Recent Hikes

8,022 hikes

November 3, 2013 Mileage Mike 8.1 miles 1,000 feet gained

Nice cool & cloudy day which makes for nice hiking in this area! Nobody was on the trail system, and we were afforded amazing solitude! Investigated a research area on the southern end of the trail system called "Aquila Vista". We hiked up there and found most of the views were gone due to tree growth, but some glimpses indicated it was probably nice at one ...

November 2 to November 3, 2013 isaac 12.6 miles 2,250 feet gained 1 night

Did a loop of Lake Shore Trail, Lost Cove Trail, and then back down to the parking lot via the Appalachian Trail. Weather was perfect. Slight rain on the way into campsite 90, but cleared up to reveal bountiful stars. The next morning was the climb up to Shuckstack Firetower that produced limitless views in all directions.

November 2, 2013 Mileage Mike 11.2 miles 3,250 feet gained

What a blustery cold day, with a thunderstorm show overhead just when we reached the Dublin Lake & Wauna Point Intersection! The thunderstorm brought 1/4" hail, and dumped quite a bit at that. Thought we saw a smidge of snow, but it was quite cold at about 3000ft. Saw a trail runner go by, with his dog, but were just off trail near a viewpoint when he passed...

November 1, 2013 JM 15 miles 4,750 feet gained

Hiked up to Observation Peak under rainy and gray skies, lots of freezing rain, high winds, hail and even some thunder. No views, but several waterfalls and large trees.

November 1, 2013 Roman 12.3 miles 3,000 feet gained

The whole loop is 13.85 miles and 3350' EG, but I biked the 1.5 miles of the road in between the 2 trailheads. This trail is not known for many viewpoints (although there are a couple of big views to the east), but it goes through very narrow "transition zone" east of the Cascades - in just 5 miles you pass through oak savannas (still a lot of fall color the...

November 1, 2013 Karl 12.5 miles 4,250 feet gained

Managed to snag the last bluebird day in daylight savings time for a magnificent loop from Timberline Lodge, over to Paradise Park, then up, up, up and over Mississippi Head where the 1949 wreckage of a B-26 is still scattered over the mountainside at about 7100'. Then it was up to 8000' in order to get across the top of Zigzag Canyon, before descending alon...

November 1, 2013 Ken 5.5 miles 2,250 feet gained

When the rains did not materialize today I decided to head out for a quick hike up to Independence and North Lakes off the Mountain Loop Highway. Fog was lingering at about the 4000 foot mark but there was no rain, and the sun even made a few brief appearances. Heading along the trail one is struck how aged and peaceful it is here. The trees were clearly eld...

October 28, 2013 Ken 12 miles 1,500 feet gained

Dibs, my 13 1/2 yo Dachshund/Chihuahua mix, decided he wanted to go for a stroll in the woods today and suggested we head out to the North Fork Sauk River Trail, which happens to be one of his favorite sylvan sauntering sites. After a late start, we arrived at the trailhead just before noon, finding but one other car there. We immediately set out beneath clo...

October 28, 2013 RenegadePilgrim 6.5 miles 2,250 feet gained

Went out for a nice hike with no one else on the trail today with a few friends. The wind was a little annoying, otherwise clear skies, a bit of sun and all around great time exploring places new to us. The lookout is amazing and I would love to go back and spend a night there next Spring or Summer. We also went to Rooster Rock (had no idea where the trail w...

October 28, 2013 Elsie 6.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Took a stroll out in the sun and air with some girlfriends. Parked at Rooster Rock and made our way up to Pechuck Lookout. Pechuck is super cute and interesting, if bit on the small side and lacking mountain views. Nice trail, bonus that we were the only ones out there. After Pechuck we went back towards the first junction and took a side trip to Rooster Roc...

October 27, 2013 Mileage Mike 8.1 miles 750 feet gained

I'm not sure how the software calculated 750ft of elevation gain, but oh well? We started from our motel at Deane's Oceanfront Resort (very nice people and clean room), and headed north toward Waldport. The weather started out blustery but had some sun break through, typical of the coast. It was fun crossing Big Creek! Almost nobody on the beach, and it was ...

