I had wanted to hike the Timberline Trail for about three or four years before finally some friends into hiking it with me. At roughly 40 miles it isn’t exactly the longest hike and in fact is probably one of the shortest thru-hikes out there. So far I’ve hiked the Foothills Trail (77 miles) and the Wonderland Trail (93 miles) which were both fairly short themselves but quite a bit longer than this trail. Even with it’s short distance it’s still well worth the time and a great hike. I would do it again but a little earlier for better weather. Basically, the Timberline Trail circumnavigates Mt. Hood which is also the main focal point of the trail from many different views. If you’re lucky you will get a view of it from all angles. But don’t be surprised if some days it isn’t visible due to clouds.

Now, we were there in what they consider the dead season but this place was far from dead. It was not packed out but it was pretty packed. I would not want to see it when it was really packed out in the busy seasons. The prime seasons are any other season than when we were there. Winter is ski season and they have quite a few trails. Late Spring and Summer would be prime mountain bike seasons because they have a lot of mountain bike trails as well.

As far as animals go well I think about the best thing I saw was a group of Gray Jays. They mysteriously appeared when I got my food bag out and started going through it to determine what I was going to have for dinner. Other than that I saw a lot of ground squirrels. I mean a lot! Oh, and I saw a banana slug that was humongous(pic below) and a few deer. I would have liked to have seen more wildlife but that’s okay because I know they were out there somewhere.

I did see a lot of different species of plants and trees. Some I’m actually trying to grow here locally. Let’s see, some of the trees I saw include Western Redcedar, Douglas Fir, Noble Fir, Mountain Ash, Ponderosa Pine and Western Hemlock to name a few. Some of the plants I was able to identify were Oregon Grape, Huckleberry, Blueberry, Baneberry, Juneberry and some others that I’ll name if they come back to me.

 

 

• Below are some links to some interesting facts about Mt. Hood
• https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/mt_hood/#.XYbElChKjIU
• https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mthood/passes-permits/forestproducts
• https://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/wildView?WID=374

Permits

Climbers must have a Wilderness permit in their possession year-round when on the south side climbing route of Mt. Hood. Permits are available at the Wy’East Timberline Day Lodge. 

Prohibited: Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, except for a pressurized liquid or gas stove, in the following locations:

1. Within any meadow.
2. At or within 500 feet of McNeil Point Shelter.
3. Within 500 feet of Ramona Falls.
4. Within the tree covered islands of Elk Cove and Elk Meadows.
5. At or within 1/2 mile of Burnt Lake.
6. Within the area above the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail from the north junction with Paradise Park Loop Trail #757 to the south junction of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and Paradise Park Loop Trail #757.
7. Within 500 yards below the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail from the north junction with Paradise Park Loop Trail #757 to the south junction of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and Paradise ParkLoop Trail #757.

Prohibited: Camping in the following locations:

1. Within any meadow.
2. Within the tree covered islands of Elk Cove and Elk Meadows.
3. Within 500 feet of Ramona Falls.
4. Prohibited: In Dispersed Sites; camping 14 consecutive days not return in 30 days, total accumulative
5. 28 days in calendar year.

 

Contact Information

Mt. Hood National Forest Headquarters*
16400 Champion Way
Sandy, Oregon 97055
Hours:
M – F 8:00am – 12:00pm; 1:00pm – 4:30pm
Telephone:
(503) 668 1700

*Visitor Information Services are not provided at the HQ. For permit & map sale locations please visit one of the office locations listed at the link below.

Mt. Hood National Forest – Headquarters

NOTE: The Mt. Hood National Forest Headquarters Office does not provide visitor information services such as the sale of maps or passes. The HQ only serves as an operational and business office. For visitor informational services, please visit one of our district offices below.

Telephone: 503-668-1700

16400 Champion Way
Sandy, OR 97055
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm
Closed 12:00 – 1:00pm (lunch)

 

Barlow Ranger District – Dufur Ranger Station
Telephone: 541-467-2291

780 NE Court St
Dufur, OR 97021
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm

 

Clackamas River Ranger District – Estacada Ranger Station
Telephone: 503-630-6861

595 NW Industrial Way
Estacada, OR 97023
Hours: Monday – Friday, 7:45am – 4:30pm
Closed 11:30am – 12:30pm (lunch)

 

Hood River Ranger District – Hood River Ranger Station
Telephone: 541-352-6002

6780 Highway 35
Parkdale, OR 97041
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 8:00am – 4:30pm
Closed 12:00 – 1:00pm (lunch)

 

