HikingViking

This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This eleventh segment descends a vast Alpine Tundra through pristine and immaculate Three Sisters Wilderness! This was a 14-mile, 2600 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, Three Sisters Wilderness, Deschutes National Forest, starting at Todd Trailhead and hiking to No Name Lake, Bend Glacier, & the Broken Top Zone as an EPIC Out and Back hike (PLEASE NOTE - this would be considered the "Longer Version" hike to get to No Name Lake & Bend Glacier from the South aka Todd Trailhead. You can also get to this destination by taking the "Shorter Version", Broken Top Trail. I prefer to do the longer version because it captures several very gorgeous and majestic sections of Three Sisters Wilderness that you wouldn't otherwise traverse if doing the shorter, more direct route. This entire section of Three Sisters Wilderness is a bit of a premium Alpine Wonderland, so why not capture it all is my perspective - to each their own of course. Lastly, I would mention that you can also get to No Name Lake & Bend Glacier from the East by means of Tam McArthur Rim Trail (permit required at Recreation.gov), I have that whole hike captured here as well in a separate Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuGUSVzluAAmGSHgRwFLJprD8gBfZG53P The East Tam McArthur Rim approach and longer Todd Trailhead South approach are my two recommended hikes out of the three). This is one of my favorite hikes in all of Oregon, featuring my favorite Alpine Cirque Lake (No Name Lake), my favorite mountain (Broken Top), and my favorite Wilderness Area (Three Sisters). The hike starts at 6100 FT and your highest point is around 8200 FT. Due to the elevation range, this hike is only accessible around 10 weeks or so a year give or take based on the annual snowfall, from around 8/1 - 10/15, what I colloquially refer to as the "Alpine Window". I would recommend doing this earlier in the day (starting at sunrise if possible) with fluids on your person because large parts of this hike are fully exposed to the sun. The temperature was high 30's in the morning with a high in the low 70's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 10/12/2022 and there were no mosquitoes (they are typically gone sometime in late August or September). As far as road conditions, its Cascade Scenic Byway to the turnoff for Todd Lake - that stretch of National Forest Road is very bumpy for a few tenths of a mile to the parking lot. Most cars should be able to make it if they drive slow and cautiously, although do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! The road does not in my opinion require 4-Wheel Drive - do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 7.4 mile, 1200 FT Elevation Gain Loop Hike of the ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE Trail of Ten Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, in 4K! This is unquestionably the BEST WATERFALL HIKE IN OREGON, and a TOP 5 WATERFALL HIKE IN THE ENTIRE USA, so it is truly EPIC and absolutely worth putting on your bucket list to experience. They almost designated this a National Park many years ago (I'm glad they didn't for logistical reasons), it is truly a natural beauty wonderland to behold. This was hiked on 5/20/23, the weather was classic Spring in Oregon with some sunshine and overcast, and there were no mosquitoes. I hiked the Loop Clockwise and would recommend the same route. The Ten Waterfalls in order hiking Clockwise are: 1) South Falls - 177 FT (can walk behind!) (hiking beside South Fork Silver Creek) 2) Lower South Falls - 93 FT (can walk behind!) (hiking beside South Fork Silver Creek) 3) Lower North Falls - 30 FT (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 4) Double Falls - 178 FT (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 5) Drake Falls - 27 FT (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 6) Middle North Falls - 106 FT (can walk behind!) (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 7) Twin Falls - 31 FT (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 8) North Falls - 136 FT (can walk behind!) (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 9) Upper North Falls - 65 FT 10) Winter Falls - 134 FT My favorites were the four you could walk behind, not just for that reason but they were also the most beautiful Waterfall Basins and most awe-inspiring overall. All Ten Waterfalls are very high quality and each one could be a destination hike on its own, so for them to be put together all in one EPIC Sensory Overload Waterfall Loop Hike is truly spectacular!

