Buried Forest Overlook Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Timberline Lodge Trailhead
- Ending point: White River Viewpoint
- Hike type: Out and back
- Distance: 1.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 320 feet
- High point: 6035 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: Summer and early fall
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
Contents |
Hike Description
Between 1760 and 1810, Mount Hood unleashed the Old Maid eruptions, whose massive pyroclastic flows issuing from Crater Rock coursed down the valleys of the Sandy, Zigzag, and White rivers, burying forests and jamming up the waterways themselves. Geologists believe the flows down the White River happened early in this period, but we are still seeing the results today, as the unstable deposits in the upper valley threaten Highway 35 during big rainstorms. A short hike takes you from Timberline Lodge to a lateral moraine which offers views to the exposed remnants of a mountain hemlock forest in a steep, exposed valley that looked quite different before 1760.
Start out northeast from Timberline Lodge, where there are a confusing number of trails. Head up the steps across from the main parking lot, and go right after 20 yards. At a second junction, go right again for the Timberline Trail, Mountaineer Loop Trail, and the Silcox Hut. Cross a small creek and head up on a rubbly tread among mountain hemlock, subalpine fir, and whitebark pine. In late summer the Newberry’s fleeceflower is turning red on the pumice slopes. Reach the four-way Timberline-Mountaineer Trail East Junction, and head right.
Cross a gravel road and walk on open pumice slopes with expansive views; this is the highest point of the hike. The trail drops into a small canyon with a waterfall up above. After crossing a creek, you'll enter the Richard L. Kohnstamm Memorial Area, part of the Mount Hood Wilderness. After half a mile, the trail drops down the east side of the Salmon River Canyon and reaches the edge of a lateral moraine, where a viewpoint looks into the White River Canyon. From here, you can look down and see the exposed remains of mountain hemlocks buried under debris flows from Mt. Hood’s Old Maid eruptive period about 250 years ago. The remains of about a dozen trees, some with patches of bark intact, attest to a pyroclastic flow that snapped them off and then buried them alive, with subsequent river action exposing them over the decades. Also down in the canyon, the nascent White River tumbles over a waterfall, and there are views down to Trillium Lake and the forested Salmon River drainage.
The trail continues to drop down the ridge (Boy Scout Ridge) with huckleberry and mountain ash bushes dotting the sandy slope. If you're continuing on, see the Mount Hood Meadows via White River Canyon Hike.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Green Trails Maps: Mt. Hood, OR #462
- Green Trails Maps: Mount Hood, OR #462S
- Adventure Maps: Mt. Hood Area
- Geo-Graphics: Mount Hood Wilderness Map
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest North
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Hood River Ranger District
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood Wilderness
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Wilderness rules apply
- Lodging , restrooms, picnic area, etc. near the parking area
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Buried Forest Overlook Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Buried Forest Overlook Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Best Hikes With Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson
- 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland by Paul Gerald
- Hiking Mt. Hood National Forest by Marcia Sinclair
- Around & About Mount Hood by Sonia Buist with Emily Keller
- Around Mt. Hood in Easy Stages by Sonia Buist & Emily Keller
- Hiking Oregon's Mount Hood & Badger Creek Wilderness by Fred Barstad
- Best Short Hikes in Northwest Oregon by Rhonda & George Ostertag
- Best Hikes with Children: Western & Central Oregon by Bonnie Henderson
- Hiking Oregon’s Geology by Ellen Morris Bishop
More Links
- Timberline National Historic Trail #600 (USFS)
- White River Buried Forest (WyEast Blog)
- “Prehistoric Buried Forests of Mt. Hood” (Oregon Geology)
- Richard L. Kohnstamm (Oregon Encyclopedia)
- Richard L. Kohnstamm Memorial Area (USFS)
- Building the Timberline Trail (WyEast Blog)
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)