HikingViking

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 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 15.2 mile, 3100 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood Wilderness, focusing on the NW 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 Top Spur Trailhead, climbing up to the Timberline Loop, briefly going to the Mount Hood Viewpoint Ridge South of Bald Mountain (as a little bit of a viewpoint cherry picking hack) before turning around and doing the lion’s share of the hike exploring the NW quadrant of Timberline Trail hiking past Cairn Shelter to the INCREDIBLE Mount Hood Viewpoint Section above the Elk Cove Camping Zone as our turnaround point of this out and back Day-Hike. Weather was a low in the low 30's, high in the 50's, overcast day and very windy. This was hiked on 9/12/2021, trail was completely clear of snow, and there were NO Mosquitoes! On Alltrails, this hike is called "Timberline Trail Around Mount Hood", hiking a section of the NW Quadrant. As far as road conditions, it's highway until a turnoff paved road that isn’t too bumpy but does have some large pot holes in the middle of it periodically you need to swerve around. The last 1.5 miles is gravel and very doable but requires cautious and slow driving, particularly around somewhat blind corners and a narrow road. In my opinion, the road DOES NOT require 4-Wheel Drive. As far as permits, the Top Spur Trailhead DOES NOT require a Recreation.gov permit.

Just past Campsite #11 at Big Lake West Campground, there is a Trailhead that connects to Patjens Lake Trail which hikes the Forested Shoreline of Big Lake with expansive views of Big Lake (Willamette National Forest) & mighty Mount Washington (7,795 FT) towering above framing the entire area! This video hikes that Trail down to the end/edge of Big Lake and returns to Trailhead. These videos were made on October 20, 2023, in shoulder season, the last week before snow is forecast to start the Annual Snow'meggadon Deluge. Big Lake West Campground is a premium, ultra high quality Campground which I very highly recommend!

This video starts at the Bridge of House Rock Campground, in Willamette National Forest, overlooking South Santiam River intersecting with Sheep Creek, hikes by giant "House Rock" and looks inside the dark "House Rock Caves", and ultimately ascends up to ABSOLUTELY EPIC House Rock Falls! I also added some spectacular shoreline view perspectives up and down South Santiam River! House Rock Campground is bookable at Recreation.gov. This was hiked on 5/21/23 and there were NO MOSQUITOES!

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 4.5 mile, 1000 FT Elevation Gain Out & Back Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, focusing on a key section of the SE Quadrant of the greater Timberline Zone (although not directly hiking on the Timberline Trail), starting at Elk Meadows Trailhead and hiking to Clark Creek, Newton Creek, and ascending the Forest Switchbacks ultimately to Elk Meadows Shelter as the turnaround point of this Hike. This was hiked on 8/5/2023, the weather was overcast with some sporadic rain showers and poor visibility of Mount Hood (still very much worth it!), and there were NO MOSQUITOES on the main hike from Trailhead to Elk Meadows Shelter - the only place there WERE mosquitoes were near the Backcountry Campsites on the Perimeter Loop around Elk Meadows Shelter - but if you take the correct navigational path you don't ever need to do that section, it is entirely optional. *****AS FAR AS MY KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS HIKE - I think the highlights were actually Newton Creek & Clark Creek, the flows are very heavy and they might as well be Rivers as far as flow veracity, they are indistinguishable from Sandy River in the SW Quadrant of Timberline Loop. The hardest part of the hike is ascending up the Forest Switchbacks from Newton Creek up to the Elk Meadows Shelter Area, that is where the lion's share of the Elevation is - to be candid, I found that section of Forest, to be rather generic and cut and paste, nothing special, and the Elk Meadows Shelter itself is a bit underwhelming, it is made of old wood and partially dilapidated - it is nothing like the proper beautiful Rustic Log Cabin Shelters all around the Winter Play Zone of Central Oregon as a frame of reference. One could argue the views of Mount Hood from Elk Meadow are decent, I didn't get them with the overcast