Michael On Everything Else

Devils Rest Loop Trail

We recently hiked a new trail for us near Portland: Angel’s Rest to Devil’s Rest Loop Trail. So far, this has been my favorite trail we’ve hiked.

We hiked it on January 29th and there was plenty of ice midway through, near Angel’s Rest, and then an inch or two of snow near Devil’s Rest.

The path is a mix of well-worn sections, scree and more difficult to identify stretches (examples pictured below). We download maps from AllTrails before the hike and put the phone in airplane mode to conserve battery. The iPhone GPS still works in airplane mode and so the AllTrails app can keep track of your location in relation to your planned hike. On this trip I forgot and past Angel’s Rest there is little-to-no cell service (using Verizon) and my phone battery nearly died from the cold and the constant searching for signal. I finally realized it and activated airplane mode. We completed the trail and the battery held above 5%.

section of scree clear trails ahead snow covered trail

There is a short stretch with small boulders to cross before you get to Angel’s Rest:

small boulders

Angel’s Rest has the best views of the two:

Angel’s view, facing west Angel’s view, facing east windy and cold

As you can see in the third photo above, Angel’s Rest is exposed and can be cold and windy.

Moving up past Angel’s Rest towards Devil’s Rest provides more great views:

Sand Island and the Columbia River

You can also see evidence of the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire:

Eagle Creek Fire damage

There is some signage:

Signage location of signage

Beyond that point, the trail is less trafficked and less obvious:

concealed trail concealed trail foxglove way signage location of foxglove way signage

Devil’s Rest is a good spot to take a break, hydrate, and have a snack:

Devil’s Rest Devil’s Rest Note my battery status. Use airplane mode!

Note in the phone screenshot my battery at Devil’s Rest was already down to 10%. I lost 50% of the battery in only 20 minutes, likely due to the cold air. After putting the phone into airplane mode, it lasted the rest of the hike. Lesson learned; take a fully charged phone, download your maps, use airplane mode, and consider bringing an external battery, just in case.

I tried to make radio contact on 146.52 MHz simplex from Devil’s Rest but wasn’t successful. There is no real clearing and I was using my Signal Stick antenna.

Recommendations

If climbing in the winter, wear layers that you can easily put on and take off. Bring some gloves, even if a light pair. Watch for black ice. We both fell at least once. Use airplane mode on your phone to conserve battery and consider bringing an external battery.