2025-14

Hiking, July 2025, Mt Hood, OR

/ margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Of our five hikes in July, three were on or near Mt Hood.

7/3 – Picnic Rock and Umbrella Falls

This hike begins at the Elk Meadows trailhead. We walked uphill along flower-filled ski runs of Mt Hood Meadows, and across to the knob called Picnic Rock. We visited Umbrella Falls, then circled downhill through flower-filled forest to complete the loop.

Trail map, about 6 miles, 1000 feet elevation.

Flowers along the uphill trail…

Uphill meadows – penstemon and lupine
Washington lilies
Bead lilies and Solomon seal
Lupine and tiger lilies
Marsh marigold
Trillium and violets
Paintbrush and Elephant’s head

This was a blooming bear grass year in the ski run slopes, with a view of Mt Hood

Bear grass, Mt Hood
Mt Hood close up.

At Picnic Rock we had great views…

Ascending Picnic Rock – Mt Jefferson off to the right.
Closer look at Mt Jefferson and more Cascade Peaks to the south.
Looking east toward Bluegrass Ridge (burned in 2006), above Elk Meadows.
West toward Mt Hood and Clark Creek.
Clark Creek.
Stonecrop on Picnic Rock.
Penstemon clinging to the face of Picnic Rock.

We passed back through the bear grass meadows on our way to Umbrella Falls.

Bear grass meadows and Mt Hood.
Umbrella Falls

On the downhill trail, we passed through meadows full of sitka valerian, and swampy areas full of shooting stars and buttercups. Once in the forest, the Oregon anemones were sparkling up in abundance.

Sitka valerian
Shooting stars
Shooting stars
Avalanche lilies
Oregon anemones

This was only my second time doing this hike, but it has become a favorite! Especially at this particular time in the bloom season. I hope to be back to explore some of the other trails in the Mt Hood Meadows area.

7/10 – Lookout Mountain

The next week, we hiked the short, sweet (3 miles, 550 feet) loop to Lookout Mountain from High Prairie trailhead. We have done this one many times, and it never gets old! The lower part of the trail crosses a couple of large meadows.

Shooting stars, buttercups and bistort at the High Prairie Trailhead.
Subalpine fleabane
Elephant’s head, buttercups and asters
And a view to Mt Adams.

Eventually, we ascended to the ridge where views opened up…

Mt Hood ahead, with paintbrush, scarlet gillia, and lupine.
Full view of the mountain
Close up of the southern flank, where we were hiking last week near Mt Hood Meadows.
The summit
Cooper Spur, and the Eliot Glacier, near where we will hike at the end of the month.
A last snow bank on the approach trail.
Mt Hood from the top of Lookout Mountain.
Mt Jefferson and the other Cascade Mountains to the south, with ground squirrel.
Mt Jefferson and Mt Washington

Lots of wildflowers to look at here, as well…

The summit slope has tufts of wildflowers.
Sulphurous buckwheat, transitioning from red-orange to yellow.
Penstemon and buckwheat
Dusty maiden
And a rock wren

More views on the return trail…

The iconic volcanic spire, with Mt Hood beyond,
And back through the lower meadows.

The main challenge for this hike is the slow bumpy road up to the 6000 foot trailhead.

7/10 – Cloud Cap Shelter and Timberline Trail High Point via the East Eliot Moraine.

This long favorite hike also begins with a long bumpy drive up gravel switchbacks, and through a burned ghost forest. From the Cloud Cap Saddle Campground we hiked about up along the crest of the East Eliot Moraine to the Cloud Cap Shelter for lunch. Then we continued south along the Timberline Trail, the high point, about 7300′, for a total of about 5 miles, 1500 feet.

From the crest of East Eliot Moraine, our trail goes up hill toward the Eliot Glacier.
Eliot Glacier
Glacier close up
Crevasses

We crossed south toward the Cloud Cap Shelter for our lunch break.

Approaching the Cloud Cap Shelter.
Lunch view of Mt St Helens through the haze.
Also, Mt Adams to the north, beyond the Hood River Valley; and Cloud Cap Inn, near our trailhead, on lower near right.
Cloud Cap Shelter; Cooper Spur and Mt Hood beyond.

After enjoying a good rest rest in the shade at the shelter, as it was a hot day, and I was having trouble with the uphillness of it all, we decided to continue on to the trail high point.

We crossed a few snow banks in the shaded wrinkles of the mountain.
Timberline Trail High Point.

Then we retraced our steps, back along the seemingly barren slopes, with lots of subalpine flowers blooming amid the rocks.

Our trail carved out of the edge of the sky.
Tufts of yarrow and buckwheat on the slopes.
Yarrow and lupine
A last look back at the snow banks
Pussypaws
Penstemon and asters
Partridgefoot and Mt Hood.

As we walked the Timberline Trail beneath the Eliot Moraine, I spotted the giant teetering boulder that I have noticed in previous years. It’s still there…

Teetering boulder on the edge of the Eliot Moraine
Teetering boulder
Lewis monkey flowers, asters, and lupine in Tilly Jane Creek, almost back to the trailhead.

Another enjoyable day on Mt Hood. I was really out of shape this year – life circumstances have interrupted my spring hike season. This hike, which I have done easily before, was hard! I hope I will be in better shape for the next time!

Next..

Our other July hikes were on Mt Adams, and at the Oregon Coast – to be reported in the next posts.