sky, but even had the views been there in their full splendor I would say there are much better Moneyshot views of Mount Hood all around the Mountain in probably about a dozen or more places around Timberline Loop - the hike to Zig Zag Canyon and view of Mount Hood, for instance, is several notches more spectacular and better effort/reward payoff. Also, the signage is poorly done in the Elk Meadows Shelter Area in my opinion, I learned the hard way by needlessly walking all the way around the Perimeter Loop - learn from my mistake, if you're in that Perimeter Loop, you're doing it wrong, do not fall for the idea that you'll get better access to Elk Meadows Shelter later in the loop like I did - there is a straight shot directly to Elk Meadow Shelter RIGHT WHEN YOU ARRIVE at the Loop ascending up from Newton Creek, you DO NOT need to go even for a second on the Perimeter Loop unless you want too, and that Perimeter Loop particularly near the Backcountry Campsites were the only places that had mosquitoes on the entire Hike, I got a couple bites from that section, which is entirely avoidable - reference my videos in this Playlist to save yourself perhaps up to an hour of needlessly walking around looking for non-existent access points to Elk Meadows Shelter. All that said, I'm glad I did it ONCE as a bucket list hike, the Completionist in me likes to have done it, but my main takeaway is that I would recommend to people to only hike from Elk Meadows Trailhead to Clark Creek to Newton Creek as the end destination! You get the best two highlights of the trail - Clark Creek & Newton Creek, and you don't even have to take the risk of doing the Log Crossing over Newton Creek. You also avoid the low quality Forest Switchbacks Elevation Section. That also drops it down to a very very easy 2.2 Mile, 200 FT Elevation Gain quickie you can do more regularly for a dosage blast of beauty with low effort high reward ratio! Road conditions - It is highway to the paved turnoff road to Elk Meadows Trailhead Parking. I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was in good condition and doable with any vehicle, 4WD NOT REQUIRED - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year and always exercise caution and do so at your own risk!

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.

These are video 4K Campsite Reviews of Individual Campsites at Big Lake Campground, Willamette National Forest, Central Oregon, framed by EPIC VIEWS of Mount Washington (7,795 FT)! I have organized the Campsite Reviews into Three Videos: - Reviewing EVERY CAMPSITE walking the entire Big Lake Campground - Top 5 Countdown of BEST One-Party Campsites - Top 3 Countdown of BEST Side-By-Side Campsites For a Group There are also a couple short videos of Shoreline Highlights and the Boat Dock Launch Area. These videos were made on October 20, 2023, in shoulder season, the last week before snow is forecast to start the Annual Snow'meggadon Deluge. In the main Summer Season, sites are bookable at Recreation.gov. This is a premium, ultra high quality Campground which I very highly recommend!

This video highlights the Elk Creek Crossing on the Santiam Wagon Trail, hiking from the Westernmost Trailhead to the House Rock Falls, Campground & Cave Zone. There are communal walking sticks on both sides of the Creek, I would highly recommend for safety utilizing one to facilitate your crossing, and make sure to return it to Creekside for the next person! This was hiked on 5/21/23 and there were NO MOSQUITOES!

This was a 12.7 mile, 1700 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, part of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop with a focus on the NE Quadrant, starting from the Jack Lake Trailhead (permit required at Recreation.gov) and hiking to Lower Canyon Creek Meadow, Upper Canyon Creek Meadow, to the Base of Mighty Three Fingered Jack, up the Rocky Scree to the Turquoise Alpine Cirque Overlook (STEEP PRECIPICE - RECOMMEND EXTREME CAUTION), turning around and paralleling Canyon Creek to the Old Summit Trail Junction and turning Left, crossing Canyon Creek, hiking down to Wasco Lake through a gorgeous Burnout, exploring the Backcountry Campsites on the NW Shore of Wasco Lake, Climbing up Minto Pass to the Wasco Lake Overlook on the PCT, and proceeding down the PCT with gorgeous views of Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington for a bit to an arbitrary turnaround point in Mount Jefferson