Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Trip recommendations, current conditions, and other trail related Q&A
tbritt2112
Posts: 42
Joined: April 18th, 2017, 3:18 pm

Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by tbritt2112 » June 9th, 2019, 5:58 am

Hello Everyone, Me and my Son will be in the PNW July 30 through August 6 and will spend a day or so in Oregon. Want to visit Cannon Beach and Mount Hood. Ive researched viewpoints for MH and Jonsrud viewpoint came up as well as Larch Mountain. Is there a visitors center close to MH with close up views like Sunrise and Jackson at Mount Rainier? That would be ideal if there is. Thanks!

justpeachy
Posts: 3066
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by justpeachy » June 9th, 2019, 6:10 am

Hood doesn't have any visitor centers quite like those you speak of. The two best places for information are the Zigzag Ranger Station and the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum and neither of them have views of Mt. Hood. If you're heading to Mt. Hood via Hood River, the Hood River Ranger Station does have a view, but it's not open on weekends.

However I recommend driving up to Timberline Lodge, which is right at tree line with a great view of the mountain. Also check out Trillium Lake, which has a view of the mountain that shows up in tons of tourism brochures and postcards. (Do a Google image search and you'll see what I mean.) And yes, Larch Mountain is an excellent spot as well, with the bonus of being able to see other Cascade volcanoes on a clear day.

tbritt2112
Posts: 42
Joined: April 18th, 2017, 3:18 pm

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by tbritt2112 » June 9th, 2019, 6:14 am

Awesome, thank you. Ive just watched a youtube video of a drive up to Timberline Lodge and thats what Im looking for. I think we will do that. In that vid, there is Mirror Lake in that area? How much of a hike from the Lodge to there?

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by kepPNW » June 9th, 2019, 6:52 am

tbritt2112 wrote:
June 9th, 2019, 6:14 am
is Mirror Lake in that area? How much of a hike from the Lodge to there?
The trailhead for Mirror Lake is at Ski Bowl, in Government Camp just a bit before the turnoff to Timberline, and it's a 2-mile (500'eg) hike to the lake. Many people continue up to Tom Dick & Harry mountain (another 2-miles and 1000'eg) for rather nice views of Mount Hood and the lake/village below.
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

User avatar
adamschneider
Posts: 3710
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: SE Portland
Contact:

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by adamschneider » June 9th, 2019, 12:01 pm

These suggestions are all good: Trillium Lake or Timberline Lodge if you just want to drive, Mirror Lake and/or Tom Dick & Harry if you want to hike.

I'll add Lookout Mountain as a hiking suggestion; it's just a three-mile loop with 600' of elevation gain, and for my money, it's one of the better views of Hood (mid-level clouds optional).

Image

Webfoot
Posts: 1759
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 11:06 am
Location: Troutdale

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by Webfoot » June 9th, 2019, 3:45 pm

Timberline Lodge is a classic, but in my opinion it is not one of the best views of the mountain; you are too much ON the mountain to see a large part of it, and that side is somewhat less dramatic than others which is why it is conducive to skiing. Lookout Mountain is the highest point around Mount Hood so it provides a fine view. I particularly enjoy the view of the rugged north side of the mountain, such as from the trail around the south side of Bald Mountain. I would at least drive out Lolo Pass Road from highway 26 to see the mountain from that side, even if you don't have time for driving bumpy roads to the Top Spur Trailhead; it is paved to the Lolo Pass Trailhead except for one very short section of rough gravel.

User avatar
teachpdx
Posts: 395
Joined: January 21st, 2014, 4:45 pm
Location: Hillsboro, OR

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by teachpdx » June 10th, 2019, 6:54 am

Webfoot wrote:
June 9th, 2019, 3:45 pm
I particularly enjoy the view of the rugged north side of the mountain, such as from the trail around the south side of Bald Mountain.
+1 (or like +100) to Bald Mountain.
instagram: @remyodyssey

tbritt2112
Posts: 42
Joined: April 18th, 2017, 3:18 pm

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by tbritt2112 » June 10th, 2019, 9:11 am

All great suggestions, thanks. I think we will ad Bald Mountain to the list. Looks as if the shortest hike to that viewpoint is from Top Spur Trailhead? Am I right? We are flat landers from North Carolina so we may be pretty sore by the time we make it down to Oregon. I hiked out to Third Burroughs Mountain last Summer and that damn near killed me!

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by drm » June 10th, 2019, 9:12 am

Another option if you are in the mood for a long gravel road, is Cloud Cap Inn. It's not a commercially open hotel, though it was once a very long time ago (It was replaced by Timberline). But it does have a nice deck to sit on (BYO whatever), and if the folks who manage it are there, they might be willing to give you a tour.

User avatar
teachpdx
Posts: 395
Joined: January 21st, 2014, 4:45 pm
Location: Hillsboro, OR

Re: Best place to view and get pics of Mt Hood

Post by teachpdx » June 10th, 2019, 9:54 am

tbritt2112 wrote:
June 10th, 2019, 9:11 am
Looks as if the shortest hike to that viewpoint is from Top Spur Trailhead? Am I right?
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guid ... _Spur_Hike

2 miles round trip, 500 feet gain, it's pretty doable.

If you want a similar view with the same distance and a couple hundred feet less gain, there are great views from the Timberline trail on the south flanks of Bald Mountain as well.

Afternoon views are the best if you are able to time it out that way.
instagram: @remyodyssey

Post Reply