. We later found out, from a hunter, that we shouldn't continue down this road as it leads to private hunting lands.
2 Trail to the right_DxO_(1).jpg
The trail had many views of the inland waterways and wetlands. We didn't venture off the trail, to take pictures, due the frequent gun shots and fear of being taken for a bird! :(
3 Plenty of inland waterways_DxO_(1).jpg
And of course, plenty of nice views of the Columbia River. :)
4 Columbia river photo along the trail_DxO_(1).jpg
The trail is a very comfortable walk with all the matted down grasses and leaves covering it. The one thing I haven't mentioned is that there is an amazing amount of blackberries all over the entire trail (mostly off trail). We pruned quite a few during the entire hike.
5 Trail is more of a reclaimed road_DxO_(1).jpg
After about 3.25 miles we reached the lighthouse. Not exactly the most impressive, but still very interesting.
6 Lighthouse is pretty cool!_DxO_(1).jpg
The view of the Columbia, looking north, is very beautiful. :)
7 Nice view looking north from Lighthouse_DxO_(1).jpg
A short distance, recessed back in the woods, is the foundation of an old building. There's plenty of interesting things to see around this old home!
8 Home foundation in woods near lighthouse_DxO_(1).jpg
After a brief visit at the building we started down the shoreline toward Warrior Point. We saw this concrete pad that looked quite out of place. Looks like an abandoned project to us? :?
9 Strange concrete pad near shoreline_DxO_(1).jpg
And along the shoreline there were a large number of scattered brick pavers. Part of a project, dumped or washed ashore by the current; take your pick. :lol:
10 Stone pavers scattered on shoreline_DxO_(1).jpg
As we continued along the beach we encountered some downed trees. Then we hit a road block and obvious dead end to this route. Uh, Um...I think we went the wrong way? :o
11 Stopped here on way to Warrior Point - Wrong Way!_DxO_(1).jpg
There was no obvious way to go inland, because of all the blackberries, and went back to find the real trail. We found that the real trail was very near the concrete pad that was back near the lighthouse.

The trail leading toward Warrior Rock and Point was not in good shape. There were many blackberry vines growing on and across the trail that posed a tripping hazard, so we walked carefully. It was our mistake that we didn't investigate Warrior Rock as we weren't quite sure what it looked like. We surmised that it was just a large raised area on the west side of the trail? :? Along the trail we did find these foundation blocks, for some structure?
12 Foundation blocks on way to Warrior Point_DxO_(1).jpg
We finally made it to the shore of Warrior Point, where the view is very nice!
13 View from Warrior Point_DxO_(1).jpg
I'm feeling pretty bad that we didn't read up on the history of this area as there were so many interesting sites to see. For instance, what structures resided on the shore and off-shore? There were very many rusting pipes and man-made debris on the shoreline.
14 Warrior Point  - What was built here_DxO_(1).jpg
Despite all the hunting, we saw quite a few people on the trail, mostly on the return trip. The hike was 8.5 miles with an elevation gain of about 500ft. I'm not sure about the elevation gain (this trail is very very level), but that's what the garmin gps said. :? By the way, the parking fee was $7 for the day.
Sauvie Island Hike.JPG

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Crusak
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by Crusak » January 15th, 2013, 7:34 pm

That's a fun hike. You guys discovered the same thing that we did -best to do that hike when duck hunting season is over.

I did that hike a couple of years ago with a friend. We got so engrossed in conversation that we missed that crucial right turn to stay on the trail, and ended up walking onto the private property. :shock: The owners had a large duck hunting operation going full-swing. They kindly told us that we took a wrong turn, and we apologized several times while retreating. :oops:

Looks like you guys found a lot more interesting stuff than we did. Makes me want to get back up there again.
Jim's Hikes

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hlee
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by hlee » January 16th, 2013, 6:37 pm

Thanks for the TR. Nice to see the trail isn't totally flooded for once, but I think I wouldn't want to take my dogs out there and risk being mistaken for geese with tails.

I've done that hike a few times, and also kayaked to the beach, but never seen that building in your 8th picture! :oops: Wow, well it gives me momentum to get out there again this year.

It's tough when you drive for an hour to get to the TH, hike for 4 miles, and are standing there looking at your house a few hundred yards away... and knowing you have to hike back another 4 miles and drive another hour to get back home. :lol: Makes me want to just take my chances and swim across the channel. Or maybe flag down someone in a boat to hitch a ride.

