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I usually do an easy hike along the tail end of the sandy river. Usually see lots of wild life and there are many trails to hike
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Had to stay on low angle, explored into the woods, a bit touch and go for enough angle to move.
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This was an excellent cross country ski in delightful snow conditions. Note that there is a short section of off trail travel in the last 1/4 of the GPS track. I believe this is marshy ground in the summer.
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Great hike. Great view. Super crowded with like <40% of people actually wearing masks. And on top of that, someone broke in to a bunch of the cars at the trailhead while we were there. Glass everywhere. Some people suck.
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This gorge hike has it all! Decent views, forest, creek crossing, waterfalls and cool rock formations at the end. Gentle grade and a delightful hike
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Skied from the Bennett Pass trailhead almost to Windy Pass. Great drifts and cornices nice 4 inches of snow and whoop ty do drifts in a number of places.
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Great snowshoeing. Beautiful views of Mt. Hood. On clear days great views looking north toward mounts Adams, Rainier, and St. Helens.
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A great alternative to Teacup Lake Snow Park, four high quality cross country skiing. Well groomed trails, good variety and easy parking!
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This is one short and beautiful snow shoe to do. I love the bridges and the the frozen falls in the end.
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If you’re going past the look out, bring snowshoes. We also had the dogs and they weren’t very happy about post-holing. Stopped on top of Dick and returned. Lol we’ll be back snowshoes and no dogs! 😛
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We went out and back for a total of 3.2 miles. You could have gone a lot further. Shortly into the hike you could decide level of difficulty: easy or more difficult. We chose easy. We saw no other hikers. We saw 3 people on mountain bikes. We crossed 2 streams over well built bridges. There is a bathroom at the trailhead. Great hike.
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Nice loop hike to a lake. Only able to have views of Mount Hood on the initial climb.
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This is a pretty cool hike good elevation pretty consistent. Not a lot of people once you get up to Palmer base. And you can go pretty high up as long as the winds aren’t that strong. Just pay attention to the weather because it changes by the second.
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Challenging stream crossings at Eliot and Coe branches, and long stretches of switchbacks getting to them, balanced out by amazing views of Mt Adams, St. Helens and Rainier.
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A beautiful hike during the summer months. Trails are usually busy but not so much that it impedes progress. Some downed trees over the trail in certain sections but nothing impassible
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Really pretty trail through the woods. Umbrella Falls are beautiful. Tried to hike to Elk Meadow but too tricky to cross the river.
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This hike was great but often hard to recognize where the trail was. A few logs to climb over and walk across to cross the rushing waters.
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Backpacked this loop at the end of July. Flowers were in bloom and sunset views amazing.
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Janet and Beau hiked on Labor Day. Beautiful as usual. Old Growth is spectacular.
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Great trail and views. Running water in Zigzag River in early September. Was just a bit crowded.
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Beautiful hike make sure to check out the cabin great views of Jefferson even on a Smokey day
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Trail was very well maintained, a nice stroll through the forest until you climb up to the lookout. We had fire smoke so didn’t get a view of Jefferson.
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Mid August most of the flowers have withered in the heat, but not all! The trail is not without great variety to see in the tree and shrub species and there are many boggy or creek crossings that are cool and refreshing. The real reason for hiking at this time is for the huckleberries and wild blueberries which are abundant and delicious.
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Very easy river crossing. There’s a log with another log for hand rails. Come back on the PCT side to avoid the only “climb” of the hike if you don’t mind the downhill. Otherwise it’s a very easy hike.
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This was a pretty mellow and nice hike. Only drawback was it was really crowded.
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Hiked on 8/8/20. Trailhead still closed. Started from Wyeth street. Gravel forest road. Then Off to the right, is a path that will get you to the trail. From car to split of loop is about 1.5miles or so. Clocked about 11 (23,000 steps anyway lol) miles RT. Did a lot of “lookouts”. I did the little peak and also climbed to the top of Indian point. Just be careful. Went right at the split. Took me 3.5hrs to get to “top”, including the 3100 peak. Could t get through the deadman part of loop. Trail is overgrown. But way overgrown there. Pretty views. The route back down was way less steep. Or more gradual anyway. Ran back to car. Took me an hour. Only saw 1 other person.
