A late season hike at Mt. Hood Meadows with Lori and Marilyn. We put together several of the lower trails to make a loop. Fall was setting in with most flowers gone to seed and fall colors coming on. We did about 4 miles and 400 ft. gain. Afterwards we went to Smokey Hearth for lunch.
We parked by and started on the Umbrella Falls Trail
We hiked up through sub-alpine forest
The corn stock plants had all died back and stink
We broke out of the trees and head to the Bear Grass Trail
We needed to get behind the lodge to pick up the trail
Old man of the Mt. getting ready spread it's seeds
The large trail map sign we still up but all the other signs were gone
On the trail and looking at the back of the lodge
Final view of the sky lift area
Pearly Ever Lasting really do last.
The huckleberry was showing Fall color
Viewing up a sky meadow to Mt. Hood
Hiking through a patch of Sub-Alpine forest on the Bear Grass Trail
Hiking under the chair lifts
We got a view of Mt. Jefferson
We took the side trail to the view point
Young Sub-Alpine forest
Looking out from the view point
Some bright Fall color
These bushes had very strong color
Approaching our intersection with Umbrella Falls Cut-off Trail
I return to Mt. Hood Meadow to explore some new trails and fill in gaps in other trails. I went early, my usual, and found they did not open the main parking lot until 10 a.m., so it was back to the Umbrella Falls Trailhead. I wanted to finish off the Bear Grass trail and do a couple of easy new ones, Bear Grass Cut off trail and the Stadium Loop Trail. Then I would move on to something harder with the Medium Wizard Way trail and get into some higher alpine.
The numbers – hike was 11.6 miles long, 2720 elevation gain – toping out at 7300 ft. and 9 1/2 hrs. on the trail (setting a new record of 3:40 minutes of looking at the map, taking photographs and long visits with folks on the trail).
Back at Umbrella Falls Trailhead for an early start
One of the natural meadows with morning light
Umbrella Falls
Umbrella Falls
Across the parking lot is the start of the trail
Nice sign showing the trail for you to check
They have place several info signs around
It was suppose to be a blue sky day
Start of trail one behind the lodge
Looking back at the lodge and chair lifts
Head down Bear Grass Trail
Open green meadow along the cut off trail
Pearly Everlasting
Trail hugs the tree line to not disturb the meadow
Connecting trail from the chair lift to the Timberline Trail
Lupin still blooming
False Halleborine
Looking down the chair lift to lodge
Start of Middle Wizard Way
Lost the trail in the rock so I scrambled up and over
Looking back down to the ski lift
So much of the blue bird day
Some real rocks and cliffs ahead
An impressive wall to get around
An interesting looking flowering plant
Reach the ghost forest elevation
The map said the lookout
Look more like garbage can
Looking down into Heather Canyon
I hiked up that middle ridge 10+ years ago and every thing above it was snow
Looking down on what is left of the Newton Clark glacier
Follow the ridge up and see where the trail goes
In person this is awesome and frightening
Photo shows the four ridge of the Newton Clark glacier
"The mountain loves bowl and we are the pins"
Nice collection of boulders that have fallen down from the cliffs
Highest chair lift at Meadows
This is the almost a trail. 7300 ft. and turn around point.
The yellow shirted young man, who I would talk to later, is standing on trail you can see
Nice alpine camp site
Back to a trail with foot prints you can see
Last look at the rugged walls of the Newton Clark glacier
You can almost make out the start of switch back before it disappears
Last spot of snow
Back down looking up at the chair lift
Now the clouds burn off
Back at the chair lift
Return to nice green meadow on Lower Wizard Way
Babbling brook along the Timberline Trail
A view of the Middle moraine from Jacks wood trail
Back down to field of golden rod
Scenic meadow views of Mt. Hood
A nice old growth forest on Bear Grass Trail
With the fires there are not many of these old growth areas left
Checking out new Trails that were build in the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort. It is a nice new trail system with well designed trails and many beautiful placed to see.
Hike was about 8 miles with 1800 ft. elevation gain
Start of day and Mt. Hood with no haze
Starting out on the Umbrella Falls Trail
Goldenrod in morning light
A field of Goldenrod and Fire Weed
The bridge at Umbrella Falls is a landmark
Umbrella Falls
Umbrella Falls trail is a wide path
The cutoff is one of the new trails
Lot of spots to get great views of Mt. Hood
Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters are showing today
I have been wanted for years to get to Picnic Rock
The trail wines through the trees
The first view point and a great view
One of the natural meadows that give the area its name
The second viewpoint on top of the rock
Nice view with some fire smoke in the distance
The new trails are marked with a numbering system
These trails wind though old growth sub alpine forest
Some lupin that were still blooming
A patch of Pearly Everlasting
The road is my transition to a new trail
But first I made my wat around a ski lift
No on to explore the next trail
More great views of wildflowers and Mt. Hood
Indian Paint brush
Nice stone steps as part of the new trail system
A view across to a Newton Clark lateral moraine
A hiker on the Timberline Trail
One of many alpine streams I crossed
A close up view of Mt. Hood and the last of a glacier
Moving to the Lower Wizard Way trail and more up hill
Mt. Jefferson and thickening haze
Trail climbs up through a flower meadow
Golden Rod and Pearly Everlasting
A flower meadow in summer and a ski run in winter
Under one of the new chair lifts
View done the lift to the lodge and parking lot
A new Ski Patrol hut
A quick return route on the road
I had to watch my step on the loose gravel
Clouds started to swallow the mountain
False Heliborne on return section of the Umbrella Falls trail