📅 Event Details

Date: Saturday, August 24, 2026
Time: 8:00am
Location: We'll meet at the Horsetail Falls Trailhead parking area
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5Yy2K3CLqK79RRKq9
Leader: Devin

🐦🐹 Overview

Join Devin for a special morning adventure into the Columbia River Gorge with the primary goal of searching for one of Oregon's most charismatic mountain mammals, the American Pika. We'll hike beyond Horsetail Falls toward the rocky talus slopes where these energetic little relatives of rabbits make their homes, listening for their distinctive squeaky calls and watching for them as they dart among the boulders collecting vegetation for their winter haypiles.

While pikas are our main target, the Gorge is also an outstanding place for birding. The forests, cliffs, waterfalls, and open rock faces support a wide variety of species, and August brings the first hints of fall migration. We'll keep our binoculars handy throughout the hike as we search for both birds and mammals in one of Oregon's most scenic landscapes.

👟 Accessibility & What to Expect

• Parking: Parking lot

• Restroom Access: None on site (1 mile west at Ainsworth State Park there are public restrooms)

• Pace: Slow / Sitting

• Distance: Approximately 0.5 mile (optional 1 mile round trip to see Ponytail Falls)

• Terrain: Paved trail near the falls transitions to dirt and rocky trail with moderate to high elevation gain. Some sections are uneven with stairs and exposed roots.

This walk is open to all experience levels, though participants should be comfortable hiking uphill on uneven terrain. We'll move at a slow pace and sit for extended periods looking for pika among the rocky hillside.

🌿 Habitat & What We'll See

Our route passes through lush Douglas-fir forest, moss-covered cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and rocky talus slopes, each supporting its own unique wildlife. The higher rock fields provide ideal habitat for American Pika, while the surrounding forest and cliffs host an excellent diversity of birds.

Some of the species we'll be looking for include:

• American Pika 🐹

• American Dipper

• Steller's Jay

• Chestnut-backed Chickadee

• Red-breasted Nuthatch

• Pacific Wren

• Varied Thrush (occasionally lingering into summer)

• Olive-sided Flycatcher

• Vaux's Swift

• Common Raven

• Peregrine Falcon

• Band-tailed Pigeon

• Townsend's Chipmunk

We'll also be watching and listening for soaring raptors, mixed flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, and the unmistakable high-pitched calls of pikas echoing from the talus slopes. With a bit of patience, and some luck, we may even observe a pika carrying a mouthful of vegetation back to its rocky home.

🎒 What to Bring

• Binoculars

• Plenty of water

• Sturdy hiking shoes or boots

• Layers for cooler Gorge temperatures

• Sun protection

• Bug repellent if you’d like