Elk Meadows TH to Gnarl Ridge

11.51 miles of hiking • 3000' elevation gain •

We really wanted to visit a higher elevation before snow starts falling. We decided on Gnarl Ridge and got a pretty late start - around 11:00 am. We stopped at the meadow briefly, then reached the Timberline trail and Gnarl Ridge. We just saw a couple other people, who were on their way out. We continued up the ridge and a bit further - to about 7000 ft elevation. Those views sure are something! I'm never disappointed in this hike. The clouds started to break, giving way to a bit of blue sky. I think the views all around were more beautiful at this time time of year in this lighting than at the height of summer. The blue silhouette of the ridge lines and Mt. Jefferson in the distance were breathtaking! The lack of snow on Mt. Hood let us see all its colorful rock. The western larch trees on the east side of Mt. Hood are in full swing, so the hillsides had some specks of gold. We also could see what we thought was a fire (possibly the small fire in the Badger Creek wilderness? or a prescribed burn?). A great day to visit the mountain.