Oregon's highest mountain, offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America

How to Get There

From Medford (64mi) Head northwest on N Fir St toward W 5th St. Turn right onto W 4th St. Turn left onto N Riverside Ave. Use the right 2 lanes to turn right onto OR-62 E. Slight left onto Rogue Valley Express Way. Turn left onto OR-62 E. Turn right to stay on OR-62 E.

Overview

Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties. In addition to being Oregon's highest mountain, it is one of the loftiest mountains in the nation based on its prominence, and it offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America.

Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

The mountain has six ski areas: Timberline, Mount Hood Meadows, Ski Bowl, Cooper Spur, Snow Bunny, and Summit. They total over 4,600 acres (7.2 sq mi; 19 km2) of skiable terrain; Timberline, with one lift having a base at nearly 6,940 ft (2,120 m), offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America.

Climbing

Mount Hood is Oregon's highest point and a prominent landmark visible up to 100 miles (160 km) away. It has convenient access and a minimum of technical climbing challenges. About 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Hood each year. There are no trails to the summit. Even the "easier" southside climbing route is a technical climb with crevasses, falling rocks, and often inclement weather. Ropes, ice axes, crampons and other technical mountaineering gear are necessary. Peak climbing season is generally from April to mid-June.

There are six main routes to approach the mountain with about 30 total variations for summiting. The climbs range in difficulty from class 2 to class 5.9+.The most popular route, dubbed the south route, begins at Timberline Lodge and proceeds up Palmer Glacier to Crater Rock, the large prominence at the head of the glacier. The route goes east around Crater Rock and crosses the Coalman Glacier on the Hogsback, a ridge spanning from Crater Rock to the approach to the summit. The Hogsback terminates at a bergschrund where the Coalman Glacier separates from the summit rock headwall, and then to the Pearly Gates, a gap in the summit rock formation, then right onto the summit plateau and the summit proper.

Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

The Timberline Trail, which circumnavigates the entire mountain and rises as high as 7,300 ft (2,200 m), was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Typically, the 40.7-mile (65.5 km) hike is snow-free from late July until the autumn snows begin. A portion of the Pacific Crest Trail is coincident with the Timberline Trail on the west side of Mount Hood.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mount Hood", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0