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Wonderful hike in the forest of Mount Hood, with a beautiful view across at the mountain and the reservoir down below. As you like along the top of the ridge in July/August, the forest has been thinned and there’s a plethora of huckleberry bushes, ripe for the picking. Enjoy!
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Just linked some features together on the east side of Mt Hood. Wanted to do Cooper Spur in addition, but I was pressed for time. The wildflowers are beautiful right now, would recommend hitting it early, there’s no shade on the Timberline Trail as you can expect.
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Since you are parking where everyone else is going to bald mountain, it is extra great to be alone on this trail. Beautiful views of hood along the ridge line and cool breezes in the shade of the forest.
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Amazing hike with rewarding views of Mt. Hood. Nice trail with some blow down causing some issues. But very easy to navigate around them. Wild flowers all over making for some beautiful pictures. Just a little bit of snow to cross if heading all the way up the Mississippi head wall, well worth the climb. A hike to be placed on your to do list!
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Great hike. Rough trail. Best view around. Highest point between Hood and Jefferson.
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Sherard point is probably the single best view point for pacific NW mountain viewing. This was a good, clear day and all mountain including Jefferson, Hood, Adams, Rainier and St.Helens were clear and beautiful.
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Kid friendly, Ezra only fell once 100m from finish :) no bugs and amazing views of hood
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This hike was lovely and the falls were gorgeous, but the falls is definitely not a place for solitude in the summer - even on a Monday we passed a TON of people. It was hard to find a place to relax at the falls there were so many people. We lasted about 5 minutes before deciding to call it.
Only about half wear wearing masks during COVID and some didn’t even step to the side of the (narrow in places) trail.
Overall, it was nice and we will totally try this one again in fall when the crowds dissipate.
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This hike was lovely and the falls were gorgeous, but the falls is definitely not a place for solitude in the summer - even on a Monday we passed a TON of people. It was hard to find a place to relax at the falls there were so many people. We lasted about 5 minutes before deciding to call it.
Only about half wear wearing masks during COVID and some didn’t even step to the side of the (narrow in places) trail.
Overall, it was nice and we will totally try this one again in fall when the crowds dissipate.
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Beautiful, butt kicker hike with lovely views of Mt. Hood. Wasn’t too busy for a Saturday. A few blown down trees to navigate, but not bad at all. The trail is narrow in some spots, so it was nice to see most people covering up their faces when passing by. Road 20 is closed. Take Still Creek Rd instead. Happy hiking!
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This is one of those trails offering incredible views for a moderate effort. Because of the new trailhead located near Ski Bowl. This hike can now be more easily done as a loop. A counterclockwise direction seems to be more interesting because hikers achieve Mirror Lake and its glorious views within the first two miles of the hike. From Mirror Lake the trail continues about 1.5 miles to a "summit" that affords amazing views to the north - Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams and to the south - Mt. Jefferson. Continuing eastward another half mile along the summit ridge, hikers ascend the final few steps to the true summit of Tom Dick Harry. At this point, hikers can retrace their steps or continue the loop down into the Mt. Hood Ski Bowl and then back to the trailhead and parking lot.
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The Yocum Falls trailhead has now been abandoned with a new trailhead and parking located a few hundred yards east near the Ski Bowl parking lot. From this new trailhead the trail ascends gently on a new, well-graded trail joining the existing Mirror Lake trail a half mile below Mirror Lake. A trail circumnavigates the lake and there are several scenic areas for a stop or picnic. At the west side of the Lake is the continuation of the trail which continues steadily upward for 1.5 miles to a spectacular rocky perch affording amazing views of nearby Mt Hood as well as more distant Mt. Adams to the north. To the south is the alp like summit of Mt. Jefferson.