Wilderness at the edge of the Burnout and Old Growth Forest Ecological Zone, and hiking back to Jack Lake Trailhead shortest distance possible by completing the right segment of the Canyon Creek Meadows triangle, stopping to see the Canyon Creek Hidden Waterfall along the way just after the junction for Old Summit Trail and Canyon Creek Crossing, ultimately returning to Jack Lake Trailhead. This Day-Hike is one of three amazing Day-Hikes I like to break Three Fingered Jack Loop into as an alternative approach to Backpacking the whole Loop in one trip: 1) Jack Lake Trailhead to Canyon Creek Meadows to Base of Three Fingered Jack to Turquoise Alpine Cirque to Parallel Canyon Creek to Old Summit Trail to Wasco Lake to Minto Pass to PCT Wasco Lake Overlook to PCT Burnout Zone to Old Summit Trail to Hidden Waterfall (THIS HIKE) 2) Santiam Pass PCT staying North to the "Moneyshot", highest point in the entire 24-mile Loop 3) Santiam Pass PCT, turn right after 0.3 miles to Old Summit Trail to Square Lake & Booth Lake, turnaround shortly after Booth Lake before the Manzanita Zone ***These three Day-Hikes capture the Highlights of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop!*** I would recommend doing this hike earlier in the day with fluids on your person because the vast majority of this hike is FULLY EXPOSED to the SUN. The temperature was classic Summer weather, in the 40's early in the morning with a high in 80's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 8/10/2023 and there were fortunately no mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, that is the most difficult part of this EPIC hike, there is a several mile very bumpy rough road to the trailhead, would recommend high clearance 4-Wheel Drive, take it nice and slow particularly around blind narrow corners. Do watch for road conditions, particularly 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 7.4 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 12.7 mile, 1700 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, part of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop with a focus on the NE Quadrant, starting from the Jack Lake Trailhead (permit required at Recreation.gov) and hiking to Lower Canyon Creek Meadow, Upper Canyon Creek Meadow, to the Base of Mighty Three Fingered Jack, up the Rocky Scree to the Turquoise Alpine Cirque Overlook (STEEP PRECIPICE - RECOMMEND EXTREME CAUTION), turning around and paralleling Canyon Creek to the Old Summit Trail Junction and turning Left, crossing Canyon Creek, hiking down to Wasco Lake through a gorgeous Burnout, exploring the Backcountry Campsites on the NW Shore of Wasco Lake, Climbing up Minto Pass to the Wasco Lake Overlook on the PCT, and proceeding down the PCT with gorgeous views of Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington for a bit to an arbitrary turnaround point in Mount Jefferson Wilderness at the edge of the Burnout and Old Growth Forest Ecological Zone, and hiking back to Jack Lake Trailhead shortest distance possible by completing the right segment of the Canyon Creek Meadows triangle, stopping to see the Canyon Creek Hidden Waterfall along the way just after the junction for Old Summit Trail and Canyon Creek Crossing, ultimately returning to Jack Lake Trailhead. This Day-Hike is one of three amazing Day-Hikes I like to break Three Fingered Jack Loop into as an alternative approach to Backpacking the whole Loop in one trip: 1) Jack Lake Trailhead to Canyon Creek Meadows to Base of Three Fingered Jack to Turquoise Alpine Cirque to Parallel Canyon Creek to Old Summit Trail to Wasco Lake to Minto Pass to PCT Wasco Lake Overlook to PCT Burnout Zone to Old Summit Trail to Hidden Waterfall (THIS HIKE) 2) Santiam Pass PCT staying North to the "Moneyshot", highest point in the entire 24-mile Loop 3) Santiam Pass PCT, turn right after 0.3 miles to Old Summit Trail to Square Lake & Booth Lake, turnaround shortly after Booth Lake before the Manzanita Zone ***These three Day-Hikes capture the Highlights of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop!