Paradise Park from Timberline Lodge in late June

[retired jerry]

be careful about that Mississippi Head route. It would be easy to fall off the cliff. Maybe get lost.

[kepPNW]

be careful about that Mississippi Head route. It would be easy to fall off the cliff. Maybe get lost.

Yeah, good point, it's more of an adventure than many may want. (Chose that track just because it showed more trail network through the "park proper" than most of mine.)


The cliff that Jerry's referring to, directly above Brad's head, June 2.

[retired jerry]

Maybe better to do it clockwise. Harder to find the route down on the left side. On the right is a huge ski area where you can go anywhere fairly safely.

[hikinglover4life]

I'm just thinking straight shot on PCT to PP, make the loop trail around it, camp there somewhere (near split rock?), and then back to the lodge the next day. While we're very experienced hikers, we haven't done much technical winter hiking - i think we'll stay in the safer zones! Any major issues you foresee with what i described? Thanks again for all the help! What a great site!

[retired jerry]

That should work

There's a couple canyons in Paradise Park that can be difficult to cross if it's cool and they become icy. Be prepared to alter your plan a little depending on conditions.

[kepPNW]

Maybe better to do it clockwise. Harder to find the route down on the left side. On the right is a huge ski area where you can go anywhere fairly safely.

Agreed, and to be clear I wasn't even suggesting that as a side trip, here. Although...

I'm just thinking straight shot on PCT to PP, make the loop trail around it, camp there somewhere (near split rock?), and then back to the lodge the next day. While we're very experienced hikers, we haven't done much technical winter hiking - i think we'll stay in the safer zones! Any major issues you foresee with what i described?

Agree with Jerry... Should be absolutely fine. Seen some awesome sunset shots from the Split Rock area, over the years. Microspikes may be appreciated, but will likely be entirely unnecessary. Have fun!

[hikinglover4life]

T-minus 1 week!

Thanks to some posters on this forum (retired jerry, Chip Down, and kepPNW), I feel really well prepared for next week. I will be sure to circle back afterwards with a download.

A couple house keeping items:
i) Do I need to get any permits in advance, or are they all available at the trailhead?
ii) How important is it to tie food at night from a tree at camp? And does this make camping above treeline more risky?
iii) Any advise on managing nightime weather risks? Lows are projected (at Timberline Lodge) to be low 30s - how brutal can it get in PP with the winds?

Thanks again to everyone!

[retired jerry]

No permits, except there's a self issuing permit from box along trail

I have had rodents eat my food so I always tie it off of ground

I have seen bears at Paradise Park, twice, but they seem to avoid humans. It would be a shame if my lazy food tieing habits resulted in a bear being euthanized.

Like you said, it could get down to freezing. It often rains. Thunderstorms could happen.

[FamilyHiker]

I'm new to this forum and trying to find the best place for current Timberline Trail conditions. This thread had some really current and super helpful information. I don't want to crowd in on a thread so if there is somewhere else I should go to talk about mid-July Timberline Trail topics please let me know. I'm interested in talking about dangerous stream crossing areas, campsites, and other helpful tips for a small group of guys looking to do the whole trail mid-July. Thank you.

[xrp]

I'm new to this forum and trying to find the best place for current Timberline Trail conditions. This thread had some really current and super helpful information. I don't want to crowd in on a thread so if there is somewhere else I should go to talk about mid-July Timberline Trail topics please let me know. I'm interested in talking about dangerous stream crossing areas, campsites, and other helpful tips for a small group of guys looking to do the whole trail mid-July. Thank you.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mthood/ ... 6&actid=51

ZigZag Ranger Station reports on Timberline Trail.

You could also call the Ranger Station for updates that haven't hit the website yet.

Trip Reports here are very helpful as well.

There's also the snow depth report:

http://adamschneider.net/hiking/snow_depth.html