Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint — Attraction in Washougal

No one else at the viewpoint when I arrived at 5am. Lots information kiosks for the history of this viewpoint and the surrounding area. I came here to hike. Forum

Rooster Rock Wagon trail to Mirror Lake and Palisade Falls via Portland Women's Forum Scenic Viewpoint. Solo Tuesday 2/9/2021.

TH Information; parking enough for 35+ vehicles, lot and road in is paved. Easily visible from the old Columbia River Highway. There is no fee to park here. Informational kiosks dot the walkways. Beautiful views from the forum. The trail starts beyond the white gate, make sure you have a map of the area as I noticed several less traveled side trails. There are two handicap spots next to the Columbia viewpoint, would not recommend this trail for handicap, but the viewpoint is handicap accessible and paved. Would recommend for young children as long as there is no mud, ice, or snow on the trail (also be aware there are some steep, narrow, drop off areas). There are no bathrooms at this TH. Multiple bike parking available as well as a water fountain (not sure if it is working due to Covid-19). This viewpoint is not gated. Open from 6am to 9pm.

4.07 miles w/815ft elevation gain. Started at 5:30am no other vehicles in the lot, temp was 31 degrees, but with wind chill 🥶, it felt more like 21 degrees. I would call this one on the easy side of moderate. Trail starts off wide and turns very narrow. With the recent rain the trail was very muddy and slick! There were multiple stream crossings. The descent and ascent are very gradual and the colors in the forrest this time of year are very vibrant 😍🤩. Beautiful views! Love how most of the time, this time of year you can see the trail for a ways in spots. Saw and heard beautiful birds, but no other big game.

Only saw 2 other female hikers on trail close to TH at 9:45am, they socially distanced and one wore a mask. When I got back to the forum, there were 4 other vehicles in the lot at 9:08am.

Remember to pack it in pack it out, leave no trace and leave the trails better than you found them, I picked up as much as I could from the trail; including covid-19 mask 🤢, broken glass, TP and...

My husband and I stopped here on our way back to Portland from Latourell and Bridal Veil Falls. It was much less crowded than the Vista Point, but just down the road. We picked up some fresh berries and lavender and stopped here (as instructed by a trooper for the best non crowded view.) We were going to head up to the view to see the 5 mountains not far from here, but halfway up we were told the view from there is closed until at least June 2019 from the fire a while back. This view didnt disappoint. We got to eat lunch in peace from the heavy crowds, and had a good view of the Vista as well. Definitely recommend. We went on the 1st Saturday in the August. It may not all be as crowded...

The Portland Women's Forum lookout was beautiful. It's basically the first scenic stop of the Historic Columbia River Highway route or the scenic route. There's several binocular machines. And endless amounts of spots to snap a good photo for memories. You can also see the Vista House (which is the next stop on the route) because the road bends. It was really amazing to see how close the vista house was to the cliff while looking out from the women's forum. If you take this scenic route I highly recommend stopping. FYI there are no bathrooms at this stop it is purely a nature/scenery lookout. But have no fear the Vista House...