Timberline Trail
September 2021
Oregon’s Mt. Hood Wilderness
– Clockwise around Mt. Hood from Timberline Lodge –
Miles
Water Crossings
Elev Change (Ft)
About the Timberline Trail
In the 1930’s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built the 40-mile Timberline Trail that circumnavigates Oregon’s highest peak – Mt. Hood. The trail is follows the the mountain’s jagged folds and contours back and forth, past waterfalls and across creeks/rivers, and it takes hikers through 10,000 of elevation change.
Mt. Hood is a stratavolcano that sits 50 miles east of Portland. Rising 11,249′ above sea level, it is one of the Pacific Northwest’s more imposing mountains and can be seen from 100 miles away on a clear day. Like several of its neighbors, Mt. Hood’s summit is also covered by glaciers and perennial snow fields which feeds the dozens of rivers and creeks running down the mountain.
Climbing Mt. Hood has always been on my bucket list, but before I conquered that mountaineering adventure in 2022, I wanted to hiking its circumference on the scenic Timberline Trail.
Other Timberline Posts
Timberline Trail Packing List
My 40-mile trek around Mt. Hood was my last backpacking trip of the 2021 season. The mid-September...
My Timberline Trail Thru-hike…By The Numbers
Although the Timberline Trail was just a short ~40-mile loop around Mt. Hood, this three-day...
A Little, tiny Heart Condition
If you've read my trail journals, you know I encountered a fairly scary health issue in 2022. I...
PLANNING RESOURCES
- Timberline National Historic Trail #600 (Permits, trail status & fire closures)
- Timberline Trail Map Handout (USFS website)
- Trails Illustrated – Mt. Hood Wilderness Map #321 (Trail map)
- Overview of the Timberline Trail (Backpackers Review)
- Timberline Trail Backpacking Guide (Halfway Anywhere)