Devil’s Peak via Hunchback Mountain/Salmon River Loop
Dear Portland Hikers,
I hiked the Devil’s Peak/Salmon River Loop with two friends earlier this Summer. To get to the trail from NW Portland, head East on 26 towards Government Camp (Mt. Hood). When just passing Welches there is a right turn onto Salmon River Road that goes straight to the trail. We started this hike from the Hunchback Mountain trailhead, which is across the road from the Green Canyon campground, just 0.25-0.5mi or so North of the Salmon River trailhead. Hunchback links up with the Salmon River Trail just after passing Devil’s Peak, so this is a loop not an out and back.
Right from the jump, Hunchback Mountain starts at an aggressive incline, which never levels out for the most part. You are protected (under trees) for most of Hunchback and the trail in some sections are overgrown and in need of some tlc, but the trail is distinguishable enough. I would consider this hike an aerial assault with a few mild sections of ridgewalking. On Hunchback, we saw little to no people en-route to Devil’s Peak, which I imagine is because of the elevation gain 4000+ ft. (except for a few badass trail runners and a couple heading to devil’s peak as well)
Pro tip: Devil’s Peak has a ranger station that backpackers can sleep in, and it’s first come first serve so start earlier if possible. Otherwise there are campgrounds scattered around the ranger station.
Water: On Hunchback, there is a spring right off of the trail 0.25mi or so before getting to Devil’s Peak ranger lookout. The direction of the water source is signed, stating “water”, right next to a campsite leading onto a sketch trail descending to the spring. It’ll require a bit of intuition to get to the water but it is do-able if the skill and confidence is high.
We ended up racing a couple up Hunchback to get to the ranger station first (beat them, felt bad but it was our goal to sleep in the ranger lookout). Inside there were some first aid supplies, planks to prop up the window covers, 2 tattered beds, an axe for chopping wood, a cast iron stove, and remnants of previous travellers (journals, books, raincoats, little bit of reefer, etc.). I think 4-5 people could sleep in comfort in the lookout. If it wasn’t so socked in the night we spent there, we would have had the best view of Mt. Hood, but watching the cloud formations was rewarding enough for us.
The next morning we descended onto Salmon River Trail, hiking down the beautiful river which has exceptional waterfall and sightseeing opportunities. It is an aggro descent to the Salmon River Trail from Devil’s Peak, but once there it is a mild hike back to the trailhead. I’ll also note that there are a lot more people on this trail in comparison to Hunchback, but for all the right reasons. It is one of the more popular hiking trails in this area of Mt. Hood National Forest.
I hope this information is helpful!
Abe
Devil's Peak Loop
Re: Devil's Peak Loop
We did the in and out from Cool Creek last year. The thing that stood out to me on that hike was how it was graded ... no real steep parts and no real flat stretches. Nearly exactly 1,000 feet each mile according to the GPS. You know you were on a hike when you got back to your car.