October 26 to October 28, 2013 B-Dog 14 miles 5,250 feet gained 2 nights

New Summit - 15 of 20 for the Year 2013 Last big trip of the year and I was hoping to go big. My goal was to tackle at least (3) Summits this trip, but given the conditions to get up and over Asgard Pass we burned a lot of extra energy and time. We were able to sneak in one trip up Little Annapurna and the conditions on Dragontail looked iffy, so we bailed o...

October 26 to October 27, 2013 JM 15 miles 3,000 feet gained 1 night

Overnighter @ Indian Bar on the Wonderland Trail. Stayed at the shelter, only saw one mouse. Deep snow and ice on North facing slope into the valley, made it tricky finding the trail and descending down to the bar. Could've used microspikes. Beautiful stars at night, but awoke to low clouds, low temps and snow. Very little visibility, but about 1 inch of new...

October 26, 2013 Chris 6 miles 750 feet gained

Very cool redwoods; it's hard to capture the magnitude of these puppies. Definitely worth a trip if you're in the area. Also went up to Brookings and wandered around a bit on the beaches in Boardman SP.

October 26, 2013 Ken 8.5 miles 2,250 feet gained

Another beautiful day for a hike and the thinking was to head over to Mount Lillian and the site of the 2012 Tabletop Fire to see the last hurrah of this year's larches. With sunny skies and a brisk temperatures, we started out from the Ken Wilcox Horse Camp, across from Haney Meadow. Following FR 9712 for a short walk we turned onto the Naneum Meadows Trail...

October 26, 2013 Mileage Mike 12.3 miles 2,500 feet gained

The road to the Cummins Ridge Trail is exceptional and an easy drive. At the end of the road is a parking area, and the wilderness sign is viewable from the parking lot! The first 3 miles of the trail are up the abandoned road, and it is gently graded and grass covered the whole way. At about 3 miles, you turn right, and the remainder of the hike is on a rea...

October 26, 2013 Karl 21.5 miles 5,000 feet gained

Really great hike from Johnston Ridge Observatory over to Mount Margaret and back. Had a bit of time to kill on return so we went up Coldwater Peak too. Full [trip report](http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17408) now up on [PortlandHikers](http://www.portlandhikers.org/).

October 25, 2013 Mileage Mike 7.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Exceptional hike on a clear day! Plenty of old growth, but only one person seen on trail! We didn't have long to hike as we arrived late, and would have done the larger loop instead of the shorter Gwynn Creek loop. The Spouting Horn wasn't very active, but we watched a nice sunset (no colors due to fog out at sea)!

October 25, 2013 Nat Turner 7.5 miles 2,500 feet gained

Planned on Table, but my partner was tired from the overnight shift and we got a late start. Settled for another lap up Hamilton Mt. A sneaky alder grabbed my fleece from my pack, and I had to backtrack to get it. So I hit the summit twice. Extra stairmaster.

October 25, 2013 Nat Turner 5.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Trail Closed. LANDSLIDE!!! but really only 10 ft of mud. kept most of the crowd away.

October 24, 2013 Ken 8 miles 3,000 feet gained

Another incredible day in the Pacific Northwest. Hard to believe it is the last week in October and the weather in the mountains continues to be spectacular. Bright sunshine, temps in the 50s, and clear blue skies greeted me when I arrived at the trailhead this morning. Not a soul in sight as I started out. A chipmunk greeted me almost as soon as I hit the t...

October 23, 2013 Jack 12 miles 250 feet gained

Rather boring hike but was mainly done for the exercise value and fishing anyhow. Would have driven to the trailhead but my car is not designed for off roading so I took pity on it. No fish for me but the weather was outstanding and a walk in the woods beats working any day. Only saw 4 people all day but did see the many remnants of people in the form of lit...