This was a 7.4 mile, 1200 FT Elevation Gain Loop Hike of the ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE Trail of Ten Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, in 4K! This is unquestionably the BEST WATERFALL HIKE IN OREGON, and a TOP 5 WATERFALL HIKE IN THE ENTIRE USA, so it is truly EPIC and absolutely worth putting on your bucket list to experience. They almost designated this a National Park many years ago (I'm glad they didn't for logistical reasons), it is truly a natural beauty wonderland to behold. This was hiked on 5/20/23, the weather was classic Spring in Oregon with some sunshine and overcast, and there were no mosquitoes. I hiked the Loop Clockwise and would recommend the same route. The Ten Waterfalls in order hiking Clockwise are: 1) South Falls - 177 FT (can walk behind!) (hiking beside South Fork Silver Creek) 2) Lower South Falls - 93 FT (can walk behind!) (hiking beside South Fork Silver Creek) 3) Lower North Falls - 30 FT (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 4) Double Falls - 178 FT (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 5) Drake Falls - 27 FT (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 6) Middle North Falls - 106 FT (can walk behind!) (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 7) Twin Falls - 31 FT (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 8) North Falls - 136 FT (can walk behind!) (hiking beside North Fork Silver Creek) 9) Upper North Falls - 65 FT 10) Winter Falls - 134 FT My favorites were the four you could walk behind, not just for that reason but they were also the most beautiful Waterfall Basins and most awe-inspiring overall. All Ten Waterfalls are very high quality and each one could be a destination hike on its own, so for them to be put together all in one EPIC Sensory Overload Waterfall Loop Hike is truly spectacular!

This was a 6.6 mile, 1600 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood Wilderness, focusing on the NE Quadrant of the approximately 40-mile EPIC Timberline Loop that goes around Mount Hood (one of the two best alpine backpacking hikes in Oregon along with Broken Top Loop), starting at Cloud Cap Saddle Campground Trailhead, and hiking South towards Cooper Spur Shelter, Gnarl Ridge, and ultimately to Newton Clark Glacier Lookout as our turnaround point as an out and back Day-Hike. This was hiked on 8/13/2023, was a beautiful blue sky day and moderately windy with no mosquitoes! On Alltrails, this hike is called "Timberline Trail Around Mount Hood", with a focus on the NE Quadrant. As far as road conditions, THAT IS THE TOUGH PART FOR THIS HIKE, it's highway until the turnoff towards Tilly Jane Sno-Park, and that is when the true fun begins - its about 9 miles up a VERY BUMPY forest road with narrow sections near steep drop off cliffs and some blind one lane corners, I would consider this a VERY DANGEROUS DRIVE SO DO SO VERY SLOWLY WITH EXTREME CAUTION AT YOUR OWN RISK! In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES require 4-Wheel Drive. As far as permits, the Timberline Lodge Pacific Crest Trailhead DOES NOT require a Recreation.gov permit.

This was a 6.6 mile, 1600 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood Wilderness, focusing on the NE Quadrant of the approximately 40-mile EPIC Timberline Loop that goes around Mount Hood (one of the two best alpine backpacking hikes in Oregon along with Broken Top Loop), starting at Cloud Cap Saddle Campground Trailhead, and hiking South towards Cooper Spur Shelter, Gnarl Ridge, and ultimately to Newton Clark Glacier Lookout as our turnaround point as an out and back Day-Hike. This was hiked on 8/13/2023, was a beautiful blue sky day and moderately windy with no mosquitoes! On Alltrails, this hike is called "Timberline Trail Around Mount Hood", with a focus on the NE Quadrant. As far as road conditions, THAT IS THE TOUGH PART FOR THIS HIKE, it's highway until the turnoff towards Tilly Jane Sno-Park, and that is when the true fun begins - its about 9 miles up a VERY BUMPY forest road with narrow sections near steep drop off cliffs and some blind one lane corners, I would consider this a VERY DANGEROUS DRIVE SO DO SO VERY SLOWLY WITH EXTREME CAUTION AT YOUR OWN RISK! In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES require 4-Wheel Drive. As far as permits, the Timberline Lodge Pacific Crest Trailhead DOES NOT require a Recreation.gov permit.

