The loop mapped here is a short but popular option that ascends the Little Maui trail and descends the Little Moab trail. Little Maui offers a moderate, enjoyable climb up a smooth dirt singletrack trail that meanders up the mountainside, switching back and forth as it climbs.

Along the way, you’ll enjoy stunning views of the Columbia River Gorge spread out below you. The largest river in the Pacific Northwest, the scope of this waterway is a stunning sight. The Columbia runs for 1,243 miles, is “the fourth-largest river in the United States by volume, and. . .has the greatest flow of any North American river entering the Pacific,” according to Wikipedia.

The descending trail, known as “Little Moab,” runs downhill along the rim of a giant rock wall that rock climbers ascend from the bottom. The resemblance to the Porcupine Rim trail in Moab is striking! The trail tread itself bears a resemblance to Porcupine Rim, too. The meat of the trail features a cascading series of ledges and rock gardens. Without a single defined trail line through the mess, you’ll have to constantly be scanning ahead, looking for exactly which line you’d like to take through the sea of rocks. A few obvious lines appear from the rubble, leading you ever downhill, and back to your car.