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Started at parking lot and came 9.5 miles so we are close to falls, but at great campsite. We were hiking in the clouds for a few hours so we couldn’t see Mt Hood, but absolutely beautiful scenery. The water crossings were easier than many suggest. Yes, you need to be careful at one, but look around and you’ll find a spot. Camp site is stunning. We went to the second one out of the three areas and it is closer to river. I could see in high water times that it could be swampy though. Excellent hike, glad we came!
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A strenuous hike due to route finding and cross country bushwhacking from Barlow Butte to the Barlow Road. The trail along the ridge is often lost in blow down and completely indiscernible on the descent.
Barlow road walk back was pleasant, only one vehicle passed us and nice forest.
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Steep! Your quads may be sore. Took green canyon to hunchback then over to devils peak, just a bit under 11 miles. In late June there was a small amount of running water you cross on hunchback trail. I took 2 liters and was fine. A little grown over on portions of hunchback but green canyon was mostly clear. 1-2 blow downs but nothing crazy. I’d recommend everyone do this trail once, it’s punishing though so I may not repeat it unless I’m in the mood for a training hike.
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An absolutely amazing hike. The falls, river, mountain truly showed their beauty. Went as far as we could due to crummy conditions. Just shy of making it all the way. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a hike to challenge themselves with miles. Elevation gain was not bad all. Beware of numerous fallen trees in the path. Some junction signs are in need of replacement and could be deceptive to hikers not familiar with the are.
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We had to park near the road as the entrance to the campground was closed, which was no biggie. It’s a short jaunt to the trail. The trail begins near the outhouses. This was our first time hiking this portion of the Clackamas River. It didn’t disappoint. It’s a very rich area. Lots of old growth firs and cedars. We saw a huge salamander, a beautiful lily, blooming rhododendrons and lots of other cool things. The hike follows the river and has beautiful views and soothing sounds. We didn’t see many people, but it was drizzly and not real warm, which may have kept some folks away. We started at Rainbow Campground and went to Riverside Campground. This was an out and back hike..
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Isolated. Reasonable grade for climbing. Ultimately views of both sides. On a clear day, I could see everything from Mount Jefferson to Mount Adams, Mount Hood to Mount Saint Helens.
The high Prairie Meadow at the top is filled with tiny wildflowers. Shooting stars and other tiny varieties.
The descent has pretty good flow.
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This is a hike from the Herman Creek TH to the Dry Creek Falls via Herman Creek Trail, Herman Creek Bridge Trail, and PCT. Overall, the trails were in good conditions with some overgrown vegetation in a few spots. Not much views on the hike. The Dry Creek Falls were nice with a lot of water going over the top.
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This was a beautiful hike in mid June. The rhodies were in full bloom and very showy. The Pioneer Bridal trail is flat and in pretty good shape. From Tolgate Trailhead to Still Creek campground had some of the best rhodies pink blossoms I've seen in awhile. The forest was lush and with so many kinds of green! Gorgeous hike.
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A hike with rewarding views. Enjoyed this one on a Wednesday & only saw 3 other people. Great view of Mt Jefferson and a cute cabin at the top.
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Very lush, rain forest terrain. Nice incline hiking south. Many flowers & birds. Traffic/train noise for almost 2 miles, as this route almost parallels the highway. Dry Creek waterfall beautiful.
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This was our first time hiking in this area. It was fairly easy due to minimal elevation gain. The trail was is great shape. A few blown down trees to hop or duck under. Nothing major. Two beautiful lakes to check out. We lucked out with no rain today. Started to sprinkle just as we left. Felt like someone was watching out for us.
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This trip gets you above the falls. It is a super snowshoe hike in the winter!!
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An amazing hike year-round! Be sure to check this hike out in the autumn when the leaves are turning and in the winter when the falls are frozen.
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Nice hike and start from Polallie trailhead. A bit steep at the start and rocky near the waterfall, but the secluded walk back on Elk Meadows Trail is great!
