Johnston Ridge Observatory

Location: Johnston Ridge Observatory, Mount St. Helens, Washington Permit: Johnston Ridge Observatory entry fee ($8). One free entry with NW Forest Pass Option 1 to viewpoint Level: easy Beginner Level: doable Round trip/Gain: 3.8 miles/400ft Type: round trip Option 2 to Harry’s Ridge Level: moderate Round trip/Gain: 8 miles/1000ft Type: round trip That first view […]

Fat Woman Falling

The pouring rain hadn’t let up for even a moment from the time we all woke up, to meeting up at Travis’s, to pulling up to the Kurt’s Connection trailhead on Mt. Hood. We were doing this despite the rain’s protests. There was only the faintest vibe of, hey, maybe we should try this again […]

The Journey is Good, Too.

A few days ago, I returned to one of my first and favorite hikes, the Mirror Lake trail to Tom Dick & Harry Mountain on Mt. Hood. I’ve done so many incredible trails and have the longest list of ones I have yet to do, but some call me back over and over. This is […]

Tom Dick and Harry Mountain (via Mirror Lake)

Option 1 Level: Easy to Mirror Lake (Beginner Level: Challenging) Length: 3.2 miles Elevation: 700 ft. gain Type: out and back Option 2 Level: Moderate to summit viewpoint Length: 6.4 miles Elevation: 1,500 ft. gain Type: out and back Further Details Open: mid-May to mid-November Permit: Northwest Forest Pass Drive time from Portland: 1h10m Google […]

Tamanawas Falls

Level: Easy (Beginner Level: Doable) Length: 3.8 miles Elevation: 500 ft. gain Type: Out and back Open: late April – November Permit: Northwest Forest Pass, or $5-$10 (I always forget to check how much because I use a pass) Drive time from Portland: 1h30m Google map: “Tamanawas Falls Trailhead” Features: Mt. Hood National Forest, crazy huge waterfall, […]

Salmon River Trail

Option 1 Level: Easy to Rolling Riffle Camp (Beginner Level: Doable) Length: 4 miles Elevation: 200 ft. gain Type: out and back Option 2 Level: Moderate to canyon viewpoint Length: 7.2 miles Elevation: 900 ft. gain Type: out and back Further Details Open: all year Permit: Northwest Forest Pass Drive time from Portland: 1h10m Google […]