Zigzag Ranger District – Zigzag Ranger Station
Telephone: 503-622-3191

70220 E Highway 26
Zigzag, OR 97049
Hours: Monday – Sunday, 8:00am – 4:00pm
Closed 12:00 – 1:00pm (lunch)

REGULATIONS

The following are prohibited in wilderness:

• Groups larger than 12 comprised of any combination people and pack or saddle stock.
• Shortcutting trail switchbacks.
• Building, maintaining, attending, or using a campfire within 100 foot slope distance of any permanent lake, stream, spring, pond or system trail.
• Hitching, tethering, picketing, or securing any pack or saddle stock within 200 feet slope distance of any permanent lake, stream, spring, pond or shelter.
• Motorized equipment and mechanized equipment such as bicycles, wagons, carts, or wheelbarrows (except wheelchairs).
• Entering any area posted as closed for rehabilitation. These areas have been closed to allow recovery.
• Cutting or damaging any live tree or vegetation except as authorized.
• Caching or storing equipment, personal property or supplies within Wilderness for more than 48 hours.
• Gathering a forest product, for example mushrooms and berries, except for personal on-site use.
• Commercial use of wilderness except by special use permit.
• Camping within 100 feet of any lake or the Pacific Crest Trail #2000.
• Camping in dispersed sites for over 14 consecutive days. (After 14 days of camping at a site you must leave and may not return for 30 days and may not exceed 28 days in calendar year.)

 

TRAILHEADS

Most people start and end this loop at the Timberline Lodge. The most common hiking direction is clockwise from the lodge. That said, this is a true loop, so you can start and finish from any trailhead you like. Some of the most common trailheads with easy access to the Timberline Trail are:

• Timberline Lodge
• Ramona Falls Trailhead
• Top Spur (McNeil Point) Trailhead
• Cloud Cap Trailhead

One nice benefit to starting at the Timberline Lodge is they have an incredible breakfast buffet. If you time it right, you can aim to finish your hike with an all-you-can-eat gourmet brunch feast, which is truly a treat.

 

 

Below is a list of my gear for this trip. I’ve included all of the large items like tent, quilt and backpack – items like that but some of the smaller items I just didn’t feel was necessary.

• ULA Circuit Backpack
• MSR Thru-Hiker Mesh House 2 Shelter
• MSR Thru-Hiker 70 Wing Canopy Shelter
• Enlightened Equipment 20 Degree Revelation Quilt
• Zpacks Medium Plus Pillow
• Merrell Moab Ventilator
• Black Diamond Z Poles

• Eddie Bauer Men’s Midweight Freedry Merino Hybrid Baselayer Crew
• Eddie Bauer Guide Pro Convertible Pants
• Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System With 3 Liter Flask
• HydraPak Seeker Collapsible Water Storage 2 Liter
• MSR Pocket Rocket Stove (A few versions available)
• Eddie Bauer Men’s Cloud Cap Lightweight Rain Jacket
• Solar Charger and Power Bank
• Dry Max Trail Run 1/4 Crew Socks
• Buff Lightweight Merino Hat
• Buff Multi-functional Headwear
• 7Even Merino Wool Beanie Hat Lightweight 190 GSM
• #ad

 

 

Eddie Bauer Men’s Midweight Freedry Merino Hybrid Long Sleeve Shirt.  I have to mention how much I like this shirt!  I’d worn it a few times on a few different trips but it shined on this one because of how it’s made.  We were wet about 3/4 of the time we hiked this trip due to sweat and more so due to the weather.  But the thing is, anytime the rain stopped or we stopped the shirt would start drying immediately and I mean like it had a dryer built into it.  I would have never guessed how fast if someone told me but I am a believer in the hybrid material now.  Sure, you may give a little in the warmth category but wow, the fact that it dries itself alone will help you stay warmer.  Get it!

 

NEW GEAR*  I did bring along a new piece of gear for this trip because I was dying to try it out and couldn’t wait. I know, not a good idea to bring a new piece of gear on a long trip?  Well, in this case there were a bunch of people on the trip so I knew if my Katadyn BeFree Filter failed then one of my comrades would back me up.  The final outcome?  Total success – although they tell me there is a caveat.

Here is what are positives and negatives about this gear.

Positives

• Fast flow rate.
• Minimal squeezing for faster flow rate.
• Wide mouth bottles are very easy to fill.
• No back flushing – just swish the filter in water to clean.
• Hydrapak bottles have little structure so they are easier to pack.

