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- Distance: ≈11 miles
Tarbell Trail is open to hikers, non-motorized mountain bikes, and horses near Yacolt, Washington.
Guide#
Hiking Tarbell Trail to Hidden Falls starts at a lonely parking lot near Yacolt, Washington. There may be one or two other cars parked depending on the day and time, but visitors are infrequent to say the least. After setting onto Tarbell Trail you’ll be guided deeped into the Yacolt Burn State Forest, where soon you’ll be riding the edge of Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
For the nearly 5½ hike to Hidden Falls there’s only one section of clear cuts, which you pass through a few times, and the trail likes to change grade throughout the course. The inconsistent elevation gain and distance make this hike challenging for beginners, if you are in the Clark County area there are plenty of easy hike for beginners maybe check out Bell’s Mountain Trail. Also be aware that unlike some other hikes in the Yacolt Burn State Forest there is very little cell reception this far into the woods, that being said the GPS coverage is good – even in the thicker coverings of the forest.
Although the hike is really beautiful, Hidden Falls makes the 11 miles worth it all, and by “hidden” they mean it, I’ve only ever seen one person visit at the same time as any of my groups that have gone out there. If you want to spoil the surprise check out my photo “The Lost Falls.”
L-1182 passes through the trail, people may take Jeeps on this road, I suspect this is how that one other person who was that far into Yacolt Burn got there. Pack enough food and water, plan on eating lunch in the woods even if you start in the morning[1]. Check weather conditions before going, be prepared for fog, clouds, and rain, if you’re going in the winter be prepared for hail.
Transportation#
From Moulton Falls Regional Park head to NE Sunset Falls Road, then take a right onto NE Dole Valley Road, finally, take a left onto L-1100 Road the trailhead parking lot will be to the left of you.
Watch out for aggressive drivers and be safe driving, a lot of drivers take the turns too fast and there are some pretty narrow roads.
We didn’t do this the first time I did this trail and regretted it. ↩