This was a 6.6 mile, 1600 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood Wilderness, focusing on the NE Quadrant of the approximately 40-mile EPIC Timberline Loop that goes around Mount Hood (one of the two best alpine backpacking hikes in Oregon along with Broken Top Loop), starting at Cloud Cap Saddle Campground Trailhead, and hiking South towards Cooper Spur Shelter, Gnarl Ridge, and ultimately to Newton Clark Glacier Lookout as our turnaround point as an out and back Day-Hike. This was hiked on 8/13/2023, was a beautiful blue sky day and moderately windy with no mosquitoes! On Alltrails, this hike is called "Timberline Trail Around Mount Hood", with a focus on the NE Quadrant. As far as road conditions, THAT IS THE TOUGH PART FOR THIS HIKE, it's highway until the turnoff towards Tilly Jane Sno-Park, and that is when the true fun begins - its about 9 miles up a VERY BUMPY forest road with narrow sections near steep drop off cliffs and some blind one lane corners, I would consider this a VERY DANGEROUS DRIVE SO DO SO VERY SLOWLY WITH EXTREME CAUTION AT YOUR OWN RISK! In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES require 4-Wheel Drive. As far as permits, the Timberline Lodge Pacific Crest Trailhead DOES NOT require a Recreation.gov permit.

This was a 6.6 mile, 1600 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood Wilderness, focusing on the NE Quadrant of the approximately 40-mile EPIC Timberline Loop that goes around Mount Hood (one of the two best alpine backpacking hikes in Oregon along with Broken Top Loop), starting at Cloud Cap Saddle Campground Trailhead, and hiking South towards Cooper Spur Shelter, Gnarl Ridge, and ultimately to Newton Clark Glacier Lookout as our turnaround point as an out and back Day-Hike. This was hiked on 8/13/2023, was a beautiful blue sky day and moderately windy with no mosquitoes! On Alltrails, this hike is called "Timberline Trail Around Mount Hood", with a focus on the NE Quadrant. As far as road conditions, THAT IS THE TOUGH PART FOR THIS HIKE, it's highway until the turnoff towards Tilly Jane Sno-Park, and that is when the true fun begins - its about 9 miles up a VERY BUMPY forest road with narrow sections near steep drop off cliffs and some blind one lane corners, I would consider this a VERY DANGEROUS DRIVE SO DO SO VERY SLOWLY WITH EXTREME CAUTION AT YOUR OWN RISK! In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES require 4-Wheel Drive. As far as permits, the Timberline Lodge Pacific Crest Trailhead DOES NOT require a Recreation.gov permit.

This twelfth segment hikes down the pristine and immaculate alpine wonderland that is Three Sisters Wilderness with views of Mount Bachelor & Broken Top Mountains! This is quintessential Central Oregon! This was a 14-mile, 2600 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, Three Sisters Wilderness, Deschutes National Forest, starting at Todd Trailhead and hiking to No Name Lake, Bend Glacier, & the Broken Top Zone as an EPIC Out and Back hike (PLEASE NOTE - this would be considered the "Longer Version" hike to get to No Name Lake & Bend Glacier from the South aka Todd Trailhead. You can also get to this destination by taking the "Shorter Version", Broken Top Trail. I prefer to do the longer version because it captures several very gorgeous and majestic sections of Three Sisters Wilderness that you wouldn't otherwise traverse if doing the shorter, more direct route. This entire section of Three Sisters Wilderness is a bit of a premium Alpine Wonderland, so why not capture it all is my perspective - to each their own of course. Lastly, I would mention that you can also get to No Name Lake & Bend Glacier from the East by means of Tam McArthur Rim Trail (permit required at Recreation.gov), I have that whole hike captured here as well in a separate Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuGUSVzluAAmGSHgRwFLJprD8gBfZG53P The East Tam McArthur Rim approach and longer Todd Trailhead South approach are my two recommended hikes out of the three). This is one of my favorite hikes in all of Oregon, featuring my favorite Alpine Cirque Lake (No Name Lake), my favorite mountain (Broken Top), and my favorite Wilderness Area (Three Sisters). The hike starts at 6100 FT and your highest point is around 8200 FT. Due to the elevation range, this hike is only accessible around 10 weeks or so a year give or take based on the annual snowfall, from around 8/1 - 10/15, what I colloquially refer to as the "Alpine Window". I would recommend doing this earlier in the day (starting at sunrise if possible) with fluids on your person because large parts of this hike are fully exposed to the sun. The temperature was high 30's in the morning with a high in the low 70's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 10/12/2022 and there were no mosquitoes (they are typically gone sometime in late August or September).