October 22, 2013 Roman 10.5 miles 2,750 feet gained

Went from Lookout Mtn to Flag Point & back on my day off today. The larches are still nice on the lower trail, but it's probably the last week to see real color. The rock formations along this trail are superb; I couldn't tell which of the viewpoints is the Palisade (no real "best" viewpoint). It's amazing how few people hike in October, didn't see anyone af...

October 20, 2013 Jen 5 miles 500 feet gained

Wandered around upper Bridal Veil/Palmer Mill area. Still lots of mushrooms. Founds some relics

October 20, 2013 Roman 9.21 miles 2,250 feet gained

Boundary trail, this time with my brother. We stopped about 1 mile short of Margaret (this really isn't "destination" hike, it has views 100% of the time), at unnamed summit with great views of Mt. Whittier to the N and the lakes to the NE. Could see: Adams, Rainier, Goat Rocks, St. Helens, Hood, and Jefferson (which it turns out 114 miles away!). No goats, ...

October 20, 2013 Ken 12 miles 2,750 feet gained

Hit the trifecta today with a third consecutive day of outstanding weather (am getting concerned about the payback, however). Planned to hike the Pratt Lake Trail to the lake itself but, after seeing the sun shining from the southwest decided to head to Island Lake instead. After escaping the coolness of the forest and attaining a saddle we were presented wi...

October 20, 2013 Karl 12.5 miles 3,000 feet gained

Traversed from the High Prairie trailhead, up and over Lookout Mountain, then along the Divide Trail to Flag Point, and back. First time there. Incredible scenery in the Badger Creek Wilderness! Full [trip report](http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17346) now up on [PortlandHikers](http://www.portlandhikers.org/).

October 20, 2013 Mileage Mike 5.3 miles 1,750 feet gained

A great comeback from a bad morning hike. Wyeth Campground was closed, so we parked outside the gate. There were no people on the trail, and it was in exceptional shape! After crossing Harphan Creek (not much water), the trail climbs quite rapidly, and is followed by a large number of switchbacks. We didn't make it far, since we had started the hike at about...

October 20, 2013 Mileage Mike 3.2 miles 750 feet gained

This was a very depressing hike! As some may know, this is a very popular biking area, but also is excellent for hiking. It is also private land that the owners have graciously allowed people to use, but doesn't want it widely publicized. We went there many times, and the hiking has always been superb. Unfortunately, a short distance on the trail revealed a ...

October 19, 2013 RenegadePilgrim 5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Quick day hike to Angel's Rest. I hadn't been up here in a few years so it was nice to revisit it. The weather was perfect and it wasn't windy either.

October 19 to October 20, 2013 Water (Matt) 12 miles 4,500 feet gained 1 night

As reported by Jeremiah.. Fish were interesting, schooling behavior. Great to camp out. Really enjoyed how silent it was at night, not a cricket, peeper frog, or even rustle from the wind. Beautiful little corner of "MRNP", nice to skip the red tape. Gobblers Knob has a name that cannot be improved upon.

October 19, 2013 Roman 4.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Showed my coworker some trails in "Table Mtn Backcountry" (it really needs a name) - up backside Aldrich Butte trail/road/then off-trail to the top of the butte, then to Cedar Mtn. On Cedar Mt, he went first and saw a cougar running into brush just ahead of us. Also, we found a great viewpoint on Aldrich Butte, just east of the summit - much better views fro...

October 19, 2013 Ken 13 miles 2,750 feet gained

The I90 corridor is my least favorite hiking area: it is crowded; casual hikers and dog walkers without manners treat the living forest like a commodity to be used and disposed of; the constant humming of tires from the expressway and jets roaring overhead, an ever-present reminder of man's self-destruction ingenuously referred to as progress; and, cell phon...

October 19 to October 20, 2013 JM 12 miles 4,500 feet gained 1 night

Weekend backpack w/ Water (Matt) to Glacier View Wilderness on the west side of Mt. Rainier. This trail starts in Glacier View and crosses into the Nat'l Park beyond Goat Lake. We went up to Mt. Beljica for some great views before descending down to Goat Lake and setting up camp. Fish were plentiful, but the lake was shallow and swampy at the edges and not c...