Difference between revisions of "Larch Mountain Crater Loop Hike"

Revision as of 00:31, 2 August 2020

Large hemlock in the crater's old growth forest (bobcat)

False lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum dilatatum) (bobcat)

A small lake in the Larch Mountain Crater (Don Nelson)

View to Sherrard Point from the crater's boggy meadow (bobcat)

The loop hike down into and out of the Larch Mountain crater (not a GPS track) (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo/USFS)

Start point: Larch Mountain Trailhead
End point: Multnomah Creek
Trail Log: Trail Log
Hike type: Loop
Distance: 6.3 miles
Elevation gain: 1310 feet
High point: 4,055 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Seasons: May - November
Family Friendly: Yes
Backpackable: No
Crowded: No

Larch Mountain is second in height only to Mount Hood looking west from Portland. Its distinctive profile can be seen from the many parts of the city. What's less known is that, like Mount Hood, Larch Mountain is a volcanic peak with a crater of its own, albeit very eroded and now supporting old-growth forests, ponds, bogs, and flowery meadows. In fact, Larch Mountain is the largest of the three shield volcanoes in the Boring Lava Field, a collection of more than 90 volcanoes in the Portland area that were active between 2.7 million and 57,000 years ago. The loop hike described takes you into the crater of Larch Mountain itself as well as around the greater rim and then up to the volcanic plug of Sherrard Point.

This hike starts at the Larch Mountain Trailhead. Walk past the restrooms, passing a few picnic tables scattered about. At a trail junction, keep left and head down the ridge on a wide trail in silver fir forest. Soon you'll cross an old road bed blooming with rhododendron and bear-grass and then continue on down past a campsite clearing. When you reach the junction with the Multnomah Creek Way Trail #444, turn right.

Hike down in Douglas-fir, western red-cedar, western hemlock, and silver fir forest. A couple of impressive cedars stand guard at Multnomah Creek, which you'll cross on a footbridge in lush creekside growth of lady fern, salmonberry, and skunk-cabbage. Just across the bridge, you'll find Multnomah Spur Trail #446. Stay to the right, and continue on Trail #444 traveling upstream in old-growth forest. There are glimpses of Sherrard Point through the trees. A spur on the right leads to a swampy meadow in the old crater. Cotton grass, elephant’s head lousewort, bog orchid, asphodel, and paintbrush all bloom here in summer. There’s a clear view of the volcanic plug at the summit from the meadow. Back on the trail, the route passes through a bog blooming with groundsel and false bugbane. You're soon under big old-growth trees, especially Douglas-firs and hemlocks. The trail is quite eroded here and ascends along a dry, rocky creek bed. Wind up in these lush, ancient woods and switchback at a giant hemlock that has its top snapped off. The trail begins to undulate in a noble fir/silver fir forest before rising again to join the bed of an old logging railroad. Now you're hiking on the level with the margins of this track festooned with blooming avalanche lilies in early summer. Pass over a couple of small creeks choked with devil’s club. At an opening, there’s a view across a Sitka alder-cloaked slope to prominences on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, including Table Mountain and Birkenfeld Mountain. The trail leaves the rail bed temporarily among large stumps nursing hemlock saplings and then returns to the level grade. Then you'll pass through a cutting and reach the junction with the Oneonta Trail #424.

Turn right here and head up Trail #424 for almost a mile in secondary forest to Larch Mountain Road. Turn right and hike up the road for 3/10 of a mile to the parking area at the Larch Mountain Trailhead. From this area, take the lower paved trail for Sherrard Point. The trail heads through shady noble fir, silver fir, and Douglas-fir forest. At a junction, make a right to head up the first flight of a total of about 120 steps. You'll pass above a steep, dry meadow blooming with paintbrush and penstemon. The trail switchbacks and then takes you up concrete steps to the fenced viewpoint area at the very top of Sherrard Point. Blooming on the steep rock faces are Howell’s daisies, alumroot, rock penstemon, matted saxifrage, and Cardwell’s penstemon. There’s a view of a tarn below and the crater meadow. You can see west to Washougal and east along the Columbia River Gorge. The Cascade peaks are in view. Concrete slabs name them, and give their heights and distance (for Mount Saint Helens, it’s the pre-eruption height!).

