Weather Based Contingency Planning – Potato Hill Sno-Park – Central Oregon – 4K

My goal of these wilderness trail videos is to 1) show reverence for the beauty of the land, and 2) give YOU actionable trail information that can assist you in planning your own hike here.

This was a day-hike in Central Oregon, Willamette National Forest near Mount Washington, starting at Potato Hill Sno-Park and hiking Hash Brown Loop and Jack Pine Road to Potato Hill Summit. Due to heavy pack snow accumulation of 6 ft in places it was necessary to deploy snowshoes and trekking poles. The temperature was just below freezing when I arrived with mid 20's wind chill, and warmed to the mid 30's by the end of the hike with wind chill hovering around freezing. The sky was mostly dark grey overcast but the sun came out a few times. This was hiked on 1/11/2022 and there were of course NO Mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, it's highway to the Potato Hill Sno-Park parking lot which is literally directly off the highway and in great condition and well paved. In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES NOT require 4-Wheel Drive, however do watch for road conditions as far as snow/ice and plan accordingly since it is a heavy snow/ice area.