On Biddle's Trail

Here we go — up the face of the rock. From the Beacon Rock trailhead lot where you parked, the summit trail starts right at the marked trailhead, so let's head up on foot. And I want you to understand what you're walking on, because it is one of the most remarkable pieces of trail-building in America.

This trail is about three-quarters of a mile to the top, and it climbs the sheer side of an eight-hundred-foot cliff. To do that, it uses fifty-two switchbacks, twenty-two bridges, and more than a hundred concrete slabs bolted and poured across gaps in the rock — a hand railing the entire way, catwalks jutting out over open air, the path doubling back on itself again and again as it climbs. A man named Henry Biddle built it between nineteen-fifteen and nineteen-eighteen, and Boone will tell you the full story of that obsession in a minute.

Now, how hard is it? Be honest with yourself, because fitness varies a lot. Figure about a mile and a half round trip, gaining right around six hundred and eighty feet — a genuine workout, steep the whole way up, though the grade is even and the switchbacks come often enough to catch your breath. A reasonably fit person makes the top in thirty to forty-five minutes at an easy pace; take longer if you like, there's no hurry. It's not a technical climb — no scrambling, no ropes — just a steady, sustained uphill on a good path.

And a word on safety, because this is a real cliff. The trail is well-built and railed the whole way, and families do it every day — but it is steep, it is narrow, and there is a lot of open air just past that railing. If heights bother you, know that going in: the drops are big and they're close. So: stay on the trail, keep your hand near the rail on the exposed catwalks, keep small children right beside you, and don't climb over anything for a photo. Take it slow — it's a climb, and there's no shame in resting on the switchbacks. The view at the top is worth every step. Up we go.