This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This tenth segment leaves ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR ZONES IN ALL THE CASCADES, the gorgeous shoreline of No Name Lake and purple rustic streaks of Broken Top Mountain, and descends through the Alpine Wonderland of Three Sisters Wilderness with trail views of Mount Bachelor. This was a 14-mile, 2600 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, Three Sisters Wilderness, Deschutes National Forest, starting at Todd Trailhead and hiking to No Name Lake, Bend Glacier, & the Broken Top Zone as an EPIC Out and Back hike (PLEASE NOTE - this would be considered the "Longer Version" hike to get to No Name Lake & Bend Glacier from the South aka Todd Trailhead. You can also get to this destination by taking the "Shorter Version", Broken Top Trail. I prefer to do the longer version because it captures several very gorgeous and majestic sections of Three Sisters Wilderness that you wouldn't otherwise traverse if doing the shorter, more direct route. This entire section of Three Sisters Wilderness is a bit of a premium Alpine Wonderland, so why not capture it all is my perspective - to each their own of course. Lastly, I would mention that you can also get to No Name Lake & Bend Glacier from the East by means of Tam McArthur Rim Trail (permit required at Recreation.gov), I have that whole hike captured here as well in a separate Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuGUSVzluAAmGSHgRwFLJprD8gBfZG53P The East Tam McArthur Rim approach and longer Todd Trailhead South approach are my two recommended hikes out of the three). This is one of my favorite hikes in all of Oregon, featuring my favorite Alpine Cirque Lake (No Name Lake), my favorite mountain (Broken Top), and my favorite Wilderness Area (Three Sisters). The hike starts at 6100 FT and your highest point is around 8200 FT. Due to the elevation range, this hike is only accessible around 10 weeks or so a year give or take based on the annual snowfall, from around 8/1 - 10/15, what I colloquially refer to as the "Alpine Window". I would recommend doing this earlier in the day (starting at sunrise if possible) with fluids on your person because large parts of this hike are fully exposed to the sun. The temperature was high 30's in the morning with a high in the low 70's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 10/12/2022 and there were no mosquitoes (they are typically gone sometime in late August or September). As far as road conditions, its Cascade Scenic Byway to the turnoff for Todd Lake - that stretch of National Forest Road is very bumpy for a few tenths of a mile to the parking lot. Most cars should be able to make it if they drive slow and cautiously, although do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! The road does not in my opinion require 4-Wheel Drive - do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a day-hike in Central Oregon, Willamette National Forest, starting at world class legendary Koosah & Sahalie Falls Trailhead and hiking a 2.9 Mile Loop crossing two bridges and hiking both sides of National Wild & Scenic McKenzie River completely circumnavigating the area with multiple vantage points of BOTH Waterfalls with only 360 FT Elevation Gain, making it a low Elevation Gain, well-graded trail. The temperature was in the 40's for most of the hike with VERY heavy rain and dark gloomy overcast sky, which frankly only added to the beauty. This was hiked on 4/8/2022 and there were of course NO Mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, it's highway to the paved parking lot so it is as easy as it gets - In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES NOT require 4-Wheel Drive, however do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year. On this day it was raining so heavily I had full windshield wipers going through heavy rain & fog in the morning so conditions are always unpredictable and a factor. I highly recommending taking a stacking 3-Pack-Hike approach and combining this hike with Tamolitch Blue Pool, 4 miles, that is only a few minutes away down the highway, as well as if feeling truly ambitious even Clear Lake Loop, 4.9 miles, as well, making it a full day in the area of EPIC hiking - that would be the ultimate one stop shopping approach - these three hikes are the highlights of the entire area! If you do all three, start very early in the day to give yourself time to complete them all at a comfortable, leisurely pace. If you decide to pick off multiple hikes in one trip, whether you do two of the hikes or all three, make sure to hydrate/snack as necessary in the car rides between the locations Trailheads as your own little pit stops.