Hannah

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.
-- T.S. Eliot

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mileagemike25000
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by mileagemike25000 » January 16th, 2013, 7:59 pm

Jim - It was a fun hike, and yes, I agree that duck hunting season is an interesting time to do the hike. ;)

That's a great story about being distracted by a conversation and walking right onto the private property, and an active duck hunting operation! :o I'm glad to hear that they were kind and didn't run you off, after a long lecture. :) That's something to write down and put in your book of hiking happenings as those stories are priceless. :lol:

I think there's a lot of interesting stuff to discover, and we probably only touched the surface.


hlee - My pleasure! From your comment it sounds like the trail collects a bit of water during the rainy season? I'm glad we didn't have to spend our time going around or through muddy puddles. :) As for taking dogs there; the hunting season would definitely scare me, and the amount of thorny plants (blackberries & some plant with much longer spikes) could also pose a danger!

Kayaking to the beach sounds like a lot of fun. :) It was only after a second glance into the woods that I saw the building. It's definitely a look see as there are a number of things in the area. I would post more pictures but I'll leave it for you to explore. ;)

So you live in the Ridgefield area. :!: Sounds like you need one of those amphibious vehicles to shorten the long drive there. :lol: There was also plenty of barge traffic, but I don't think that would be too helpful for door to door service. :lol: But seriously, it took us an hour to get there from Vancouver. It takes less time to get to the Gorge. :shock:

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hlee
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by hlee » January 17th, 2013, 2:49 pm

You never know with that trail what it will be like. My mom and I tried to go down it in the middle of summer and there was water above our knees and we had to turn back.

I live in St. Helens, not Ridgefield. An amphibious vehicle would surely be nice though. If I had my own kayak I could just paddle down there whenever I wanted. Someday...

Hannah

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.
-- T.S. Eliot

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Peder
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by Peder » January 17th, 2013, 4:55 pm

Mike - I think that you found the lighthouse keeper's old burned-down house (I only read about it after my last visit) and that the other structure is an old gun platform. I also wondered about concrete blocks (though mine were elsewhere), they are pictured in my TR from December. It was a favorite of mine till they hitched the parking fee to $7. :(

BTW - The trail used to start out down the road, but now you immediately cut right down to the beach from the TH gate and follow the beach until it narrows, here you can pull left toward the highest sandy point and easily cut across to the wheel track leading toward Warrior Point.
Some people are really fit at eighty; thankfully I still have many years to get into shape…

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mileagemike25000
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by mileagemike25000 » January 17th, 2013, 8:23 pm

hlee - Water above the knees! :o Well, I guess it is an island that's close to sea level. :roll:

For some reason I thought you had to be across the Columbia when you mentioned, in your first post, that it was an hour drive back home. Is St. Helens really an hour drive, as it seems so close? :? I can tell you that Salmon Creek, WA is an hour away, avoiding the St. Johns Bridge!



Peder - Thanks for the insight about the house foundation and concrete platform. :) I should have read your TR before heading out on this hike. :( It seems you did a bit more investigation near the tip of the island than we did.

I know what you mean about the $7 fee. There sure seems to be a lot of passes needed for all the different areas around WA and OR. :? We carry a forest pass, OR state park pass and WA discovery pass everywhere we go! That doesn't seem to cover all the bases though. :roll:

Actually, when we started the hike we cut right and went down to the beach, as you mentioned. However, on the way back we went down the road to the gate. I just happened to put the picture of the gate, as the first photo of the TR, since it looked to be more of an official path. :?

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hlee
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by hlee » January 18th, 2013, 6:14 pm

Well, it's about 35 minutes from St. Helens to the Sauvie Island bridge, I'd guess. And then you have to drive all the way across the island from the bridge to the end of the gravel road. So I'd say close to an hour, yeah. I always laugh when people ask if I live close to Sauvie Island. Well... yes and no.

Hannah

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.
-- T.S. Eliot

oneoldbeav
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by oneoldbeav » January 21st, 2013, 4:55 pm

Worth knowing that there is an option to the $7 daily fee, well, really two options. An annual permit is available for $22 and if you buy an Oregon hunting license an annual permit is included at no additional cost. The permit is valid for nine different ODFW Wildlife Areas.

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mileagemike25000
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Re: 1/13/13 Sauvie Island Lighthouse & Warrior Point

Post by mileagemike25000 » January 21st, 2013, 7:19 pm

hlee - I wouldn't ever have guessed that St. Helens was that far from the hiking trail on Sauvie Island. The map sure looks deceiving! :o



oneoldbeav - Thanks for the info. :) I personally have only been on Sauvie Island twice in my life, and don't expect that I'd be there enough in one year to justify the cost. However, I'm sure many others might be interested!

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