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This trail has one of the best views in the gorge, but is also one of my least favorite. There is absolutely no escape or serenity on this trail. It is completely overrun and overused to the point that makes me feel guilty about treading on the path. I believe this trail should be closed to allow it to recover. I would recommend checking out Forest Park or Multnomah Falls for the folks in the city interested in doing this hike.
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The end of this hike you are rewarded with a beautiful vista at a fire lookout. Be careful on this thing, as it's been decommissioned and now inhabited by copious amounts of wasps.
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The water was flowing pretty good a couple of weeks back. Surprisingly few people out. Fungi starting to show up.
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Started in the Multnohma falls parking lot but went up the Wahkeena falls side. No snow on the trails. It was muddy in places but great hike. Took the quick out of route stop to the Wahkeena springs, watching the water flow from the earth is awesome it just pours out. There was a fair amount of people throughout the trail. The weather was perfect, started with long sleeves and was able to get to short sleeves.
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This place is beautiful, but be so cautious if there has been rain/snow. I was caught in a rockslide last winter caused by thawing snow and the fire from a couple years ago, and now I have a tree to thank for my life.
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This trail is one of the most crowded trails in the gorge. There are more people on this trail than you would find in Forest Park, and that’s in February. Summer time can have even more.
It’s over-hiked, so the path is extremely muddy.
That said, the view at the top is awesome.
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Quick and easily accessible hike. Will get your blood pumping with the decent climb over a short distance. Views are top notch.
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Enjoyable day in the woods. Did the main hike and then some exploring.
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Lots of elevation gain along the ski trail to timberline lodge. Makes a nice snow shoe, but crosses dangerously across the ski slopes.
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Parking has only room for two at the trailhead and will require you to back up or backdown as turning around is tough, so turnaround and park at the wide portion of of the one lane road. Difficult climb (up, up and up) but you are rewarded by a phenomenal view of Mt Hood off the trail (Mt Adams though trees as well) as you make your way to the old lookout on West Zigzag. View is southern, down to Hwy 26 and back towards the west.
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Nice fall colors which are quickly blowing away due to high winds. Not crowded. Almost no road noise. The water level was high and river raging.
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Trail in good condition with few blowdowns. Gorgeous views up the Salmon River Valley, then, from Devil’s Peak, of Mts Hood and Jefferson. Wonderful fall colors. Would be a nice, easy two-night backpack trip.
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Hiked up to Bald Mtn from Lolo Pass, east on the Timberline a couple of miles and then back down McGee Creek Trail. While likely not the best season for this hike, it was a beautiful forested hike with great views. The trail was in good shape and easy grade. There are many huckleberry bushes, so a late summer hike might find these fruiting. Due to clouds, our view of the Mt Hood peak was blocked.
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2nd best hike of the vacation.
If you go to the top of the falls (we all know that’s never the best place to view it) you might as well make the climb worthwhile by adding 3-4 more falls. It’s not much more climbing but well worth the effort.
A couple places are a little scary if you are afraid of heights like I am, but are generally fine unless you need to pass people.
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A great hike. A little wetness. Some rocks and slippery spots but overall a pretty easy and well worth it hike. Amazing view. Saw some dogs and children in backpacks only on the trail.
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If you go up, I suggest enjoying part of the creek trail. It’s better than the top of the falls.
If you aren’t up to the whole thing, the seating area by the 4th switchback - that switchback above it is your last great view.
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This is a moderately difficult trail with 11 switchbacks. 1 mile each way out and back. The trail is paved for nearly the entire distance. There are very steep drop-offs off the side of the trail for part of the way so those with children should be careful. There are several look out spots which afford nice views of the falls and of the Columbia River Gorge looking westward.
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On the first day of fall, the lower 1/4-1/3 mile is a little muddy and some of the scree areas are slippery. Near the top, about 2 miles in, there’s a gauntlet of poison oak. Otherwise, just a beautiful, iconic Gorge hike. Do it during the week and avoid the traffic jams!
