"Top of Oregon" a Mount Hood Travel Page by mtncorg

Mt Hood is the highest peak in Oregon. It is a wilderness playground for Oregonians - snow sports in the winter: three major venues with one offering glacier skiing through the summer; and in the summer, hiking, climbing and just a leisurely drive up to see the mountain. The mountain is a glaciated dormant volcano - you will witness ongoing volcanic activity when, high on the mountain you wander past sulfur vents - the smell is unmistakable. There are an even dozen glaciers encircling the mountain.

Some say, that Mt Hood is the most climbed peak in the world. While that is probably not true, it is true that there are a lot of people on the mountain on any decent late spring weekend when the snows allow a fairly easy approach and the rockfall danger is not what it becomes lateer in the summer. Most people climb from Timberline Lodge at about 6000 feet. Their are several variations for experienced mountaineers seeking more solitude on the mountain. On a moonlit night it is quite an experience. To witness a dawn high on the mountain is a very natural high.

For others, there is a trail that goes around the mountain, the Timberline Trail, which covers around 40 miles. There are many nice places to camp around the mountain. The country is wilderness area - you will need a tent and backpack. The trail gives you a very intimate feel for the mountain and by circling the mountain, you can see its many different faces. You will also gain almost 10000 feet in elevation as the trail is continually going up and down, from one glaciated canyon to the next.

Other nearby areas for the outdoor enthusiast include the world-class windsurfing opportunities in the Columbia River Gorge just north of the mountain. The wind areas within the Gorge extend from Rooster Rock State Park, in the west, to Roosevelt, WA in the east - an area some 100 miles along the river. Wind conditions varying with the pressure systems. If the temperatures are warmer on the East Side of the Cascades (ie The Dalles) than the West Side (ie Portland), than the wind is usually blowing strong through the Gorge. Some of the craziest windsurfers to be found are here playing in 6 foot swells, shooting high into the air.

Fishing is very big in the area; salmon, steelhead and sturgeon. Also, some great whitewater opportunities exist along the White Salmon and Deschutes Rivers - many others for those with the kayaking know-how.

But what is great is just to get out on the mountain, itself. Experience the natural wonder of the mountain and the lifezones encompassing it. The flowers, the glaciers, the streams, the forests .....

I heard the expression 'Hausberg' in Austria. The Wiener Schneeberg and the Rax were described by people from Vienna as 'unsere Hausbergen', meaning 'our home mountains'. The same holds true for Mt Hood and Portlanders. And while we reserve the right to call a few other peaks as ours (St Helens, Adams), it is Mt Hood that is truly at our core.

Enjoy.