Maps

Maps: Hike Finder
Green Trails Maps: Bridal Veil, OR #428
Green Trails Maps: Columbia River Gorge - West #428S
Geo-Graphics: Trails of the Columbia Gorge
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management: Columbia River Gorge
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Zigzag Ranger District
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest

Fees, Regulations, etc.

Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) required at Larch Mountain Trailhead.
Restrooms, picnic area, information kiosk
Share trails with mountain bikes

Trip Reports

Search Trip Reports for Larch Mountain Crater

Related Discussions / Q&A

Search Trail Q&A for Larch Mountain Crater

Guidebooks that cover this hike

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland by Paul Gerald
Day Hikes in the Columbia Gorge by Don J. Scarmuzzi
Day Hiking: Columbia River Gorge by Craig Romano
Day Hike! Columbia Gorge by Seabury Blair, Jr.
Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington by William L Sullivan
Hiking the Columbia River Gorge by Russ Schneider; revised by Jim Yuskavitch
Columbia River Gorge: 42 Scenic Hikes by Don & Roberta Lowe
Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
Oregon's Columbia River Gorge: Camping & Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Sean Patrick Hill
Pacific Northwest Hiking by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill
Best Old-growth Forest Hikes: Washington & Oregon Cascades by John & Diane Cissel
A Walking Guide to Oregon's Ancient Forests by Wendell Wood
Trail Running: Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
Mountain Biking Portland by Scott Rapp
The Dog Lover's Companion to Oregon by Val Mallinson