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Able to all of the nearby Peaks given the clear skies, there were people but not a ton and not everyone hit the top due some snow.
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A historic trail. Trail head begins at Timberline Lodge.
Trail takes you around the mountain for 57 miles at the 6,000 foot level in Wilderness country
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Pretty trail. Lots of mountain bikes coming down, but you can hear/see them coming in time to get out of the way. Labor Day weekend but actually not as busy as I expected. Made it to iconic Timberline Lodge for a welcome cold beer and gorgeous view. Took the shuttle down for $2 each.
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I’d rate this 4.5 if I could. Parking at Timberline lodge was easy. There were many hikers on the trail. If you use All Trails for trail discovery and research—it’s very good for that—their info is way off, as usual. This particular hike is not yet listed in Gaia (not sure why, it’s a popular hike). I used two GPS devices and measured approximately 13 miles (not including long walk from and to the parking lot). And, measured ~3,100 ft elevation gain. Also, this hike is not that hard, don’t be intimated by the All Trails description. I’ve done hard trails before, and this is not hard. On a difficulty scale of 5, I’d rate it 3.5 due only to length and moderate elevation gain. This definitely is not an easy hike, but it’s also not hard. There are some muddy, slippery spots, some steep drop offs, and one creek/river crossing that may challenge some people—my balance isn’t great, but with the help of hiking poles, I made it across both times with little problem and without taking off shoes. Overall, this is a great hike, very scenic. I’m a fairly fast hiker, it took me about 4.5 hours, and I stopped multiple times for pics and several times for water and food. If you’re concerned with the distance or elevation gain, start early and give yourself plenty of time. It’s worth it!
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Quintessential PNW beauty. Walked along the PCT right below the timber line, then looped around above the trees thru Paradise Valley - an area of alpine meadows full of spectacular wildflowers. Waterfalls and creek crossings so there’s available water. Challenging in distance but overall not too difficult.
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We enjoyed this hike. There was one overgrown area on the trail near Badger Lake that was about a mile or so long that scratched up our lower legs, but it wasn’t horrible. We also missed an unmarked turn/hard to see trail at the southern end of the hike (see track). The west portion of the loop was definitely the best. Great views of Mt. Hood. You definitely need a high clearance vehicle for the last 1.5 miles of the road.
Here’s a great link to the hike:
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Gunsight_Butte-Badger_Lake_Loop_Hike
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Lovely hike. I hiked alone, and for a few sections was the only hiker on the trail, and then I’d sporadically pass a few groups. A easy few creek crossings.
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The hike is excellent with good view but the final segment at Skibowl might be improved. The route as shown seems to go down the Skibowl ski slopes which were steep and dusty and shared with mountain bikers. I suggest using the longer but less steep and better trails to the east side of Skibowl to make the descent from the top to the warming hut.
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Loved this hike. We’re training for Mt.Baker and wanted some elevation gain. This gave us 3,000 feet in relatively short hike. We went counter clockwise as the ground was more dirt and pine needles which made it easier on the knees. The summit to Nick Eaton was no view at all. So many trees everywhere. Overall nice hike but tough for anyone not used to going straight up.
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This trail has lots of views and is maintained up to the first “summit”. It’s a lot of uphill but it is a lot of fun and worth it!
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Tried to go further up Nick Eaton, but it was extremely overgrown. Recommend sticking to the smaller loop.
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The snow melted earlier than usual and our hike 7-22 was just after most of the snow was gone. The flowers were in full bloom with meadows filled with Alpine lilies, lupine, paint brush and at least 30 different types of flowers. Good patches of tiger lilies and Washington lilies. The trails were clear and with a sunny day the views were excellent.
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Beautiful hike. Started at LoLo Pass. One draw back was the potty stop on the woods across from the trailhead was full of paper. Please if you must use paper put it in a zip lock bag and deal with it appropriately.
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Lovely moderate hike. Quiet and serene. Didn’t see one other person even on a busy July 4th weekend. ,Fret Creek pristine and babbles along much of the way. Pinnacle point definitely vertiginous! Tons of huckleberries and wildflowers. Berries will be ready for picking in early August.
