Day Hike: Timberline Lodge to Paradise Park

The Timberline Trail around Mount Hood is one of the most popular hikes/backpacking trips in Oregon. The autumn season offers a great opportunity to explore the scenery around our majestic volcano after the bulk of the crowds have left.

Unfortunately, much of the Timberline Trail has been closed due to the Gnarl Ridge Fire, which started in August and is still smoldering and burning at low intensity in the Mount Hood National Forest (source). Most of the Trails around the northern half of Mount Hood are closed. Contact the Forest Service in Hood River (541-352-6002) for the latest conditions and information on trail closures.

Despite the fire, you are still able to visit the outstanding spots to the south of the mountain, including one of the most rewarding day hikes, scenery-wise, in the Northwest: Timberline Lodge to Zigzag Canyon and Paradise Park. You can tailor this hike to your fitness level and the amount of time you have.

Option 1 (easy): You can hike to the overlook above Zigzag Canyon, which is an easy hike with little elevation change. On a nice day with a clear view of the mountain, the overlook would be worth a hundred-mile hike. Thankfully, if you start at Timberline Lodge, you can make it a round trip of less than five.

Option 2 (medium): If you’re aching to go on, as opposed to just aching, you can hike the short distance to the bottom of the canyon. You will lose 600 feet by the time you reach the bottom, which you will have to gain when you climb back out. It’s worth it, though.

Option 3 (strenuous): Get an early start for the last option. It’s a hike of about 12 miles round-trip that takes you to Paradise Park, a beautiful alpine meadow famous for its wildflower displays.

The starting point for your hike is Timberline Lodge, a landmark many Portlanders have visited, but if you haven’t, it’s worth checking out while you’re there. To get there from Portland, go east on US 26. Right after you pass by the town of Government Camp, you will turn left onto the well-marked road for Timberline Lodge. At the end of the road, you’re there. You do not need any a pass of any kind to park there during the hiking season.

All options take you along the famed Pacific Crest Trail, which forms the western stretch of the Timberline Trail. Walk up the paved path to the right of the lodge until you reach a trail lined with stones crossing the path. It’s not marked, but it’s the PCT. Turn left, and you’re on your way.

For the first half mile, you’ll see lots of signs of civilization: ski lifts, huts, jeep trails, and a communications tower. As you pass over the first ridge, however, you’ll leave all trace of it behind. The route is alternately forested and open. You’ll get plenty of views of the mountain, but make sure to take in the stunning views looking down at the country below you, especially in small valleys with little streams flowing down them. There, you have a picture perfect view of an alpine meadow or boulder-strewn brook with forest rising steeply on either side, and layer upon layer of smoke-blue hills in the background.

After winding your way gently down several hundred feet in a little under two miles, you’ll come to one of Oregon’s great sights: a canyon with steeply sloping walls coming down from Mount Hood, cut through by a river which tumbles down the mountainside around and over boulders. This is Zig Zag Canyon and the Zig Zag River. If you’re doing Option 1, this is your turn-around point.

After the overlook, the trail descends steeply down several switchbacks to the Zig Zag river. If you’re doing Option 2, this is a great place to have lunch or a snack and sit by the water for a while before turning around. If you’re doing Option 3, you’ll cross the river and face a steep climb out of the canyon.

From here you’ll face several choices. Shortly after leaving the river, you’ll come to trail #757, which is a right turn from the PCT. This trail runs roughly parallel to the PCT for about two and a half miles before meeting up with it again. This makes it an excellent loop for a hike to Paradise Park. You can take trail #757 here and return on the PCT or vice-versa; it’s up to you.

You have even more choices, however. There’s a trail, #778, connecting the PCT and trail #757. It’s just north, on the other side of the ridge, from the southern intersection of the PCT and #757. It offers a more direct and slightly shorter route to Paradise Park (or back the PCT, depending on which way you go). Obviously, this description assumes you have a good map. Use your judgment on the route you take, and enjoy your day on the mountain. This hike is one of the jewels of the Northwest.

At this point, I should address some season specific information. In the late fall, wildflowers will not be as numerous, but there will still be plenty of color to brighten up the hike. On sunny days, this will be a warm hike, but bring extra layers, just in case: the weather can be unpredictable up here. Also, a word about river crossings: The Zig Zag River can be a challenge to cross. By the late fall, however, it is lower than normal and fairly tame. When I did this hike on the 30th of September, it was low enough to cross without getting feet wet, and most of the other small streams had become damp streambeds. Even so, it is advisable to bring sandals or river shoes.