Who we are…

Cape Horn Conservancy is an all volunteer non-profit dedicated to providing thoughtful stewardship of the Cape Horn Trail and surrounding public lands in the Washougal to Stevenson corridor. We work closely with the United States Forest Service (USFS), Washington Trails Association (WTA), and Friends of the Columbia Gorge (FOCG).

The Cape Horn Trail is a world-class hiking destination, a jewel of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area trail system. 

Please join us in our ongoing stewardship.

Four Cape Horn Conservancy volunteers sitting on a grassy hillside overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and forested mountains, with one person standing nearby in a cap and jacket.
Close-up of purple wildflowers surrounded by green leaves in natural outdoor setting.
Two women, one in a volunteer vest and the other in a uniform, smiling outdoors with trees in the background.
Three Cape Horn Conservancy volunteers in hiking gear standing in a wooded area with trees and fallen leaves, posing for a photo.
A Cape Horn Conservancy volunteer wearing a yellow hat and black jacket stands next to a tree trunk in a green, wooded area, smiling and holding garden shears.
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Wooden trail sign reading 'Cape Horn Trail' with greenery at the base.

Board of Directors

The Cape Horn Conservancy is looking to grow our board in order to expand our capacity to manage volunteer events, assist with community outreach and education and support our mission. Let us know if you are interested in joining us.

Our Community

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Educational Outreach

The Cape Horn Conservancy helps volunteers build their trail maintenance skills during ongoing work parties and programs that run in conjunction with the Washington Trails Association and the NSA FS.  

Members of the Conservancy provide information about the history, flora and fauna of the Cape Horn Trail to students during class outings and outreach to hikers.

The Cape Horn Conservancy partners with many agencies and volunteer groups throughout the year to provide stewardship of the trail and discuss needs and outcomes.

Our Partners

The organizations below have helped make Cape Horn Trail an outstanding place to hike (to learn more about an organization, click on the icon).

A circular emblem featuring a stylized landscape with a sunrise, mountains with snow caps, and a silhouette of two people in the foreground, one pointing and one talking. The text reads "City of Washington."
Washington Department of Transportation logo with green circular logo with a white stylized highway and the letters 'WSDOT' underneath.
The logo of the Washington Trails Association featuring mountains, trees, and the organization's name and establishment year.
Logo of the National Forest Foundation featuring a stylized tree and the organization's name.
Logo for Friends of the Columbia Gorge with white text on a green background.
Logo for the Jubitz Family Foundation with a stylized J and a whale tail.
A green and white outdoor-themed logo for Forest Youth Success, established in 2002, featuring a footprint and mountain silhouette.
U.S. Forest Service badge with a green background, gold border, and a gold tree in the center, with the words 'Forest Service' at the top and 'Department of Agriculture' at the bottom.
Seal of Skamania County, Washington, featuring Mount St. Helens and a lake with reflections, surrounded by trees.
Columbia Land Trust logo with stylized green and blue leaves and the text 'Columbia Land Trust' in green.
Trust For Public Land logo with colorful geometric shapes and patterns on a light blue background.
Silhouette of a mountain range with beige-colored terrain and a light yellow sky.

Additional thanks to:
​The Columbia Gorge Environmental Foundation
The Norman C. Danielson Foundation

  • A small group of friends and neighbors began to have informal gatherings in the fall of 2006, exploring if and how we could become involved in supporting stewardship of the Cape Horn trail which was then a largely undeveloped, challenging and unauthorized trail. Major portions of the trail are located on United States Forest Service (USFS) Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area property. 

    As community members, we began to foster cooperative relationships with the USFS, Skamania County, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Washington Trails Association and City of Washougal Council representatives.  We engaged deeply in a collaborative process resulting in the Cape Horn Trail Area Recreation Plan. 

    Over the years, the small group invited community members and trail advocates to join in constructive discussions with the cooperating agencies. This group of neighbors evolved into a working forum for trail related activities and advocacy and took on the name Cape Horn Conservancy (CHC). Further, CHC reached out to the surrounding community, providing a safe and supportive conduit through which residents could voice their concerns and suggestions. Such input has assisted in identifying trail, community and environmental impacts. 

    The USFS, after considerable input and effort by CHC and other cooperators, rendered a decision to officially recognize the trail. The Cape Horn Trail Area Recreation Plan became effective February 1, 2010. 
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    CHC continues to meet with the USFS and other non-profits to develop plans, set goals and responsibilities, and seek funding.

    CHC has provided considerable sweat equity in trail maintenance, GPS and map development, tree and shrub plantings, bank stabilization and control of invasive plants. We have moved from a casual neighborhood group to a structured and sustainable organization that will facilitate future endeavors in the continuing development, maintenance and stewardship of this valuable public resource. 
    We invite you to join us!

    • 2010-2011 ~The construction of: two SR14 pedestrian underpasses, the Nancy Russell Overlook, the Jim Proctor Bridge and new trail sections and reroutes

    • 2012-2013 ~Two additional bridges and multiple sets of steps constructed

    • 2014 ~Western trail section rerouted to protect Larch Mountain Salamander habitat, native plant restoration work atop Cape Horn, and the construction of a kiosk/bus stop shelter at the park n' ride/trailhead

    • 2015-2017 ~ The construction of two basalt overlooks on the lower trail, two bridges on the upper trail, and a new reroute providing access and protection to yet another viewpoint

Annual Reports

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2014
2016
2018
2020
2019
2017
2015