The Discovery Trail is an 8.2 mile ride from Long Beach on the Pacific Ocean to Ilwaco at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Much of the Discovery Trail is a serpentine of up and down rollers over beach grass covered dunes
Shore pines, small like these, and much larger, grow right in the dunes along the trail
All of the trail is paved except for a short, steep section above Beard's Hollow. This bridge across a wetland leads you to the climb. At the top, it is a one mile descent into the Port of Ilwaco.
We had to push the trikes a few hundred feet of the steepest parts. It seemed our low gearing was sufficient for the climb, but the Big Apple tires didn't have enough grip.
This video above gives an overview of the Discovery Trail from a bike friendly hotel in Longbeach to the top of the unpaved segment and the Beard's Hollow Overlook.
The Ilwaco side of the trail is a steep, paved climb through the forest with lots of rollers and a very long winding bridge. The first video below takes you from the town to the overlook. The second drops down the dirt section to the Beard's Hollow Bridge and back up (with better tires and gears, concluding with a rapid descent back to Ilwaco.
The Discovery Trail through the dunes also connects with the beach in many places. Two very different rides are to the rocks at North Head and the 20 miles of smooth Long Beach sand.