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Hike up a forested slope where the bases of large Douglas-firs bear scorch marks from the 2017 fire. The trails from each converge just above the lower parking area. There are two parking areas, one above the other at the Bridal Veil intersection on the Historic Columbia River Highway. For a longer loop that gives you more elevation, see the Angels Rest-Devils Rest Loop Hike. It is a unique landscape - one quite varied from other locales in the Gorge. However, during the wet season, parts of the trail can get muddy and slick. Where the two fires overlapped, vistas have opened up and blackened snags sprout from the steep slopes. Much of the latter was a ground fire that cleared out the understory, which is fast regenerating. The forest expanses surrounding the summit burned in the Multnomah Falls Fire back in 1991, while the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire burned over most of the trail's route. The trail passes two waterfalls along the way, an overhead view of Coopey Falls and a quick detour to smaller Upper Coopey Falls.

When you consider that the drive time from downtown Portland to the trailhead is under 45 minutes, it is understandable how popular this destination can be on weekends throughout the year. Its bang-for-the-buck makes this a long-time favorite of families and hiking clubs. Getting to this precipice takes a relatively short hike (2.4 miles one-way) with an easy to moderately-steep ascent. Its 1500 foot prominence and its proximity to the Columbia River give you the false sensation that you could dive from Angels Rest to the water below!

The real draw, however, is the perspective of the Columbia River below - like you're on a balcony over a great auditorium. The summit is characterized by a long, rocky spine surrounded on three sides by cliffs, boasting a striking 270 degree view! While you can't see any of the Cascade volcanoes from the top, you do get great vantages of Beacon Rock, Silver Star Mountain and many other landmarks. The platy andesite that composes this promontory is part of a million-year-old lava flow from Larch Mountain, a member of the Boring Lava Field. I think our kids would like that part of the hike.Angels Rest is an exposed bluff on the western end of the Columbia River Gorge. If we had our kids with us we would hike to the waterfall and bridge and then turn around. Many of them didn't go the whole way up though. I wouldn't take small children though a lot of people did. We did take our time going up and took lots of pictures along the way. We took about 2 hours to get up and 1 to get down. We packed a light lunch and enjoyed our time at the top. We did make it to the top and the view was beautiful. We were quite sore the few days after the hike. I wonder if there were more rocks on the trail than usual due to rock slides with the fire and rains. The rock covered areas were difficult on the feet and calves. It was a 1600 ft elevation climb so pretty much uphill going and downhill returning. I thought it was a difficult hike, not moderate. The hike was very pretty and it had a variety of terrain which I like (rocky, dirt, rock covered). I think it is usually crowded but with so many trails still closed due to the fire it is probably more crowded than usual. The trail was much more difficult and crowded than we expected. We chose Angels Rest because it was considered "moderate", had a waterfall, and of course the beautiful lookout at the gorge. My husband and I are not hikers, but we do enjoy the occasional hike and checking out the scenery.