Early August.
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One of my all time favorite hikes. Can be a little difficult to find the trail when you really start ascending but its well worth it!
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A trail that does not see a lot of use. It’s a long uphill climb under trees, with a view of Mt Hood on an open slope just beyond 5 miles. Continue on to Cast Lake for camping or to the East Zigzag peak for great views.
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It was cloudy out, but still a very enjoyable hike. The beginning of the trail was wide with a park like vibe. As we climbed to the lake the trail crossed many small streams in forest and meadow settings. There were a few muddy areas, but they were easily crossed by rock hopping. Near the first large stream crossing we met a backpacker (with a shotgun strapped to the top of his pack!) that warned us of a bear in the area moving upstream. No sign of a bear, but we were on high alert through the area. Burnt Lake itself was wrapped in low clouds that obscured Mt. Hood when we arrived and we chose to push on to the top of East Zi-Zag for our lunch break. The climb went by quickly with views opening up at the saddle near the summit. To treat ourselves for the climb we enjoyed cups of rosé and cold(-ish) pizza in the clouds. The way back down was mostly uneventful, but still enjoyable.
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Herman Creek Trail #406 to Gorton Creek Trail #408 to Ridge Cutoff Trail #437 to Nick Eaton Trail #447.
Took us approx. 5 hrs round trip with breaks and hanging out at the point. Beautiful color/texture contrast with burnt trees and new foliage/wildflowers. Amazing gorge views throughout. Fairly challenging for us novice hikers, but nothing undoable for newbs. Going up on the steep, switchback-y Nick Eaton might save your knees vs going down it.
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Took us approx 5 hr round trip via the Ridge Cutoff Loop. Beautiful contract of burnt trees and new foliage/wildflowers. Amazing gorge views throughout. Fairly challenging for a couple of novice hikers, going up Nick Eaton to start the loop might save your knees.
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Super challenging hike. Great if you want a challenge and to cross Mt Defiance off the bucket list. We did is as a training hike for a longer backpacking trip. There are better view hikes around and the TV antenna campus at the top is not the tranquil, wilderness experience I was looking for. Trail surface is very loose and coming down was precarious. But super satisfying to have done.
Note: the very bottom of the Starvation creek trail was closed due to a slide, so you can either do an out and back on Mt defiance trail, or we cut across to rejoin trail above slide.
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Easy route with a good view of the mountain at mirror lake. Once we reached the lake we went on to the first viewpoint near Tom Dick and Harry mountain. Worth the extra effort for an even more spectacular view!
Lot’s of people and dogs around in the afternoon, would recommend going earlier in the day.
Don’t forget to buy a park pass!
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A very nice hike with few people (encountered only 10 on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon). The beauty of this hike really begins once exiting the old road and entering into the trees. The understory is open with good sight lines through the trees. The forest floor is blanketed with greenery. Rhododendrons are beginning to bloom at the lower elevations. Just below the summit the trail passes through a grove of rhodies that won't bloom for another two weeks. Of course the jewel is the view from the top; Mt Hood is prominent to the northeast, and the Washington summits of St. Helens, Rainier, and Adams are all visible on a clear day. Mt Jefferson holds the southern view.
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We went on this hike 5/14/19. The trail was in good shape with just a few small trees across the trail to step over. It was forecasted to have showers all day so we had rain gear on and got wet, not by rain, but from the large shrubs next to the trail. We ran into patches of snow at about 4100 feet elevation that were soft enough to walk through but deep enough in spots we needed our GAIA to keep on the trail. When we were about 0.2 mikes from the top, the snow suddenly was 3 feet or higher on a steep incline with a drop off to the right. While we had mini spikes to put on we felt it was too risky to chance a fall at that point. It was cloudy with limited views of the valley but not the mountains.
