Oregon trip planning

[brett smith]

i'm going to Oregon in early June by myself…no friends can make the trip

i'm wanting to see as much as i can in about 5 or 6 days

Mt. Hood forest, Columbia Gorge, the coast

i'm trying to find good places on Mt. Hood that are not covered in snow at that time

i'd like to visit Bagby during this trip

i was thinking of Ecola for the coast trip

i'm planning on flying into Portland and taking a car straight to Mt. Hood firet in the morning

thanks for any tips

brett

[Steven Paris]

The most important thing to know about June in Oregon: there is still a real possibility that many roads & trails will be still be snowed in; especially in northern Oregon and above (approximately) 4000" or so. I'd call the Mt. Hood, Gifford-Pinchot and Willamette NF ranger offices, starting in May to get a feel for what conditions are like. All the NF websites have trail condition reports too. Also, look at http://www.portlandhikers.org for trip reports (including photos) of local area trails.

Depending on when you arrive, you might want to go along the gorge to Hood River and south up into Mt Hood NF from there. You can find some NF campgrounds that don't have as many people on that side. There are also numerous places to car camp along Hwy 26 from Portland to Mt. Hood. Some may disagree, but I'd hike up the Eagle Creek trail in the Gorge if you haven't ever been on it — it is the best-known trail on the Oregon side for a good reason. I've had 7 1/2 Mile campground all to myself many times, especially mid-week. On the WA side, Mt. St. Helens NM isn't too far away. Mt. Adams is also just about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away from Portland and has some nice areas around it.

On the coast, also check out Oswald West State Park and a hike up Neahkanie Mtn, just outside Manzanita.

Other places you might want to consider, depending on how far you want to drive: Smith Rock State Park (day hikes), Crater Lake NP, Jefferson Park in Mt. Jefferson Wilderness area, the Umpqua river, Silver Falls State Park (day hikes).

[Mary D]

Steven has said most of it, especially the fact that unless we have a dry rest of the winter and an unusually warm spring, 4,000 feet is the maximum you'll get to in early June. Right now it's a dry winter, but that happened last year, too–all of a sudden in mid March, winter arrived and lasted well into June at the higher elevations. We won't really know until well into May what will be available. Watch Portlandhikers.org forum, especially the Trip Reports section, for what's going on. There will probably be a thread on snow levels, either in the General Forum or Trail Q&A, which we impatient hikers peruse carefully after each weekend to see how far up we can get the following week. The one item I'd take issue with Steven's list is that Jefferson Park is normally not melted out until early to mid-July, and then it's heaven for mosquitoes (the opposite for hikers!) for several weeks.

There is certainly plenty to do, though! The Gorge is always accessible (except in winter ice storms, definitely not a possibility in June). There are a number of intermediate-elevation hikes that normally become accessible in June. If you go to http://www.portlandhikers.org and click on the Field Guide (http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Main_Page), you'll be able to find a number of them. Click on the list of "Must See Hikes" and you'll find that all the ones up on Mt. Hood aren't accessible until July. However, if you click on "Mt. Hood Hikes," you will find quite a few that are accessible in June. They won't be up on the mountain, but they'll be nearby with views or other features. The wild rhododendrons bloom in June, as does the beargrass. From the Field Guide: Ramona Falls, Lost Lake and Butte, McIntyre Ridge to Wildcat Mountain (the Field Guide description shows the new trailhead from last summer, which printed guidebooks don't), Mirror Lake and possibly Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain should be available in June. Except for Ramona Falls, these are ridges close to Mt. Hood and feature views of Mt. Hood from various angles. In early June, if it has been a cool wet spring, there should still be wildflowers on Dog Mountain on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge.

You might want to check out William Sullivan's "100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington." Some Mt. Hood-area hikes listed there that should be open in June that don't have PH Field Guide listings are Hunchback Mountain, Salmon Butte, Burnt Lake, West Zigzag Mountain.

In the June-accessible "Must Hikes" I would especially recommend Opal Creek, which will give you a close-up look at what Oregon lowland forest was like before most of it was lumbered off. Not only is the ancient forest awesome, but the deep blue-green pools of the creek and the clarity of the water are just astounding.

Bagby may be disappointing; the Forest Service has turned it over to a private company and they are tearing out all the picturesque old wooden tubs. They will, of course, charge admission. Aargh.

[brett smith]

awesome, good info…thanks so much

i heard that about Bagby bu ti thought it was gonna be later down the road

what a shame

i've been checking out the portland hikers site

it's full of good stuff

just thought i'd ask here and maybe get some locals with good personal input

thanks guys

[Author]

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