Negatives

• Hydrapak bottles tend to have little structure therefore they won’t stand on their own for hands free filling from another bottle.
• Lifetime of filter is significantly less at around 1,000 liters depending on water quality filtered.
• Per owners of this filter the flow rate will decrease quite a bit in a year.
• Sport top for filter is a little on the cheap side.  Jury is out on how long it will last.
• Doesn’t fit Smart Water Bottle.  Although this doesn’t really affect me I have friends that won’t like this fact.
•  

NEW GEAR*

I finally broke down and purchased a pair of the Eddie Bauer Guide Pro Convertible Pants to try them out.  I have several pair of EB pants because generally they are a looser fit than a lot of the standard outdoor brands.  However, in the past few years it seems like a lot of companies are going the skinny direction.  

So, fast forward and I’m very pleased!  They didn’t have a loose fit like my other EB pants (I was hoping for the same fit) but the fit was pretty good overall.  In fact, the fit and feel were both terrific so I will be getting more pairs of them.  They aren’t cheap so I’ll wait for sales or clearance.  

Fit – Great – not loose but nowhere near tight.

Feel – The material has plenty of stretch along with a soft brushed feel and quality toughness built into them.

Durability – Time will tell but so far I’m very impressed.  I think by the time the hike was over they looked the same as when I put them on!

Sizing – Pretty standard.

Looks – These are very nice looking pants.

Ease of donning lower legs – Removing the lower legs was easy enough due to the ample lower leg zippers.

Dry-Time – We got a lot of rain on the hike but these pants dried very fast.  I can’t recall a time on the trail when I was uncomfortable with them because of the wet.

 

This is a great trail that provides outstanding sights and a mixed terrain in a short distance and It’s actually a great starter trail for those wishing to do some thru-hikes but a little unsure about the longer trails. This can be done in half the time we did it with no problems at all. We averaged about 9-10 miles a day with the last day being about 4 miles of long long uphill hike. We hiked through various types of terrain that began in a conifer forest mixed with western red cedar, hemlock and pine to name a few. Some of these trees were massive and magnificent and alive while others just as magnificent as sculptures in death.

• 9/7 Fly to Portland, Oregon PDX
• 9/7 Take Giddy up Taxi  to Timberline Lodge
• 9/8 Acclimate and take day hike up to Silcox Hut
• 9/9 Hike to Ramona Falls campsite
• 9/10 Hike to Cairn Basin campsite
• 9/11 Hike to Cooper Spur Shelter campsite
• 9/12 Hike across Gnarl Ridge to
• 9/13 – Hike back to lodge in morning. Take Bus to Sandy, Oregon Best Western
• 9/14 Take Giddy up Taxi to PDX Airport and fly home

 

I want to throw a shout-out to Giddy Up taxi for helping make our trip a success.  They were an excellent resource for us and got us to the lodge and the airport with no issues whatsoever.  I definitely recommend and if I’m out there in the area I will call on them again.

Below is the hike progress.

9/7/19 – We arrived at the Timberline Lodge to rest up and acclimate for a few days. This lodge is somewhat similar to a lot of national park lodges in that it feels grand the way it’s built with large logs; carvings and historical pieces. It’s very clean inside and quite spectacular.

9/8/19 – Spent most of the day relaxing and acclimating. Also, went on a day hike up the trail behind the lodge to the ski lift and ski cabin. This was a relatively short day hike but the ascent was pretty steep and the weather was nasty. Howling winds, rain and sleet were all part of this short hike.

9/9/19 – We began our hike in light rain and wind which was not cold but was a little chilly.  Don’t forget, a permit is required but it’s as easy as filling out the paper at the sign.  No big deal!

 

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9/10 – We broke camp and headed out for another day of about 9.9 miles. The miles weren’t super strenuous but there were definitely some long uphills. Nothing like the Sierra Nevadas JMT! And on this day we hiked past Ramona Falls which is in my opinion the most spectacular waterfall(cascade) I’ve ever seen. Absolutely stunning!

 

 

 

Mountain House Camping Tip: How To Pick The Best Foods For Backpacking. Click here to read the article.

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9/12/19 – Hike from Cooper Spur across Gnarl Ridge to our next campsite at . I had originally planned to hike at Gnarl Ridge because it’s a beautiful area but it’s dry and everyone voted to put in the extra mileage and see what we get.

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9/13 – Of course, we knew the weather wouldn’t hold out forever but it could have waited until at least 7 or 8 in the morning. I awoke to the sounds of pretty loud bursts of wind and rain at around 4:30 am. These wind bursts subsequently ripped a few of my tarp stakes out of the ground so that got me up early. It was also pretty chilly. Needless to say, I was the first one up and ended up getting everyone else up. We left camp around 8:00 am and hiked the remaining 4 miles back to the lodge.