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Did this hike 5/13/19 Cell reception is sporadic for Verizon here, nothing in lower areas. Parked at West Salmon River Trailhead (lots of break-ins must happen here, lots of broken glass in the parking areas) at 3:42am, two other cars in the lot. Road is paved until the last bridge on east salmon river road. 2 porta potties that smelled clean in the am, no TP though. Took Green Canyon Way trail to Hunchback trail to get to Devils Peak Fire Lookout. 14.14 miles and 3588 elevation gain moving time 8.5hrs total time 11hrs. From west salmon walk down to green canyon campground, straight across from the campground is Green Canyon Way trailhead. Green Canyon camground is closed at this time, but there is day use parking available here when open, need a NW forrest pass or america the beautiful pass to park in this area of Mt. Hood.
Green Canyon Way trail is a very steep tiny trail, you climb quickly in a short (3.5 miles to hunchback) amount of miles. There are a couple of really sketchy areas on Green Canyon, but most of the logs have been cut that were on the trail. Trail is in decent condition with good trail signs. Hunchback trail section I did was nice, mostly flat with some steep sections, couple areas where you could loose the trail due to blow-down debris. There is a water trail marker on hunchback and a neat little camp site. 3 miles from hunchback to devils peak. Snow starts when you here running water and there are a couple of big snowy areas, but mostly sporadic snow covering the trail. Follow the boot path or make sure you have some sort of navigation as you can loose your way. Cool creek trail is still snow covered near the top, not sure about the lower area, but as far as I could see there was at least a foot of snow. Devils Peak Fire Lookout was really cool! Well worth the hike to get there. I did not check out the top or inside as people were staying there when I went. No stunning views at the lookout, but some space to have a seat and take a break. Returned hike on the same trails as I did not know what to expect on the other trails. This is most definitely a difficult hike, be prepared.
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Hiked up to Green Point Mountain summit on May 12, 2019 from the Herman Creek trailhead and continuing on #406 until forking off onto the Nick Eaton Trail #447. As was the case last year, much of the trail on Nick Eaton ridge is filled with dry needles, burnt bark, and downed limbs making the trail easy to lose if you're not focused. Once you hit the Gorton Creek trail #408, you enter the unburnt forest which has preserved much of the trail until you get to around 4,200' of elevation. At that point, it's snow up to the summit.
The depth of the snow varies from 2'-3' all the way to the top - all of it a hard, rippled snow. There is no trace of a trail to be found, so have GPS ready if you plan to do this hike since it's roughly 2 miles of snow crushing to the top. You'll also encounter bear tracks along the way although I did not spot any black bear on this day's adventure. Most of the climb is gradual until you get to the final 100' climb where you'll need to just find the safest way up to the top. Once at the summit, it's nice and clear of snow since it's been exposed to the sun for some time now. The view was spectacular and all mountains in the area were clearly visible including Mt. Ranier.
On the way down I completed the loop by taking the Herman Creek trail all the way back to the trailhead. Fortunately, going downhill in the snow wasn't too bad since the descent was gradual. After about three quarters of a mile down from the summit at the Wahtum Lake Road junction all snow was gone. The rest of the hike down included rushing creeks and waterfalls from the season's snow melt.
Awesome hike which will give your legs a good workout, especially once you start up the Nick Eaton trail. Would give this hike 5 stars if it wasn't for the condition of the trail from Nick Eaton ridge to the summit. Still, if you have a GPS unit, this is definitely a hike to put on your list.
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Hiked 5/6/19 13.6 miles with 5249 elevation gain. Did a loop hike starting with Defiance trail, to Mt. Defiance summit, to Warren Lake, to Mitchel Point, to Starvation Ridge trail and back on Mt. Defiance. Took us over 14hrs to complete. I was the first car in the lot at Starvation Creek State Park at 4:15am. Mt. Defiance was a great steep switchback trail with some flat sections in the forrest up high. Lots of downed trees on the trail. There is snow right after the scree field trail junction which we opted out of and crossed the snow instead (we used our microspikes in the snow). 2 to 4ft of snow in places. 2 miles or more of snow. Views were amazing the day we went. Couple good camp spots at Warren Lake. Mitchell point had OK views. Starvation Trail was super hard with very few switchbacks, so you're almost always going straight down. Poison oak on the trail, so make sure you cover up your skin. Lots of beautiful flowers and amazing view points.
