New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

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pinecone
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New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by pinecone » August 26th, 2021, 3:37 pm

Hello Everyone! This is my first post here so I figured I'd better make it about maps. Long time a lurker. I hike a lot around Mount Hood. I like moraines. I've shared some on the facebook before, but want to officially give back to this forum community that I've spent years slurping knowledge out off. With Mt Hood Meadows debuting a bunch of trails as officially opened, I went out and collected tracks of them and made a map to be more useful than the one that was thrown together. It's pretty weird to hike on these wide, nicely graded, brush and log-free trails that are on the lower section. Great for running on if you don't mind dustiness.
Image

Started before sunrise and didn't see anyone until my way down close to noon. Some great additions to the area and visits some cool spots. They certainly make the trek up through the ski area to get up onto the moraines and the delightful area above timberline nicer. I'd followed segments of what is now part of the Wizard Way trail in the past to get up above Newton Clark, following the moraine up and scrambling to around 9900 feet. Great views of the glacier and Heather Canyon. Wanted to check and see if them big rocks /mini gendarme's on Newton Clark Moraine were still there. They are. The Pointy One is the farthest I've been up on that moraine, tried to get around but too steep and slippery around for my liking at that time. Maybe someday. Do they have names? Image

My basemap utilizes Dogami Lidar to build upon. Yes, even though the trails aren't on AllTrails, they do exist... I checked.
Meadows Map:
Image

I wrote up a detailed description and lots more photos here https://elevationchanges.com/2021/08/16 ... ws-trails/

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adamschneider
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by adamschneider » August 26th, 2021, 5:02 pm

Umm, these were also added to OpenStreetMap a couple months ago, so I hope you didn't spend TOO much time on it. :)

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pinecone
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by pinecone » August 26th, 2021, 6:19 pm

Oh, I knew they were on OpenStreet, I just try to collect my own trail tracks and feature layers, and ground truth water flow, collect campsite data for my maps around Hood. I'm working on a detailed full summer hiking Timberline Trail map, so all of this will get incorporated into a portion for the Meadows Area. I make hydrology to represent actual water flow availability in summer for on the trail so hikers can use the map to assess where they can find water as they hike, not just a map covered in all NHD possible flowlines. It might take a lot more time to research and design but hopefully more interesting, pretty, and useful to hikers to help them get more out of their experience and be safer/less lost :D .

jvangeld
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by jvangeld » August 27th, 2021, 8:41 am

That is some detailed exploration. I bet your map is going to be great!
Jeremy VanGelder - Friends of Road 4109

Webfoot
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by Webfoot » August 27th, 2021, 1:34 pm

Welcome, and thanks.

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bobcat
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by bobcat » August 29th, 2021, 7:42 am

Beautiful map! Just my kind of cartography!

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Chip Down
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by Chip Down » August 29th, 2021, 5:39 pm

pinecone wrote:
August 26th, 2021, 3:37 pm
This is my first post here
Yay!
pinecone wrote:
August 26th, 2021, 3:37 pm
I like moraines.
Moraines are awesome. :geek:
pinecone wrote:
August 26th, 2021, 3:37 pm

Started before sunrise ...
That's frowned on here ;) I was at Meadows today, starting at dawn. Nice orange sunrise, due to more smoke than I expected.
pinecone wrote:
August 26th, 2021, 3:37 pm

Wanted to check and see if them big rocks /mini gendarme's on Newton Clark Moraine were still there. They are. The Pointy One is the farthest I've been up on that moraine, tried to get around but too steep and slippery around for my liking at that time. Maybe someday. Do they have names?
Those are challenging. I've done it to the end a couple times, but on my most recent trip I turned back when it got tricky.
pinecone wrote:
August 26th, 2021, 3:37 pm

...didn't see anyone until my way down close to noon.
It was swarming today! I've never seen so many people at meadows. It wasn't just twice the normal amount, or ten times, it was probably about twenty times the normal traffic. The gate was open (I've never seen that), they were offering chairlift rides (I've never seen that), and they were touting restroom availability (sure, that's why I made the drive from Portland).

I wasn't specifically checking out the new trails today, but of course I did run into them. One of them, I think it's Wizard Way or something like that, tops out just slightly SE of A Zone. I've been there many times, from all directions, but today I wasn't on my way to some other adventure, so I paused to notice what an amazing spot it is. When you arrive from the SW, you suddenly peer into Heather Canyon, and get a nice view up into, what's it called, Super Bowl I think. And because there's a tiny bit of prominence there, it provides a feeling of satisfaction, as if something has been accomplished. You can continue up if you want, but you don't really need to. I anticipate that will be a popular trail.

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by Waffle Stomper » August 30th, 2021, 6:59 am

[/quote]
It was swarming today! I've never seen so many people at meadows. It wasn't just twice the normal amount, or ten times, it was probably about twenty times the normal traffic. The gate was open (I've never seen that), they were offering chairlift rides (I've never seen that), and they were touting restroom availability (sure, that's why I made the drive from Portland).
[/quote]

My first trip up there was the first of July with a massive bloom of beargrass. I saw maybe two other people on the trail. I wondered how long it would take for word to get out, they have a lot of activities there now on weekends. I'm glad though that they will take some of the pressure off of the timberline side of the mountain. I am also glad that they will not become a mountain bike destination (or so I was told). Apparently Timberline and Government Camp can enjoy that designation.

It looks like they may close down again after Labor Day, I hope not. Here is more info and a map, (Not as cool as yours) but it has labels to match their signage and distance info.
https://www.skihood.com/summer
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

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Chip Down
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by Chip Down » August 30th, 2021, 12:50 pm

Waffle Stomper wrote:
August 30th, 2021, 6:59 am
I am also glad that they will not become a mountain bike destination (or so I was told). Apparently Timberline and Government Camp can enjoy that designation.
Meadows isn't really configured as well as Timberline for bikes, unless they built trails right through the sensitive zones*, which would enrage a lot of people. I took my bike yesterday to ride the lift access roads. Funny, I've been all around that part of the mountain countless times, but riding the roads really helped tie it all together in my head. Was disappointed there was no road to the highest lift (cascade express I think).

*edit: I was forgetting about the lifts SE of what I think of as MHM. I guess they could build bike trails down there.

edit 2: Mount Hood Meadows will do anything for a buck, and the forest supervisor will let them. If they decide it would be profitable, they'll build bike trails with lift access.

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adamschneider
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Re: New Mount Hood Meadows Trails

Post by adamschneider » August 30th, 2021, 1:09 pm

Chip Down wrote:
August 30th, 2021, 12:50 pm
I took my bike yesterday to ride the lift access roads.
I never thought of doing that! That's a great idea. Save the hiking for the moraines.

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