This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 13.7 mile, 2900 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood Wilderness, focusing on the SW Quadrant of the approximately 40-mile EPIC Timberline Loop that goes around Mount Hood (one of the two best alpine backpacking hikes in Oregon along with Broken Top Loop), starting at Timberline Lodge Pacific Crest Trailhead, and hiking West towards Little Zig Zag Canyon, Zig Zag Canyon, crossing Zig Zag River and ultimately to Paradise Park and Paradise Branch Falls Lookout as our turnaround point as an out and back Day-Hike. Weather was a low of 34, high of 59, blue sky day and mildly to moderately windy. This was hiked on 10/3/2021 with fall colors in transition or full bloom, trail was completely clear of snow, and there were NO Mosquitoes! On Alltrails, this hike is called "Timberline Trail Around Mount Hood", with a focus on the SW Quadrant. As far as road conditions, it's highway until the turnoff for Timberline Lodge, and a well paved road all the way up the 6 miles to the parking lot. This is as easy and convenient of a trailhead parking as you will ever find. In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES NOT require 4-Wheel Drive. As far as permits, the Timberline Lodge Pacific Crest Trailhead DOES NOT require a Recreation.gov permit.

This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 10.7 mile, 3500 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking a Northern Approach to Timberline Loop that is much less popular than the more common Southern Approach access points, starting at Mazama Trailhead and hiking to 3.6 miles & 2200 FT Elevation Gain to Timberline Loop, taking Timberline Loop segment to McNeil Point Trail Junction, and exploring the McNeil Point Triangle Zone to Ho Rock before returning back to Mazama Trailhead. Road conditions - I consider this a "road not taken" hike; hikes like Ramona Falls, Zig Zag Canyon & Elk Meadows get a lot more attention; part of this is the easier Southern access points. This hike in contrast goes to the North - to get to Mazama Trailhead, one must take Lola Pass and then go down a few miles of gravel Forest Road, approximately 18 miles in all total from the highway. It is long and arduous, takes about 45 minutes of patience One Way, and one must watch for large pot holes particularly in the Lola Pass area, but the road itself was very passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - so its the long slow burn of the drive that is more cumbersome than the actual bumpiness/condition of the road itself in my humble opinion.....of course DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK! For this "road not taken" reason, I consider this a great contrarian hedge play hike in the area on a Saturday in Summer to have a low traffic hike. Also, particularly in July (this was hiked July 29, 2023), because a large part of it is Burnout, it is a LOW-TO-NO mosquito zone - while some parts of the Cascades in July are absolutely mosquito infested, I didn't get a single bite the entire day - hiking Burnout Areas during July in Oregon is my counter-mosquito contrarian recommendation hike hack! Also to factor in, I had checked Alltrails, and the trail had just been cleared of debris / downed logs earlier that week so it was clear and pristine for the entire hike! While I'd say other Timberline Loop sections like Zig Zag Canyon and Ramona Falls are objectively higher beauty areas, the Mazama Trail area is quite beautiful in its own right and is absolutely worth doing at least once if nothing else as a bucket list hike - in some other States, Mazama Trail would be THE premiere hike, it just happens to be unlucky to be buried half way down the Trail list in the Timberline sea of hiking riches. So after doing it, I would highly recommend it as a "road not taken" hike, and a great July low traffic low mosquito contrarian play (confirm access / snow has melted conditions wise)!

