Mount Hood and Mount St Helens

[speedbump]

Any advise on good hikes in the Oregon, Washington areas ?

[Malto]

Goat rocks in Wa and Three Sisters wilderness in Or. Those were my favorite areas on the PCT.

[bubblegum]

Did mount adams last september. beautiful beautiful country I'm from the east coast where 6000 feet the highest you going toget. mount adams is over 12,000 but worth every foot.

[Water Rat]

I grew up in those gorgeous states! How much time do you have for hiking? Mt. Rainier offers plenty of hiking (even if you aren't up to/don't have time for the climb). There is the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier... That is a 93-miler. You've got the Cascade Mountains and Olympic Peninsula in Washington, Mt. Hood in Oregon...

How much time do you have for your trip? How much time do you have to spend in Oregon? Washington? Or, are you trying to decide between the states? When are you planning on making your trip? Time of year can dictate where to hike.

Whatever you decide - Just don't forget your camera! :) Have fun and safe travels!

[speedbump]

I am going for 10 days, in about 2 weeks. Love to hike, but not sure I can handle to altitude of 12k. Colorado kicked my butt ! We want to do some hikes near Mount Hood and Saint Helens. I heard of a " Copper Trail " ? Do you know about that ?


I grew up in those gorgeous states! How much time do you have for hiking? Mt. Rainier offers plenty of hiking (even if you aren't up to/don't have time for the climb). There is the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier... That is a 93-miler. You've got the Cascade Mountains and Olympic Peninsula in Washington, Mt. Hood in Oregon...

How much time do you have for your trip? How much time do you have to spend in Oregon? Washington? Or, are you trying to decide between the states? When are you planning on making your trip? Time of year can dictate where to hike.

Whatever you decide - Just don't forget your camera! :) Have fun and safe travels!

[fiddlehead]

Although short, it is easily accessible: Eagle Creek Trail near the gorge.
It is an alternative for the PCT and incredible. Probably only about 5 miles long but shouldn't be missed if you are in that area.

[Water Rat]

I am going for 10 days, in about 2 weeks. Love to hike, but not sure I can handle to altitude of 12k. Colorado kicked my butt ! We want to do some hikes near Mount Hood and Saint Helens. I heard of a " Copper Trail " ? Do you know about that ?

Ten days? You should be able to have lots of fun in that amount of time! :) The beauty of Washington and Orgeon (especially the areas you want to hike) - They are in close proximity. You won't have days of driving between them, which amounts to more play time.

The Copper Trail you mentioned... Which state is it in? I know of a few Copper Trails. I am also familiar with a Cooper Spur Trail (Mt. Hood). I just want to make sure I pass on the correct information. Please send a long more details - If you have them. If not, we can work with that too.

As for the Wonderland Trail (around Mt. Rainier)... The highest elevation on that trail is nowhere near 12,000'. Just passing that information along so you don't discount that as a hike you might want to do. It does not take long to get over to Mt. Rainier from Mt. St. Helens. It is all gorgeous!

You will have a wonderful time no matter what trails you choose in the Hood-Helens areas. It is all gorgeous! Though, if you do go near Mt. Rainier, I suggest hitting Grove of the Patriarchs. That is an amazing stand of trees!

If you want, I am chock-full of suggestions. I guess the next question would be: Are you looking to do backpacking, or day hikes? Would you be car camping? What other points of interest are you looking to include in your trip?

I hope this information is helpful.

[Miner]

At the southern end of St. Helens is the couple of miles long lava tube called the Ape Caves. Takes a few hours to go through but fun. There are also several hikes from the main visitor center where the erruption took place. The trails around Mt. Hood are excellent; check out Ramona Falls off the PCT. Goat Rocks Wilderness in Washington makes a good backpacking trip as does the Wonderland Trail round Mt. Rainier. I also second the vote for Eagle Falls near Cascade Locks,OR as the waterfalls including Tunnel Falls are excellent.

[Shutterbug]

Any advise on good hikes in the Oregon, Washington areas ?

You didn't mention the time you are planning to hike. I was at Mt. Rainier National Park on Friday. Most of the Wonderland Trail and all of the Pacific Crest Trail is still under snow. Trying to hike on the snow is dangerious. On Saturday, a young man was sledding on Mt. Rainier when his sled broke through the crust on the snow. He fell into a creek that was flowing under the snow. He drowned before he could be rescuted. That is the danger of hiking in the Cascades this time of the year. You can't tell what is below the surface of the snow. If you step on a weak spot, you can fall right through.

In the caption you mentioned Mt. St. Helens. That is an interesting hike; however, it requires a permit and no permits are available until fall. I was able to get a permit for the third week of September. Mt. St. Helens is different than anything I have climbed before. The first section is just a walk in the woods, the second part is a rock scramble, and the top part is climbing in ash, much like walking in beech sand. A permit is not required if you don't climb to the summit, There are intersting trails around Mt. St. Helens.

Many of the trails in the Olympic Mountains are open, but the forrest service just closed one of the most popular trails -- Mt. Elainor. It seems that the Mt. Goats have become too aggressive.

You might consider the Ozzette Loop Trail in Olympic National Park. It is particularly interesting now, because three miles of the loop are along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The debris from the Japanese earthquate has started to arrive on the coast, so you never know what you might find on the beech. The loop can be done as a day hike (9.5 miles), but I prefer to make it a two day hike and spend the night on the beech.

If you hike will be after the first of August, then I agree about the Goat Rocks Wilderness. That is a great place to hike.

If you plan to hike before the end of August, consider the Eagle Cap Wilderness in northeastern Oregon. There are a number of interesting trails near Joseph, OR.

[Water Rat]

I agree with Miner - Ape Caves is an awesome place to discover!

I threw the Wonderland Trail out there as an example of hiking in the area, not knowing if you (Speedbump) were interested in backpacking in the Mt. Rainier area. Since you have not mentioned your skill level, I am not willing to discount any trails at this time. I figure you are able to pick and choose what might work best for you/your expertise. Regardless, there are still many trails near Mt. Rainier that are not under snow at this time. A beautiful area - If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!

Though the hike to the summit of St. Helens is permitted, there are many hikes in the area that do not require permits.

As for the debris washing up on the beaches.... That is right. You really never know what might be washing up on the beaches. They also have no idea just how contaminated the debris might be. They also don't know what body parts might be washing up. Dunno about you, but that is not my idea of a good hike.

Speedbump, I hope you have a wonderful vacation! The entire area is beautiful and you would have a hard time finding the "wrong" trail to do. Just have fun and enjoy! Again - Don't forget your camera!!!

[Feral Bill]

There are a couple of shorter loops incorporating parts pf the Wonderland Trail. Worth considering.