*** I would recommend doing this hike earlier in the day with fluids on your person because the vast majority of this hike is FULLY EXPOSED to the SUN. The temperature was classic Summer weather, in the 40's early in the morning with a high in 80's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 8/10/2023 and there were fortunately no mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, that is the most difficult part of this EPIC hike, there is a several mile very bumpy rough road to the trailhead, would recommend high clearance 4-Wheel Drive, take it nice and slow particularly around blind narrow corners. Do watch for road conditions, particularly 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 4.5 mile, 1000 FT Elevation Gain Out & Back Day-Hike in Oregon, Mount Hood National Forest & Mount Hood Wilderness, focusing on a key section of the SE Quadrant of the greater Timberline Zone (although not directly hiking on the Timberline Trail), starting at Elk Meadows Trailhead and hiking to Clark Creek, Newton Creek, and ascending the Forest Switchbacks ultimately to Elk Meadows Shelter as the turnaround point of this Hike. This was hiked on 8/5/2023, the weather was overcast with some sporadic rain showers and poor visibility of Mount Hood (still very much worth it!), and there were NO MOSQUITOES on the main hike from Trailhead to Elk Meadows Shelter - the only place there WERE mosquitoes were near the Backcountry Campsites on the Perimeter Loop around Elk Meadows Shelter - but if you take the correct navigational path you don't ever need to do that section, it is entirely optional. *****AS FAR AS MY KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS HIKE - I think the highlights were actually Newton Creek & Clark Creek, the flows are very heavy and they might as well be Rivers as far as flow veracity, they are indistinguishable from Sandy River in the SW Quadrant of Timberline Loop. The hardest part of the hike is ascending up the Forest Switchbacks from Newton Creek up to the Elk Meadows Shelter Area, that is where the lion's share of the Elevation is - to be candid, I found that section of Forest, to be rather generic and cut and paste, nothing special, and the Elk Meadows Shelter itself is a bit underwhelming, it is made of old wood and partially dilapidated - it is nothing like the proper beautiful Rustic Log Cabin Shelters all around the Winter Play Zone of Central Oregon as a frame of reference. One could argue the views of Mount Hood from Elk Meadow are decent, I didn't get them with the overcast sky, but even had the views been there in their full splendor I would say there are much better Moneyshot views of Mount Hood all around the Mountain in probably about a dozen or more places around Timberline Loop - the hike to Zig Zag Canyon and view of Mount Hood, for instance, is several notches more spectacular and better effort/reward payoff. Also, the signage is poorly done in the Elk Meadows Shelter Area in my opinion, I learned the hard way by needlessly walking all the way around the Perimeter Loop - learn from my mistake, if you're in that Perimeter Loop, you're doing it wrong, do not fall for the idea that you'll get better access to Elk Meadows Shelter later in the loop like I did - there is a straight shot directly to Elk Meadow Shelter RIGHT WHEN YOU ARRIVE at the Loop ascending up from Newton Creek, you DO NOT need to go even for a second on the Perimeter Loop unless you want too, and that Perimeter Loop particularly near the Backcountry Campsites were the only places that had mosquitoes on the entire Hike, I got a couple bites from that section, which is entirely avoidable - reference my videos in this Playlist to save yourself perhaps up to an hour of needlessly walking around looking for non-existent access points to Elk Meadows Shelter. All that said, I'm glad I did it ONCE as a bucket list hike, the Completionist in me likes to have done it, but my main takeaway is that I would recommend to people to only hike from Elk Meadows Trailhead to Clark Creek to Newton Creek as the end destination! You get the best two highlights of the trail - Clark Creek & Newton Creek, and you don't even have to take the risk of doing the Log Crossing over Newton Creek. You also avoid the low quality Forest Switchbacks Elevation Section. That also drops it down to a very very easy 2.2 Mile, 200 FT Elevation Gain quickie you can do more regularly for a dosage blast of beauty with low effort high reward ratio! Road conditions - It is highway to the paved turnoff road to Elk Meadows Trailhead Parking. I would say the road itself in my humble opinion was in good condition and doable with any vehicle, 4WD NOT REQUIRED - do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice depending on the time of year and always exercise caution and do so at your own risk!

