Horsethief Butte Hike Washington

 Horsethief Butte in Columbia Hills State Park

Horse thief Butte Trail is a 2-mile hike in Columbia Hills State Park, Washington. The trail is considered easy and dog-friendly. The trail offers views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood. The trail is marked and leads to the summit of the butte. The butte is made of hexagonal columns of Wanapum basalt flows that are about 15 million years old. The trail is located near Dallesport, Washington.

The Wanapum Basalt is one of the four major categories of lava flows in the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG).

The trail is 2 miles roundtrip and has an elevation gain of 200 feet. The highest point on the trail is 498 feet.

Ø  Start point: Horsethief Butte Trail head

Ø  End point: Horsethief Butte Summit

Ø  Distance: Around 2 miles round trip

Ø  Elevation gain: 250 feet

Ø  High point: 498 feet

Ø  Difficulty: Easy

Ø  Fee to park in the trail head - Discover Pass

Ø  Beware of poison oak and rattlesnakes

 

It is composed of hexagonal columns of Wanapum basalt flows that were scoured by the Ice Age floods some 10,000 years ago. This trail offers a short hike to sweeping views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood on the plateau around the base. Wildlflowers bloom around the base of Horsethief Butte in the spring, including grass widows, death camas and the pungent smell of Klickitat desert parsley.

How to Reach: From Vancouver, take SR 14 east through Lyle to the junction with US 197. (From The Dalles, take exit 87 off I-84 onto US 197 and cross the Columbia River, driving north 3.3 miles to the junction with SR 14.) Continue east on SR 14 for 2.8 miles to the signed trailhead parking area on the south side of the highway.

The trail is located on Washington State Highway 14, also known as the Lewis & Clark Highway. This scenic drive runs parallel to I-84 on the north side of the Columbia River.