Timberline trail map

[drm]

Big difference between early and late July. Some higher altitude places might be manageable with moderate snowpacks by late July, but not early July, including Eagle Cap. Olympic National Park might be a good bet as it is so low. But even there, the Enchanted Valley is often accessible by late March or early April, but as of a couple weeks ago, still had 3 feet of snow.

[romann]

I suggest making several plans for the trip, then a week before check conditions again and make a final choice.

Mt St. Helens loop is very cool, it's 1/2 forest, 1/2 desert - very different conditions. It tends to have a lot of snow on the south (forested) side of the mountain despite not-that-high elevation. May not melt by July - check snotel site, change date on right of screen - now it's set for May 5th. On the other hand, North side has virtually no shade & with rocky ground it gets even hotter, so you may avoid really hot days. Take plenty of water and good map. There's stretch of about 16 miles through blast zone where they don't allow camping.

Timberline loop is one of the best here but I really doubt it will be doable that early in the season.

See the list of other backpackable hikes in Field Guide, many lower-elevation options will be melted out. Maybe do a couple shorter trips rather than one long trip.

[Adohrn]

+3 or 4 for the Loowit. If your doing it this July just ignore any reference to lack of water in the trip reports. Won't be a problem. It's a different experience than hood, but definitely a worthy trip. If you want more miles just add the loop around spirit lake.

[CMH]

For what it's worth, I hiked the Timberline last year on the 25th and 26th of June.

Snow caused me to lose the trail for several minutes a few times. I never post-holed. It probably slowed me down 2 or 3 hours due to trail-finding and slower travel.

I would put the snow last year in late June down as an annoyance, not a show-stopper.

Granted, there is more snow this year.

[Aimless]

Granted, there is more snow this year.

I checked out the snow water equivalents for the Hood River Basin, comparing this year to last. As of today, the snow water equivalent for the basin is about 23 inches. On this day in 2016 the snow water equivalent was about 8 inches. So, you are correct. There is more snow this year.

[Quinn]

Hi, I used the Mount Hood Green Trails Map (Map 462S) for the Timberline trail last August and thought it was really useful. It is no longer accurate for the Eliot crossing, just to the West of Cloud Cap. The trail was rerouted farther down the Eliot branch (towards the North) shortly after my trip. I understand the diversion is fairly long, adding a couple miles. As for snow, in late August of 2016 there were still a few snowy sections on the East side of Hood, between Cooper Spur and Gnarl Ridge, but nothing too difficult. I'm planning to give it another try in late August, but with all the snow this winter I expect there will be even more than last year. This is my first post here. I tried to upload a few photos but there seems to be an issue with the size. I hope to get that figured out. Happy trails!
Quinn