This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 10.7 mile, 3500 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking a Northern Approach to Timberline Loop that is much less popular than the more common Southern Approach access points, starting at Mazama Trailhead and hiking to 3.6 miles & 2200 FT Elevation Gain to Timberline Loop, taking Timberline Loop segment to McNeil Point Trail Junction, and exploring the McNeil Point Triangle Zone to Ho Rock before returning back to Mazama Trailhead. Road conditions - I consider this a "road not taken" hike; hikes like Ramona Falls, Zig Zag Canyon & Elk Meadows get a lot more attention; part of this is the easier Southern access points. This hike in contrast goes to the North - to get to Mazama Trailhead, one must take Lola Pass and then go down a few miles of gravel Forest Road, approximately 18 miles in all total from the highway. It is long and arduous, takes about 45 minutes of patience One Way, and one must watch for large pot holes particularly in the Lola Pass area, but the road itself was very passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - so its the long slow burn of the drive that is more cumbersome than the actual bumpiness/condition of the road itself in my humble opinion.....of course DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK! For this "road not taken" reason, I consider this a great contrarian hedge play hike in the area on a Saturday in Summer to have a low traffic hike. Also, particularly in July (this was hiked July 29, 2023), because a large part of it is Burnout, it is a LOW-TO-NO mosquito zone - while some parts of the Cascades in July are absolutely mosquito infested, I didn't get a single bite the entire day - hiking Burnout Areas during July in Oregon is my counter-mosquito contrarian recommendation hike hack! Also to factor in, I had checked Alltrails, and the trail had just been cleared of debris / downed logs earlier that week so it was clear and pristine for the entire hike! While I'd say other Timberline Loop sections like Zig Zag Canyon and Ramona Falls are objectively higher beauty areas, the Mazama Trail area is quite beautiful in its own right and is absolutely worth doing at least once if nothing else as a bucket list hike - in some other States, Mazama Trail would be THE premiere hike, it just happens to be unlucky to be buried half way down the Trail list in the Timberline sea of hiking riches. So after doing it, I would highly recommend it as a "road not taken" hike, and a great July low traffic low mosquito contrarian play (confirm access / snow has melted conditions wise)!

This is a Collection of Silent Perspectives of the BEAUTIFUL Ramona Falls, a Cascading Waterfall trickling down ancient Basalt Rock covered in effervescent green moss. These are all original clips and no clip repeats twice. This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 10.7 mile, 3500 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking a Northern Approach to Timberline Loop that is much less popular than the more common Southern Approach access points, starting at Mazama Trailhead and hiking to 3.6 miles & 2200 FT Elevation Gain to Timberline Loop, taking Timberline Loop segment to McNeil Point Trail Junction, and exploring the McNeil Point Triangle Zone to Ho Rock before returning back to Mazama Trailhead. Road conditions - I consider this a "road not taken" hike; hikes like Ramona Falls, Zig Zag Canyon & Elk Meadows get a lot more attention; part of this is the easier Southern access points. This hike in contrast goes to the North - to get to Mazama Trailhead, one must take Lola Pass and then go down a few miles of gravel Forest Road, approximately 18 miles in all total from the highway. It is long and arduous, takes about 45 minutes of patience One Way, and one must watch for large pot holes particularly in the Lola Pass area, but the road itself was very passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - so its the long slow burn of the drive that is more cumbersome than the actual bumpiness/condition of the road itself in my humble opinion.....of course DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK! For this "road not taken" reason, I consider this a great contrarian hedge play hike in the area on a Saturday in Summer to have a low traffic hike. Also, particularly in July (this was hiked July 29, 2023), because a large part of it is Burnout, it is a LOW-TO-NO mosquito zone - while some parts of the Cascades in July are absolutely mosquito infested, I didn't get a single bite the entire day - hiking Burnout Areas during July in Oregon is my counter-mosquito contrarian recommendation hike hack! Also to factor in, I had checked Alltrails, and the trail had just been cleared of debris / downed logs earlier that week so it was clear and pristine for the entire hike! While I'd say other Timberline Loop sections like Zig Zag Canyon and Ramona Falls are objectively higher beauty areas, the Mazama Trail area is quite beautiful in its own right and is absolutely worth doing at least once if nothing else as a bucket list hike - in some other States, Mazama Trail would be THE premiere hike, it just happens to be unlucky to be buried half way down the Trail list in the Timberline sea of hiking riches. So after doing it, I would highly recommend it as a "road not taken" hike, and a great July low traffic low mosquito contrarian play (confirm access / snow has melted conditions wise)!

