Hiking to the top (well.. almost) of Mt. Hood in Oregon

Got a strong love for conquering mountains? Then you’re in luck if you have a visit to Portland on your bucketlist! A short ride from the cultural capital of Oregon leads you to the state’s highest peak: Mt. Hood. And it’s a popular one. Mt. Hood is the 2nd most climbed glaciated peak in the world, after Mt. Fuji only. At least, that is what the Oregonians told us :).

Now when you think of a glaciated peak, that may seem like an improbable climbing goal, but Mt. Hood is actually accessible for everyone via the Cooper Spur Trail (6.80 miles / 10.94 km roundtrip with an elevation gain of 2,600 ft / 810 m). I saw kids going up from the trailhead, dogs climbing the gravel, heck – I saw myself even going up there! So you can try it out too for sure!

All of us got a little help, because the climb in itself isn’t that long really. You can go back and forth to the end of the trail within a morning, technically. Thankfully Road 3512 leads a long and bumpy ten miles up to the mountain trailhead. In 1885, David Cooper started building a super steep road that led all the way to the the base of the Elliot Glacier. Later on Willam Ladd built a new road – the one that is still in use today – that leads to a timber lodge. That lodge is called the Cloud Cap Inn and though you can still see it at the beginning of the trailhead, it’s now closed to the public.

Anyway, the new built road marked a new era for all those who wanted to conquer the summit of Mt. Hood and enjoy its superb vistas of Oregon. 

More than a century later the road might be bumpy, but the drive for sure is still fascinating. The road leads through burned forests with new growth emerging, wild flowers and of course gorgeous outlooks on the summit in front of you.

At the end of the road you’ll find the Cloud Cap Campground. The trailhead starts right after that area. If you want to stay overnight here, don’t expect any luxury. The first-come, first-serve campground has 6 tent sites, vault toilets, picnic tables and fire pits, but when we were there (beginning of September 2018) there wasn’t even any water available. Building fires wasn’t allowed either. So yup, no water and no cooking.

Personally I’d just make it a day hike because of that and stay at the Trillium Lake Campground. If only because that campground also gives you a stunning view on the mountain – plus the lake is nice for an afternoon on a kayak. 

But let’s go back to the Mt. Hood trailhead. Buy a Forest Pass for $5,- USD at the machine and park your car next to the campground before heading out. 

The hike starts out in a lovely forest. After a short path you’ll get to a junction. As the left is a more gradual hike up I’d suggest taking this road. We didn’t and I regret that deeply, as the hike through the loose mountain ash was pretty tough on the right side. ↓

Don’t think the left trail (named Timberline Trail, the right one is the Eliot West Moraine Trail) is an easy one though. Also up here you’ll have to break some sweat. If you get to the point where you’re wondering why you’re even bothering to climb up these hillsides, just turn around and have a look.

Behind you is a beautiful view: Mount Jefferson to the south, the plains to the west and Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens to the north. Quite worth it right?! ↓

At the end of this road you’ll encounter the Cooper Spur shelter, useful in case of sudden storms and blizzards. By now you’re also quite a bit above the tree line. Look for marmots at this spot! Although they’re a bit shy, you might either hear or see them in here. 

The remaining bit of the hike along the Cooper Spur Trail is very steep. It’s a zigzag road and from time to time a bit unmarked as well. I didn’t make it all the way to the top, so I’m not sure how this trail would end. I kept on sinking away in that loose sand and another hiker out there told me that it’ll be pretty much like that for the remaining road, so I just threw in the towel. (but don’t you dare too!) A bit frustrating though, as the top of that glacier was só close, yet so far away. ↓

Nevertheless it was all totally worth it. As you descent make sure to hike the right trail back (the Eliot West Morain Trail). It leads along the edge of the Eliot Glacier moraine, which is pretty cool too! ↓

Enjoy the views ↑ during the hike and don’t forget to stop by the Trillium Lake ↓ on your way back to Portland!

Here’s where to go!