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.

Coming back down is as tricky as ascending, with at least as much skidding.

Across the bridge and back to pavement

Sculpture in a variety of media appears along the trail, beginning at the north end with a bronze tree based upon the William Clark, of Lewis and Clark, carved his name on in 1805. Soon after that, you come to a bronze sturgeon like one he caught.

Dolphins emerge out of a large driftwood stump.

A lifesized condor with nine-foot wingspan, like one shot by Clark, eats its prey by the Ilwaco docks at the southern terminus of the trail.

The Discovery Trail begins in Long Beach and ends in Ilwaco. Long Beach is a tourist town, with lots of toys for visitors to use.

Ilwaco, on the other hand, is a working port with commercial and charter fishing fleets.