This clip captures spectacular views of No Name Lake and the "Purple Glow" of Broken Top from the shoreline of No Name and the center of the magnificent Alpine Basin! This is at approximately 8200 FT in Three Sisters Wilderness. This was a 14-mile, 2600 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, Three Sisters Wilderness, Deschutes National Forest, starting at Todd Trailhead and hiking to No Name Lake, Bend Glacier, & the Broken Top Zone as an EPIC Out and Back hike (PLEASE NOTE - this would be considered the "Longer Version" hike to get to No Name Lake & Bend Glacier from the South aka Todd Trailhead. You can also get to this destination by taking the "Shorter Version", Broken Top Trail. I prefer to do the longer version because it captures several very gorgeous and majestic sections of Three Sisters Wilderness that you wouldn't otherwise traverse if doing the shorter, more direct route. This entire section of Three Sisters Wilderness is a bit of a premium Alpine Wonderland, so why not capture it all is my perspective - to each their own of course. Lastly, I would mention that you can also get to No Name Lake & Bend Glacier from the East by means of Tam McArthur Rim Trail (permit required at Recreation.gov), I have that whole hike captured here as well in a separate Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuGUSVzluAAmGSHgRwFLJprD8gBfZG53P The East Tam McArthur Rim approach and longer Todd Trailhead South approach are my two recommended hikes out of the three). This is one of my favorite hikes in all of Oregon, featuring my favorite Alpine Cirque Lake (No Name Lake), my favorite mountain (Broken Top), and my favorite Wilderness Area (Three Sisters). The hike starts at 6100 FT and your highest point is around 8200 FT. Due to the elevation range, this hike is only accessible around 10 weeks or so a year give or take based on the annual snowfall, from around 8/1 - 10/15, what I colloquially refer to as the "Alpine Window". I would recommend doing this earlier in the day (starting at sunrise if possible) with fluids on your person because large parts of this hike are fully exposed to the sun. The temperature was high 30's in the morning with a high in the low 70's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 10/12/2022 and there were no mosquitoes (they are typically gone sometime in late August or September). As far as road conditions, its Cascade Scenic Byway to the turnoff for Todd Lake - that stretch of National Forest Road is very bumpy for a few tenths of a mile to the parking lot. Most cars should be able to make it if they drive slow and cautiously, although do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! The road does not in my opinion require 4-Wheel Drive - do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This is a short side detour from Ramona Falls Loop - at the Pacific Crest Trail and Ramona Falls Trail Junction, briefly turn left to stay on the PCT for under 0.1 mile and go down to the Muddy Fork Creek Log Bridge Crossing. This is a common creek crossing for PCT Backpackers. This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This is the Sandy River Crossing South of Ramona Falls in the SW Quadrant of Timberline Loop! This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 7 mile, 1100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, hiking the Ramona Falls Lollipop Hike, arguably the most popular hike in the Mount Hood Timberline Zone, crossing Sandy River, hiking parallel to Ramona Creek, and ultimately arriving at the TRULY INCREDIBLE Ramona Falls as our turnaround point for this EPIC Day-Hike. I also hiked farther down Pacific Crest Trail to a second Sandy River crossing South of Ramona Falls and I highly recommend adding that short extra section to get another perspective of Sandy River framing glorious Mount Hood. This was hiked on 8/3/2023, and there were NO MOSQUITOES! Road conditions - It is highway to the turnoff road to Ramona Falls. This is also a road that approaches several campgrounds. It has some very large potholes in it from washouts, so I would recommend extreme caution going over those bumps and holes at a very slow speed, and do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was passable, I'd say for most vehicles with proper caution and patience it is doable, and I've been on far worse forest roads all around Central Oregon - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year.