Home  •   Field Guide  •   Forums  •    Unread Posts  •   Maps  •   Find a Hike!
| Page | Discussion | View source | History | Print Friendly and PDF

Difference between revisions of "Tanner Butte Hike"

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

m (Difficulty)
m (Robot: Automated text replacement (-\*[ ]*Start [Pp]oint: \[\[(.*)\]\] +{{Start point|\1}}))
Line 14: Line 14:
 
[[Image:TannerButteMap.jpg|thumb|320px|Area map]]
 
[[Image:TannerButteMap.jpg|thumb|320px|Area map]]
  
−
* Start point: [[Tooth Rock Trailhead]]
+
{{Start point|Tooth Rock Trailhead}}
 
* End point: [[Tanner Butte]]
 
* End point: [[Tanner Butte]]
 
* Trail Log: [[Tanner Butte Hike/Log|Trail Log]]
 
* Trail Log: [[Tanner Butte Hike/Log|Trail Log]]

Revision as of 22:22, 23 March 2007

View from the summit of Tanner Butte Don Nelsen
Tanner Butte and Mount Hood through the clouds, about a mile short on the Tanner Butte Trail
Dublin Lake Jonathan Ley
The beargrass along the trail to Tanner Butte reminds you of trails near Mount Hood
Area map
  • Start point: Tooth Rock TrailheadRoad.JPG
  • End point: Tanner Butte
  • Trail Log: Trail Log
  • Hike Type: Out-and-back
  • Distance: 18 miles round trip
  • Elevation gain: 4450 feet
  • Difficulty: Very Difficult
  • Seasons: April-November
  • Family Friendly: No
  • Backpackable: Yes
  • Crowded: No

Contents

Hike Description

There's no short way to get to Tanner Butte. This hike is 18 miles, 4500 feet. Let me make that clear... 18 miles. 4500 feet.

This hike starts in the Tooth Rock Trailhead. Start by walking back up the access road to closed Tanner Creek Road #777. Walk uphill for about two miles to the old Tanner Butte Trail #401 Trailhead.

Take Trail 401 up the hill. The trail passes four unnamed waterfalls as it climbs. There aren't a lot of views as payback for your effort, but you'll cross a power line twice, offering a a bit of open air. Above the power line look for orchids blooming in June, mostly varieties of coralroot. 2.2 miles from road #777, you'll come to a junction with the unmaintained Wauna Point Trail #401D. There's a campsite here, as well.

Continuing on, the climb moderates somewhat, but it continues up into rhododendron territory. You'll cross the wilderness boundary and 2 miles farther you'll come to a junction with Tanner Cutoff Trail #448. This trail leads steeply west down the mountain to the Tanner Creek Trail. In another 0.1 mile is a junction with Dublin Lake Trail #401B that leads steeply downhill the other way to Dublin Lake. Dublin Lake provides the best overnight spot for backpackers and one of the few sources of drinking water. In another half mile, the trail picks up an old road and follows it the rest of the way to Tanner Butte. Continuing south the views open up into meadows of bear grass and huckleberries. There's a spot at about mile 7 where you get a good view of Tanner Butte and Mount Hood.

At trail mile 7.8 (from road #777), there's a side path that heads up to the top of Tanner Butte. Look for a sign saying "Please find scramble route to the summit". Once known as Tanner View Trail #401C, the trail is rocky and steep and it receives no maintenance. At the top the views are incredible, including Mts.. Hood, St Helens, Adams and Rainier, Chinidere Mountain, Mt Defiance, Larch Mountain, Silver Star, you name it. Take some time and soak it in.

On the return trip, you can return the way you came, or for a little variety, drop down Tanner Cutoff Trail to Tanner Creek Trail, turn right and pick up Road #777 at its end. The side trip adds 1.6 miles to your already lengthy total.

The Tooth Rock Trailhead creates the easiest and shortest version of this hike, but overnight parking is not allowed. Also, Tooth Rock Trailhead has a higher incidence of car prowling than other nearby trailheads. You can access this hike from the Wahclella Falls Trailhead by hiking about 1.5 mile of Trail 400 from there to Mile 1.1 on Road 777. From the Eagle Creek Trailhead, you can hike west on Trail 400 for about 1.2 miles to Mile 0.7 on Road 777. From the first Eagle Creek parking lot, you can walk along the road going west along the highway to the Eagle Creek Staircase. At the top, to your left, is a hidden junction with the old Portage Road. Hike up the Portage Road to its crest, where you'll find a short use path heading up the hill. This leads about 100 yards to Road 777 at mile 0.7.

These alternatives are explored (with maps) in the Many Ways to the Tanner Butte Trailhead.

Fees, Regulations, etc.

  • Northwest Forest Pass required at trailhead

Trip Reports

(Click here to add your own)

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

  • Afoot and Afield Portland/Vancouver, by Douglas Lorain
  • 35 Hiking Trails, Columbia River Gorge, by Don & Roberta Lowe
  • Columbia River Gorge, 42 Scenic Hikes, by Don & Roberta Lowe
  • Hiking the Columbia River Gorge - 1st and 2nd Editions, by Russ Schneider
  • 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon - 3rd Edition, by William L Sullivan

More Links

Contributors

Retrieved from "https://www.oregonhikers.org/w/index.php?title=Tanner_Butte_Hike&oldid=17542"
Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

Hiking is a potentially risky activity, and the entire risk for users of this field guide is assumed by the user, and in no event shall Trailkeepers of Oregon be liable for any injury or damages suffered as a result of relying on content in this field guide. All content posted on the field guide becomes the property of Trailkeepers of Oregon, and may not be used without permission.