Snowshoeing near Mt. Hood?

[mintchocchip584]

Hello! Planning a weekend getaway in Rhododendron the weekend of December 8-9 and would like to do some snowshoeing. Any recommendations for trails that will be snowy then? Do any trails have snow now? Looking for something mostly flat, between 3 and 5 miles or so.

[teachpdx]

At Rhododendron's elevation, snow amounts can vary from none to a decent amount in early December. It all depends on timing of individual weather systems and how cold they are. Your best bet (but maybe a bit steep) is probably Mirror Lake (check snow conditions for Skibowl as they will be identical). If a good lower-elevation snow moves through by then, I would recommend the Salmon River trail. I love it in the snow, if it's not too snowy to drive to the trailhead. The road isn't plowed in the winter. Trillium Lake may also be good to go for the season by then, and it's pretty flat and right in your mileage range, but a bit more of a drive from Rhododendron.

[Chip Down]

For your criteria (short hike, flattish) you pretty much need to find a plowed road. You might want to try Kiwanis Camp Road, about 4 miles from Rhododendron. Honestly, you might have to go all the way to Timberline.

A couple days ago, I almost wished for snowshoes at 4700'.

Using the Mirror Lake suggestion as an illustration, it's a bit early still, and you'd probably wish for more snow. By 12/8, I predict there there will be less snow, or more snow, or possibly the same depth.

[retired jerry]

or, keep going to White River - more people, better snow

or, backtrack to Lolo Pass Road - lower elevation so has less snow, fewer people

[mintchocchip584]

Thanks very much for the advice! I'm happy to head up to Timberline if that's a more solid guarantee. Are there semi-flat trails branching out right from the lodge? Where does one snowshoe up there?

[retired jerry]

look at https://www.fs.fed.us/r5/webmaps/Sierra ... lon=-121.7

to see what current snow levels are and choose a good location

[teachpdx]

If memory serves, there is a short, groomed snowshoe loop trail just NE of Timberline Lodge. It's definitely far below your intended range.

I have snowshoed west of the Lodge, staying at generally 6100'-6300' and above the Timberline Trail (and timberline in general), out to the point above the Zigzag Canyon overlook. (45.344669, -121.734050) It was only a bit dicey crossing Little Zigzag Canyon there and back... crossing up closer to 6400' looked slightly easier. That was also early in the season before the ski area got going... on your trip you'll need to cross a few runs and I don't know how much the folks up at Timberline care about that.

And it's obviously not groomed or traveled often at all, so if you're going through fresh snow it'll be a workout. Although the mileage is in your ballpark, the effort might be more than you are looking for.

Last idea, park at Timberline, snowshoe down to Government Camp, and grab one of the buses back up to Timberline when you're done. There's the free? shuttle between Summit and Timberline ski areas, and the Mt. Hood Express every couple hours for only a couple bucks.