Craig Romano's Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge book posits that you can get Dog Mountain-esque views for less of a workout by visiting Grassy Knoll. I would counter that Grassy Knoll is steeper and more challenging than Dog Mountain (but I haven't done Dog Mountain in a while, so my memory may be misleading me). At any rate, the trail to Grassy Knoll is steep! (the flowers here are good, but you've gotta want to get to them).

Of course, that's because it's to a former fire lookout site, and trails to those summits never mess around. Which was unfortunate for me this day, as you'll see in a minute. 

I kicked off my Saturday with this hike, after a long drive from Big Cedars County Campground (frankly, not worth the $20 overnight fee, as all the sinks in the bathroom were either leaking or completely broken, and there was no indication of potable water). I drove up NF-68, which is smooth-except-for-the-potholes. Seriously -- the road is pretty good, except for the potholes. When they're there, they're big. I returned from the trailhead following the directions in the Columbia River Gorge book, and it's far better -- definitely the recommended approach. tl;dr, don't use Google's directions. 

Anyway, Grassy Knoll was a heck of a warm up hike, and I'm really glad I did it early -- it would be hot as heck on an afternoon. I loved the daffodils at the summit, and the views were excellent. It was also really nice to spend some time on a trail without hearing shooting!

Now, back to why it was unfortunate that this trail was so steep...

Shortly after I returned to the trailhead, a couple with two dogs arrived in a Jeep. They headed up the trail after chatting with me for a bit, and I got in my car just a few minutes after they'd disappeared into the woods. It was about 10 minutes from when they'd headed up when I backed my car up, looked over and...oh no. Their dome light was on! Since it had been a few minutes since they'd left, I figured it was truly on, not just something that their car would automatically turn off.

I parked my car and jumped out, figuring I could probably catch them -- it'd only been a few minutes since they'd left. Yeah right. As soon as I got into the woods, I had to slow to a fast walk. I stopped several times, shouting into the woods to get their attention (which, incidentally, feels really stupid when you're the one shouting at potentially no one). I chased them up the trail for maybe three-quarters of a mile before I decided I wouldn't be able to catch them and turned around. 

When I got back to the trailhead, the dome light was off. I really, really hope it's because it was just a super long delay and the car automatically turned it off, and not because the battery died. I can't believe it would die that quickly. Anyway, here's hoping they got back OK -- I saw a lot of cars coming up to the trailhead on my way down (which was a little dicey in a couple of spots -- FR 6808 is not exactly passing-friendly). But maybe they got a jump if they needed it from another hiker!

Did a loop today: Up Grassy Knoll Trail 147 to Big Huck, then back to Cold Spring and down the Alway trail, and biked back to the TH. Trails in good condition.

All the fallen trees across the trail have been cut and cleared by chain saw - a lot of work but no obstructions. The first mile from the trailhead is steep and in parts rutted. Thimbleberry and Bear Grass are encroaching the trail. The day was cold, windy, but dry. Climbing to Grassy Knoll is steep and narrow - wind exposed - but spectacular views east and west. At Cold Springs (half way) there is a George Alway Memorial trail that leads downhill to the road (68) one mile (if one wanted to place a car at each end). This Alway trail is not on the map but descends almost straight down from Cold Springs. Signs on the tree are diamond shape and spell AlWay. From trailhead to Huckleberry Mountain is part of the old Cascade Crest Trail. Starting at Carson, FS road 6808 to FS 68 to Triangle Pass seems to be OK but a high clearance vehicle is needed for most of FS 68.

Beautiful knoll. Ranks up there with Dog Mountain, Table Mountain, etc. Trail condition is rough. Lots of blowdown, however, there was a Good Samaritan clearing some downed trees all by himself, but he could not saw the large trees with his chainsaw. The trail continues to Big Huckleberry Mountain another 3 plus miles away. The trail condition worsens between Grassy Knoll and Cold Spring. Huge trees block the trail. Beyond Cold Spring, the trail is starting to disappear. The flowers are amazing: Indian Paintbrush, Glacier Lilies, Phlox, etc. It is a beautiful time of year to be there. Just be prepared to climb over/around fallen trees. This would be a great project for WTA.