Every summer, Swale Canyon closes for fire season on June 21. This year the Lyle Hill Fire broke out at the end of June and burned into the Lyle Cherry Orchard Preserve, so both of the town's best-known walks closed within days of each other. Only one of them came back this fall. Swale Canyon reopened on October 9, and the full Klickitat Trail can now be traveled until June 20.
The bluff is still off-limits. The trail along the river runs on the opposite calendar, and its whole length is open from fall through spring. This winter, Lyle's walking starts at the trailhead on Highway 142.
What the Fire Closed, and What It Spared
The good news came first in the July update from Friends of the Columbia Gorge. Firefighters put the fire out, evacuation orders in Lyle were lifted, and no lives or homes were lost. Then Friends land trust staff walked the preserve. They found trail sections that will need repair, and oak woodlands that have to be checked for hazards.
"Repairing the trails and letting the land heal will take months of work and stewardship before it's safe to visit again."
Friends has asked people to stay out of the preserve for the foreseeable future and wrote, "When it's ready to reopen, you'll hear it from us." The organization plans to announce volunteer restoration work parties through its email newsletter, so the first chance to set foot on the preserve again may well be with a pair of loppers.
The Trail Whose Season Just Started
The Klickitat State Park Trail runs 31 miles on an old rail line that once connected Lyle and Goldendale. It follows the Klickitat River to Swale Creek and then climbs through Swale Canyon. Swale Canyon closes every year from June 21 through October 8, which puts the trail's full-length season between October 9 and June 20. That makes it a fall, winter and spring trail, open about eight months a year.
In winter, State Parks keeps the trail open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Nothing is groomed, so any track is one you or another skier made. The Lyle trailhead at 9 State Hwy 142 is the only access point with a bathroom, potable water and ADA-accessible parking. It is also the only one with cell reception, which matters more in January than in June.
Reading the Trail Mile by Mile
The trail changes in character as it moves away from town, and each stretch suits a different kind of winter outing:
- Lyle trailhead to the Fisher Hill Trestle. State Parks lists an improved surface for the first 1.5 miles. The Klickitat Trail Conservancy describes roughly the first two miles to the Fisher Hill Bridge as packed fine gravel. This is the stroller, walking-group and short-daylight section.
- Fisher Hill Trestle to Pitt. The surface turns primitive, with dirt and larger gravel. The Conservancy notes open-range cattle and sheep along this stretch and asks that dogs stay leashed and on the trail. Pitt, about 10 miles upriver, is the best place to park a horse trailer.
- The mile 13 gap. A trestle is missing about a mile north of the town of Klickitat. Through-travelers leave the trail at Durkee Road and use the highway for a few miles before rejoining it.
- Swale Canyon. These 13 miles are closed all summer and open now. A 2025 project graveled the first and last mile of the canyon. All of its trestles have been rebuilt to carry horses.
Most of the land beside the trail is private. Rattlesnakes, ticks and poison oak show up along its entire length, though in midwinter they are much less of a concern than in spring.
An Orchard That Stayed Open
The town's best-known orchard walk is closed, but the trail has an orchard of its own. Irv Mitchell left an established trailside orchard to the community and the Klickitat Trail. His wish was that people would keep enjoying the trees and their fruit after he was gone. The Conservancy board has made the orchard's long-term pruning and care a legacy project. It held a volunteer day there with Washington State Parks on October 31, and anyone interested in future work can reach the group at [email protected].
A winter pruning crew on the Klickitat Trail and a future restoration crew on the bluff give Lyle two orchards to care for this season.
The Eagle Months at the River Mouth
The Conservancy describes winter bald eagle habitat near the Lyle trailhead. Across the mouth of the Klickitat, the Forest Service's Balfour-Klickitat Area & Trail is listed as a prime eagle-watching spot around February, when the birds gather to feed on spring salmon runs. From the trailhead, go left toward Klickitat Cove, where Mill Creek meets the Klickitat River. Near the interpretive sign, follow the "Wildlife Viewing Area" signs uphill to a small platform that serves as a bird blind.
Balfour-Klickitat is open year-round with no trailhead fee. Its paved trail has grades of 0 to 15 percent. The site is a former ranch the Forest Service acquired in 1994, and a grove of Osage orange trees planted as a windbreak in the late 1800s still stands there. Winter snow on the pavement is neither plowed nor salted.
When the Trail Isn't the Plan
The river corridor covers most winter days. For a climb, a wildflower bluff or a change of scenery, these are the open options within a short drive, along with the rules that apply this season:
| Destination | Listed status | Parking | Winter rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klickitat Trail, Lyle trailhead | Full route open Oct. 9 to June 20 | Discover Pass | Dogs on leash, day use only |
| Balfour-Klickitat | Open year-round | No fee | Pavement not plowed or salted |
| Catherine Creek | Open year-round | No fee | Check conditions before you go |
| Coyote Wall and the Labyrinth | Open | No fee | Dogs on leash Dec. 1 to June 30 |
| Columbia Hills: Horsethief Butte, Crawford Oaks, Dalles Mountain Ranch | Trails open all year | Discover Pass; pay station at Horsethief Butte | Horsethief Lake day-use area closed Nov. 1 to March 31 |
The Discover Pass costs $45 for a year or $10 for a single day. It covers parking on Washington State Parks, WDFW and DNR recreation lands, so one annual pass works at both the Lyle trailhead and Horsethief Butte. At Coyote Wall, plan around one date. The Raptor Trail closes on February 1 to protect nesting raptors, which is right when the eagle season peaks down at Balfour-Klickitat.
The Columbia Hills Historical State Park trails stay open all winter. The lakeside day-use area and campground at Horsethief Lake are closed until April 1, 2027.
Back in Town Between Walks
A winter trail calendar needs a warm room to come back to, and Lyle has one at the Lyle Lions Community Center, at Fifth and Highway 14. According to Columbia Gorge News, the center hosts a Lions pancake breakfast on the first Saturday of each month, senior meals on Tuesdays and a community game day on third Fridays. Fort Vancouver Regional Library's bookmobile also stops in town, at Lyle Market and Lyle Community School.
Together they make a short winter calendar:
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Lions pancake breakfast, then an easy out-and-back to the Fisher Hill Trestle
- Wednesday, Nov. 18: Bookmobile stop at Lyle Market and Lyle Community School
- Friday, Nov. 20: Community game day at the Lions center
- Wednesday, Dec. 2: Bookmobile stop
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Lions pancake breakfast
- Wednesday, Dec. 16: Bookmobile stop
- Friday, Dec. 18: Community game day
- February: Eagle season at the Balfour-Klickitat wildlife viewing platform; the Raptor Trail at Coyote Wall closes Feb. 1
The Cherry Orchard Preserve will reopen on Friends of the Columbia Gorge's timeline. The Klickitat Trail's open season runs through June 20.
If you own a home within reach of the Klickitat Trail and want to know how that access figures into its value, Julie Gilbert would be glad to talk it through with you, after a walk to the trestle if you like. Get your free home valuation.