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 12.7 mile, 1700 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, part of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop with a focus on the NE Quadrant, starting from the Jack Lake Trailhead (permit required at Recreation.gov) and hiking to Lower Canyon Creek Meadow, Upper Canyon Creek Meadow, to the Base of Mighty Three Fingered Jack, up the Rocky Scree to the Turquoise Alpine Cirque Overlook (STEEP PRECIPICE - RECOMMEND EXTREME CAUTION), turning around and paralleling Canyon Creek to the Old Summit Trail Junction and turning Left, crossing Canyon Creek, hiking down to Wasco Lake through a gorgeous Burnout, exploring the Backcountry Campsites on the NW Shore of Wasco Lake, Climbing up Minto Pass to the Wasco Lake Overlook on the PCT, and proceeding down the PCT with gorgeous views of Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington for a bit to an arbitrary turnaround point in Mount Jefferson Wilderness at the edge of the Burnout and Old Growth Forest Ecological Zone, and hiking back to Jack Lake Trailhead shortest distance possible by completing the right segment of the Canyon Creek Meadows triangle, stopping to see the Canyon Creek Hidden Waterfall along the way just after the junction for Old Summit Trail and Canyon Creek Crossing, ultimately returning to Jack Lake Trailhead. This Day-Hike is one of three amazing Day-Hikes I like to break Three Fingered Jack Loop into as an alternative approach to Backpacking the whole Loop in one trip: 1) Jack Lake Trailhead to Canyon Creek Meadows to Base of Three Fingered Jack to Turquoise Alpine Cirque to Parallel Canyon Creek to Old Summit Trail to Wasco Lake to Minto Pass to PCT Wasco Lake Overlook to PCT Burnout Zone to Old Summit Trail to Hidden Waterfall (THIS HIKE) 2) Santiam Pass PCT staying North to the "Moneyshot", highest point in the entire 24-mile Loop 3) Santiam Pass PCT, turn right after 0.3 miles to Old Summit Trail to Square Lake & Booth Lake, turnaround shortly after Booth Lake before the Manzanita Zone ***These three Day-Hikes capture the Highlights of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop!*** I would recommend doing this hike earlier in the day with fluids on your person because the vast majority of this hike is FULLY EXPOSED to the SUN. The temperature was classic Summer weather, in the 40's early in the morning with a high in 80's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 8/10/2023 and there were fortunately no mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, that is the most difficult part of this EPIC hike, there is a several mile very bumpy rough road to the trailhead, would recommend high clearance 4-Wheel Drive, take it nice and slow particularly around blind narrow corners. Do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 12.7 mile, 1700 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, part of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop with a focus on the NE Quadrant, starting from the Jack Lake Trailhead (permit required at Recreation.gov) and hiking to Lower Canyon Creek Meadow, Upper Canyon Creek Meadow, to the Base of Mighty Three Fingered Jack, up the Rocky Scree to the Turquoise Alpine Cirque Overlook (STEEP PRECIPICE - RECOMMEND EXTREME CAUTION), turning around and paralleling Canyon Creek to the Old Summit Trail Junction and turning Left, crossing Canyon Creek, hiking down to Wasco Lake through a gorgeous Burnout, exploring the Backcountry Campsites on the NW Shore of Wasco Lake, Climbing up Minto Pass to the Wasco Lake Overlook on the PCT, and proceeding down the PCT with gorgeous views of Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington for a bit to an arbitrary turnaround point in Mount Jefferson Wilderness at the edge of the Burnout and Old Growth Forest Ecological Zone, and hiking back to Jack Lake Trailhead shortest distance possible by completing the right segment of the Canyon Creek Meadows triangle, stopping to see the Canyon Creek Hidden Waterfall along the way just after the junction for Old Summit Trail and Canyon Creek Crossing, ultimately returning to Jack Lake Trailhead. This Day-Hike is one of three amazing Day-Hikes I like to break Three Fingered Jack Loop into as an alternative approach to Backpacking the whole Loop in one trip: 1) Jack Lake Trailhead to Canyon Creek Meadows to Base of Three Fingered Jack to Turquoise Alpine Cirque to Parallel Canyon Creek to Old Summit Trail to Wasco Lake to Minto Pass to PCT Wasco Lake Overlook to PCT Burnout Zone to Old Summit Trail to Hidden Waterfall (THIS HIKE) 2) Santiam Pass PCT staying North to the "Moneyshot", highest point in the entire 24-mile Loop 3) Santiam Pass PCT, turn right after 0.3 miles to Old Summit Trail to Square Lake & Booth Lake, turnaround shortly after Booth Lake before the Manzanita Zone ***These three Day-Hikes capture the Highlights of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop!*** I would recommend doing this hike earlier in the day with fluids on your person because the vast majority of this hike is FULLY EXPOSED to the SUN. The temperature was classic Summer weather, in the 40's early in the morning with a high in 80's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 8/10/2023 and there were fortunately no mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, that is the most difficult part of this EPIC hike, there is a several mile very bumpy rough road to the trailhead, would recommend high clearance 4-Wheel Drive, take it nice and slow particularly around blind narrow corners. Do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 12.7 mile, 1700 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, part of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop with a focus on the NE Quadrant, starting from the Jack Lake Trailhead (permit required at Recreation.gov) and hiking to Lower Canyon Creek Meadow, Upper Canyon Creek Meadow, to the Base of Mighty Three Fingered Jack, up the Rocky Scree to the Turquoise Alpine Cirque Overlook (STEEP PRECIPICE - RECOMMEND EXTREME CAUTION), turning around and paralleling Canyon Creek to the Old Summit Trail Junction and turning Left, crossing Canyon Creek, hiking down to Wasco Lake through a gorgeous Burnout, exploring the Backcountry Campsites on the NW Shore of Wasco Lake, Climbing up Minto Pass to the Wasco Lake Overlook on the PCT, and proceeding down the PCT with gorgeous views of Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington for a bit to an arbitrary turnaround point in Mount Jefferson Wilderness at the edge of the Burnout and Old Growth Forest Ecological Zone, and hiking back to Jack Lake Trailhead shortest distance possible by completing the right segment of the Canyon Creek Meadows triangle, stopping to see the Canyon Creek Hidden Waterfall along the way just after the junction for Old Summit Trail and Canyon Creek Crossing, ultimately returning to Jack Lake Trailhead. This Day-Hike is one of three amazing Day-Hikes I like to break Three Fingered Jack Loop into as an alternative approach to Backpacking the whole Loop in one trip: 1) Jack Lake Trailhead to Canyon Creek Meadows to Base of Three Fingered Jack to Turquoise Alpine Cirque to Parallel Canyon Creek to Old Summit Trail to Wasco Lake to Minto Pass to PCT Wasco Lake Overlook to PCT Burnout Zone to Old Summit Trail to Hidden Waterfall (THIS HIKE) 2) Santiam Pass PCT staying North to the "Moneyshot", highest point in the entire 24-mile Loop 3) Santiam Pass PCT, turn right after 0.3 miles to Old Summit Trail to Square Lake & Booth Lake, turnaround shortly after Booth Lake before the Manzanita Zone ***These three Day-Hikes capture the Highlights of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop!*** I would recommend doing this hike earlier in the day with fluids on your person because the vast majority of this hike is FULLY EXPOSED to the SUN. The temperature was classic Summer weather, in the 40's early in the morning with a high in 80's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 8/10/2023 and there were fortunately no mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, that is the most difficult part of this EPIC hike, there is a several mile very bumpy rough road to the trailhead, would recommend high clearance 4-Wheel Drive, take it nice and slow particularly around blind narrow corners. Do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a Day-Hike, Skookum Flats North Trailhead, paralleling the BEAUTIFUL & MILKY White River in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. This Trailhead is just North of Mount Rainier National Park and descends South down to Skookum Falls (4.3 Miles, 400 FT Elevation Gain Out & Back), or can be hiked all the way to the edge of the border of Mount Rainier National Park. This was hiked on 9/16/23 and there were no mosquitoes!