Visited 12/8/18. Beautiful area to stop at for hiking, sightseeing and a great lunch spot with a couple picnic tables next to Viento falls. Paved trails look very new. Bathrooms were flushing toilets and very clean inside, but only have air dryers, no paper towels for drying your hands. I've seen this place a bunch of other times while visiting the gorge and have always wanted to stop by and check it out. I came here to hike mt defiance trail. The trailheads are easy to find. Mt defiance, starvation ridge and a couple others are on the 14 going west when you walk on the paved path. Starvation ridge from historic trail paved path is closed but you can reach it on mt defiance trail. I did not complete trails because there were creek crossings on both mt defiance and starvation ridge that had no bridges, I was wearing my summer hiking boots (not wanting to get them wet in the water), it was cold out and I was hiking alone. This area is a must stop if you have the time to check it out. I will definitely be back to hike again. Counted 4 waterfalls.
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First one on the trail and in the parking lot at 7:05am on 12/24/18. Hiked 8.9 miles counterclockwise from Herman Creek to Gorton Creek to Nick Eaton trail and back to Herman Creek. ( I had a pre recorded map, very helpful to have.)
I tried this trail a couple of years ago before I got into shape and I could not finish it, it was brutal and I was, barely move sore for days after. I've been hiking practically every weekend this year and I finally was able to finish this trail!!!
I did this trail counterclockwise, starting with Gorton creek was long (when you get close to the top the snow begins and much of the flat trail on Nick Eaton is covered in snow, it was not icy, so no microspikes needed 12/24/18.), with lots of switchbacks and a creek crossing and on the way down on Nick Eaton trail was brutal, my toes were smashed against the tips of my boots with every step, there are steep switchbacks on the tail end for me of this hike. My feet were so sore when I got to the Herman Creek, Pct trail, otherwise I would have gone down to check out the Herman Creek Bridge (next time!). Finished the hike at 1pm and was hiking for around 6hrs. Most of the trail is really steep so be prepared! When I got back to my car there were 4 other cars in the lot. The parking lot holds 10 cars. You must have a NW forrest pass or pay $5 day use fee. There is a pay box here. The campground when I came here is closed. The bathroom is vaulted toilet and was clean when I got there in the am, but on the smelly side when I left in the PM. I saw 6 people on the trail and all were on my descent, so after 11:30am or so. All of this trail above the power line road was affected by the eagle creek fire.
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It was my first time snowshowing so I wanted to make sure we had more than enough time. We went started earlier in the day (about 8 am) on Thursday and it was the perfect weather. Clear and sunny with fresh powder. We snowshoed across the actual lake (accidentally) since the paths weren't clear, but the landscape was beautiful and totally worth the trip. The route started to get busier as we headed back so i would suggest going earlier to have it to yourself.
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This hike is a great option for an overnight (or two) backpacking trip. There are a number of primitive camping sites along Badger Creek that you can set up at. The weather at the lake can be hit or miss. Was there during July and along the trail it was nice but at the lake it was extremely windy and cold.
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The trail from Multnomah Lodge to Larch Mountain was just opened early November 2018 after the fire damage was cleared from a year ago. The fire damage was extensive to the lower half of the trail.
The trail was mostly cleared of rock slides and fallen trees with just a short area after the bridge at 2 miles from the lodge. This was mostly small trees and shrubs blocking the trail to pick your way through or go around. It was nice to see all of the falls again but many of the views were altered by the burned trees and fallen debris.
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We did this about a year after the fire at Eagle Creek and had a good look at the damage done as well as how the forest is recovering. The trails showed evidence of maintenance and there was only one small tree on the trail to go over. It was impressive how far up the tree the fire went yet how many of the larger trees survived.
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