This Sunday July 15th marks the end of the peregrine nesting season at Cape Horn and the opening of the full loop to hikers to enjoy this spectacular trail. Be advised that the lower section is quite rugged with steep drop offs and steep chutes where rock fall from above is a real hazard.
Hikers may notice a few new developments since WTA and Cape Horn Conservancy (CHC) volunteers have been hard at work on the trail this spring. At the beginning of the trail, they've laid bark mulch to manage the muddy quagmire on the first 500 ft. (it will eventually be hardened with gravel, a more permanent fix). Also near the trailhead, volunteers have constructed the trail that links Cape Horn road to the eastern pedestrian underpass guiding hikers back to the Salmon Falls trailhead so they don't have to scamper across the Hwy.
One thing hikers won't miss is the broken freezer that someone had dumped off the hwy above the trail - volunteers hauled that out in February.
Also you might miss it if you don't look closely, but there is an extensive reroute in progress on the lower section that will move the trail off of sensitive habitat and onto a more sustainable (less steep grade). WTA work parties will be working there again this summer now that the falcon closure has lifted. Once it is completed it will be tied into the trail and opened to the public.
And lastly something else to look forward to, the Forest Service is set begin construction on a log bridge crossing the creek below the lower waterfall sometime this season.
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