This was a 12.7 mile, 1700 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, part of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop with a focus on the NE Quadrant, starting from the Jack Lake Trailhead (permit required at Recreation.gov) and hiking to Lower Canyon Creek Meadow, Upper Canyon Creek Meadow, to the Base of Mighty Three Fingered Jack, up the Rocky Scree to the Turquoise Alpine Cirque Overlook (STEEP PRECIPICE - RECOMMEND EXTREME CAUTION), turning around and paralleling Canyon Creek to the Old Summit Trail Junction and turning Left, crossing Canyon Creek, hiking down to Wasco Lake through a gorgeous Burnout, exploring the Backcountry Campsites on the NW Shore of Wasco Lake, Climbing up Minto Pass to the Wasco Lake Overlook on the PCT, and proceeding down the PCT with gorgeous views of Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington for a bit to an arbitrary turnaround point in Mount Jefferson Wilderness at the edge of the Burnout and Old Growth Forest Ecological Zone, and hiking back to Jack Lake Trailhead shortest distance possible by completing the right segment of the Canyon Creek Meadows triangle, stopping to see the Canyon Creek Hidden Waterfall along the way just after the junction for Old Summit Trail and Canyon Creek Crossing, ultimately returning to Jack Lake Trailhead. This Day-Hike is one of three amazing Day-Hikes I like to break Three Fingered Jack Loop into as an alternative approach to Backpacking the whole Loop in one trip: 1) Jack Lake Trailhead to Canyon Creek Meadows to Base of Three Fingered Jack to Turquoise Alpine Cirque to Parallel Canyon Creek to Old Summit Trail to Wasco Lake to Minto Pass to PCT Wasco Lake Overlook to PCT Burnout Zone to Old Summit Trail to Hidden Waterfall (THIS HIKE) 2) Santiam Pass PCT staying North to the "Moneyshot", highest point in the entire 24-mile Loop 3) Santiam Pass PCT, turn right after 0.3 miles to Old Summit Trail to Square Lake & Booth Lake, turnaround shortly after Booth Lake before the Manzanita Zone ***These three Day-Hikes capture the Highlights of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop!*** I would recommend doing this hike earlier in the day with fluids on your person because the vast majority of this hike is FULLY EXPOSED to the SUN. The temperature was classic Summer weather, in the 40's early in the morning with a high in 80's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 8/10/2023 and there were fortunately no mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, that is the most difficult part of this EPIC hike, there is a several mile very bumpy rough road to the trailhead, would recommend high clearance 4-Wheel Drive, take it nice and slow particularly around blind narrow corners. Do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.

This was a 12.7 mile, 1700 FT Elevation Gain Day-Hike in Central Oregon, part of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop with a focus on the NE Quadrant, starting from the Jack Lake Trailhead (permit required at Recreation.gov) and hiking to Lower Canyon Creek Meadow, Upper Canyon Creek Meadow, to the Base of Mighty Three Fingered Jack, up the Rocky Scree to the Turquoise Alpine Cirque Overlook (STEEP PRECIPICE - RECOMMEND EXTREME CAUTION), turning around and paralleling Canyon Creek to the Old Summit Trail Junction and turning Left, crossing Canyon Creek, hiking down to Wasco Lake through a gorgeous Burnout, exploring the Backcountry Campsites on the NW Shore of Wasco Lake, Climbing up Minto Pass to the Wasco Lake Overlook on the PCT, and proceeding down the PCT with gorgeous views of Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington for a bit to an arbitrary turnaround point in Mount Jefferson Wilderness at the edge of the Burnout and Old Growth Forest Ecological Zone, and hiking back to Jack Lake Trailhead shortest distance possible by completing the right segment of the Canyon Creek Meadows triangle, stopping to see the Canyon Creek Hidden Waterfall along the way just after the junction for Old Summit Trail and Canyon Creek Crossing, ultimately returning to Jack Lake Trailhead. This Day-Hike is one of three amazing Day-Hikes I like to break Three Fingered Jack Loop into as an alternative approach to Backpacking the whole Loop in one trip: 1) Jack Lake Trailhead to Canyon Creek Meadows to Base of Three Fingered Jack to Turquoise Alpine Cirque to Parallel Canyon Creek to Old Summit Trail to Wasco Lake to Minto Pass to PCT Wasco Lake Overlook to PCT Burnout Zone to Old Summit Trail to Hidden Waterfall (THIS HIKE) 2) Santiam Pass PCT staying North to the "Moneyshot", highest point in the entire 24-mile Loop 3) Santiam Pass PCT, turn right after 0.3 miles to Old Summit Trail to Square Lake & Booth Lake, turnaround shortly after Booth Lake before the Manzanita Zone ***These three Day-Hikes capture the Highlights of the 24-mile Three Fingered Jack Loop!*** I would recommend doing this hike earlier in the day with fluids on your person because the vast majority of this hike is FULLY EXPOSED to the SUN. The temperature was classic Summer weather, in the 40's early in the morning with a high in 80's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 8/10/2023 and there were fortunately no mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, that is the most difficult part of this EPIC hike, there is a several mile very bumpy rough road to the trailhead, would recommend high clearance 4-Wheel Drive, take it nice and slow particularly around blind narrow corners. Do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.