Thought I'd share my report for those interested in the state of Larch Mountain Rd this time of year.
Went up Larch Mountain Rd early Saturday morning to park at the gate and make my way up to Sherrard Point to try out some new microspikes. Wasn't sure how much snow to expect, so I also strapped my snowshoes to my day pack (never needed them).
While I was getting my pack together I heard a bunch of engines coming down the road and several Multnomah County Sherriff and Search & Rescue vehicles roared into the lot and up to the north gate. A deputy told me I looked confused (it was 6:40 in the morning out in the woods so I was). Search & Rescue training. Wonder what's down that north gate.
- Sherriff at the gate.
- The gate.
Heard a spooky, low-pitched bird call that I didn't recognize along the road and tried to record it
here. My phone microphone is bad, but if you have speakers and you crank them up you'll hear it at 0:07, 0:17, and 0:27. What is that?
Just under 2 miles up the road is the junction is with the jeep trail that connects to the Larch Mountain Trail. I hadn't decided which path to take, and I had to choose well before the snow. Decided to take the road.
- Looking up the connecting trail.
First small snowdrift that entirely crosses the road is just past the 13 mile marker, about 2.75 miles past the gate.
- 13 mile marker.
Another half mile and the road ends almost instantly at about 3,550', about 3.25 miles past the gate. I wish there were staggered gates--you could easily drive all the way to this point. Stopped to put on my microspikes, which worked well on the packed snow.
- End of road at 3550'.
Sun came out a few times, giving me hope the clouds might clear for some views at Sherrard Point.
Plenty of snow at the trailhead, but it's well on its way out.
Some blue sky straight up, but no views at the point. Stayed up for five or ten minutes hoping I might get a peek through the clouds, but despite the lack of snow it was super cold, with 1/8" of ice clinging to the fence on one side.
Got startled coming back down as a ran into another hiker, the first I'd seen all morning. Took the Larch Mountain trail back down, and it was a bit hard to find for the first few hundred yards from the parking lot but quite clear beyond that. No spikes required at all. I'd only ever taken this trail in the summer; it was spookier this time.
- LMT
Saw a few people coming up from Multnomah Falls, including one in shorts and a t-shirt with no pack (!), and once I made it back to the road I passed quite a few people making their way up from gate. A few mentioned they were surprised the gate was closed. The weather was beautiful as I drove out, so I stopped at the viewpoint to see if I had just missed some views, but Larch Mountain was still covered with clouds.
- Green dot: Start and finish
Red dot: Mile 13 marker
First yellow dot: End of passable road
Second yellow dot: Mile 14 marker
