Coyote Wall

Coyote Wall is a massive syncline of columnar basalt at the wet-to-dry transition of the Columbia River Gorge. The west faces break off as a sheer wall; the upper slopes tilt gently east through grassy meadows and oak-Douglas-fir woodlands pocked with scab land exposed by the Missoula Floods. The area became a mountain-biking destination in the 1990s; hikers arrived a decade later for expansive views, wildflowers, and a rare Pacific Northwest taste of oak savanna.

This 7.8-mile lollipop leaves the new Coyote Wall Trailhead above Locke Lake (the old Courtney Road trailhead is closed), walking east on the abandoned Highway 8 roadbed past boulders that once closed the old highway. A marked junction at 0.6 miles turns up through the Little Maui Trail into the Labyrinth, a jumble of rock benches with seasonal pools, grass widows blooming early, and small waterfalls along Little Maui Creek. Above the Labyrinth, the route crosses under powerlines and joins the clifftop of Coyote Wall itself. The descent runs along the precipice with constant views of Mt. Hood, the Columbia, and the Oregon Gorge.

Poison oak, rattlesnakes, and ticks are all present. Dogs must be on leash year-round on portions and seasonally on others because of ground-nesting birds. Beginning in 2024, the Forest Service is decommissioning the old clifftop trails and replacing them with a set-back, switchbacked alignment shared with mountain bikes — verify the current trail layout before the visit. The old Courtney Road trailhead area is closed to protect private land; use only the official Coyote Wall Trailhead.