Contributors

Stevefromdodge (creator)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Category:Northwest Oregon]]
 [[Category:Columbia River Gorge]]
+[[Category:Old Growth Hikes]]
+[[Category:Moderate Hikes]]
+[[Category:Volcanic Feature Hikes]]
+[[Category:Family Hikes]]
+[[Category:Loop Hikes]]
+[[Category:Hikes]]
-[[Image:LarchCrater2.JPG|thumb|400px|Looking over a boggy meadow to Sherrard Point ''(Don Nelson)'']]
+[[Image:LarchMountainCrater3.jpg|thumb|400px|Large hemlock in the crater's old growth forest ''(bobcat)'']]
+[[Image:LarchMountainCrater5.jpg|thumb|250px|False lily-of-the-valley ''(Maianthemum dilatatum)'' ''(bobcat)'']]
 [[Image:LarchCrater1.JPG|thumb|250px|A small lake in the Larch Mountain Crater ''(Don Nelson)'']]
+[[Image:LarchMountainCrater4.jpg|thumb|160px|View to Sherrard Point from the crater's boggy meadow ''(bobcat)'']]
+[[Image:LarchMountainCraterMap.png|thumb|400px|The loop hike down into and out of the Larch Mountain crater (not a GPS track) ''(bobcat)'' Courtesy: ''Caltopo/USFS)'']]
 {{Start point|Larch Mountain Trailhead}}
-* End point: [[Larch Mountain Trailhead]] (loop)
+* End point: [[Multnomah Creek Way-Multnomah Spur Trail Junction|Multnomah Creek]]
 * Trail Log: [[Larch Mountain Crater Hike/Log|Trail Log]]
-{{Distance|6.4 miles}} loop
+* Hike type: Loop
-{{Elevation gain|1200 feet}} loss
+{{Distance|6.3 miles}}
+{{Elevation gain|1310 feet}}
+* High point: 4,055 feet
 {{Difficulty|Moderate}}
-* Seasons: May-Nov
+* Seasons: May - November
 * Family Friendly: Yes
 * Backpackable: No
@@ Line 16: / Line 28: @@
 === Hike Description ===
-Larch Mountain is second only to [[Mount Hood]] on the Portland skyline. It's distinctive profile can be seen from the entire city. What's less known is that like Mt. Hood, Larch Mountain is a volcanic peak with a crater of it's own, albeit very old and eroded. The original hard rock surface of the crater has been eroded into soil that now supports forests and flowery meadows.
+[[Sherrard Point|Larch Mountain]] is second in height only to [[Mount Hood]] looking west from Portland. Its distinctive profile can be seen from the many parts of the city. What's less known is that, like [[Mount Hood]], [[Sherrard Point|Larch Mountain]] is a volcanic peak with a crater of its own, albeit very eroded and now supporting old-growth forests, ponds, bogs, and flowery meadows. In fact, [[Sherrard Point|Larch Mountain]] is the largest of the three shield volcanoes in the Boring Lava Field, a collection of more than 90 volcanoes in the Portland area that were active between 2.7 million and 57,000 years ago. The loop hike described takes you into the crater of [[Sherrard Point|Larch Mountain]] itself as well as around the greater rim and then up to the volcanic plug of [[Sherrard Point]].
-This hike starts at the [[Larch Mountain Trailhead]]. The Larch Mountain Trail, #441, starts at the southwest corner of the parking lot. This section is one of the few Columbia Gorge trails open to mountain bikes, although it doesn't seem to see a lot of use. You'll start by passing through an old, mostly abandoned campground. The trail then drops down somewhat steeply through a dense, view blocking forest. You'll cross a closed road and a large campsite. Two miles down, you'll turn right on to the [[Larch Mountain-Multnomah Way Trail Junction|Multnomah Way Trail #444]].
+This hike starts at the [[Larch Mountain Trailhead]]. Walk past the restrooms, passing a few picnic tables scattered about. At a trail junction, keep left and head down the ridge on a wide trail in silver fir forest. Soon you'll cross [[Road 315 Junction|an old road bed]] blooming with rhododendron and bear-grass and then continue on down past a campsite clearing. When you reach the junction with the [[Larch Mountain-Multnomah Creek Way Trail Junction|Multnomah Creek Way Trail #444]], turn right.
-The path continues dropping down to a log bridge over Multnomah Creek 2/10 of a mile from the trail junction. Just across the bridge, you'll find [[Multnomah Way-Multnomah Spur Trail Junction|Multnomah Spur Trail #446]]. Stay to the right and continue on Trail #444 traveling upstream. The trail, now deep in the old crater, passes through a marshy meadow filled with shooting stars and marsh marigolds in the spring. This was once a lake, but centuries of natural sediments have filled it. [[Sherrard Point]] towers over this area. The trail switchbacks up the crater wall to an old logging railroad grade. The trail follows the relatively level abandoned grade for about a mile to a junction with [[Oneonta-Multnomah Way Trail Junction|Oneonta Trail #424]].
+Hike down in Douglas-fir, western red-cedar, western hemlock, and silver fir forest. A couple of impressive cedars stand guard at Multnomah Creek, which you'll cross on a footbridge in lush creekside growth of lady fern, salmonberry, and skunk-cabbage. Just across the bridge, you'll find [[Multnomah Creek Way-Multnomah Spur Trail Junction|Multnomah Spur Trail #446]]. Stay to the right, and continue on Trail #444 traveling upstream in old-growth forest. There are glimpses of [[Sherrard Point]] through the trees. A spur on the right leads to a swampy meadow in the old crater. Cotton grass, elephant’s head lousewort, bog orchid, asphodel, and paintbrush all bloom here in summer. There’s a clear view of the volcanic plug at the summit from the meadow. Back on the trail, the route passes through a bog blooming with groundsel and false bugbane. You're soon under big old-growth trees, especially Douglas-firs and hemlocks. The trail is quite eroded here and ascends along a dry, rocky creek bed. Wind up in these lush, ancient woods and switchback at a giant hemlock that has its top snapped off. The trail begins to undulate in a noble fir/silver fir forest before rising again to join the bed of an old logging railroad. Now you're hiking on the level with the margins of this track festooned with blooming avalanche lilies in early summer. Pass over a couple of small creeks choked with devil’s club. At an opening, there’s a view across a Sitka alder-cloaked slope to prominences on the Washington side of the [[Columbia River Gorge]], including [[Table Mountain]] and [[Birkenfeld Mountain]]. The trail leaves the rail bed temporarily among large stumps nursing hemlock saplings and then returns to the level grade. Then you'll pass through a cutting and reach the junction with the [[Oneonta-Multnomah Creek Way Trail Junction|Oneonta Trail #424]].
-Turn right here and head up Trail #424 for almost a mile to [[Upper Oneonta Trailhead|Larch Mountain Road]]. Turn right and hike up the road for 3/10 of a mile to your car.
+Turn right here and head up Trail #424 for almost a mile in secondary forest to [[Upper Oneonta Trailhead|Larch Mountain Road]]. Turn right and hike up the road for 3/10 of a mile to the parking area at the [[Larch Mountain Trailhead]]. From this area, take the lower paved trail for [[Sherrard Point]]. The trail heads through shady noble fir, silver fir, and Douglas-fir forest. At a junction, make a right to head up the first flight of a total of about 120 steps. You'll pass above a steep, dry meadow blooming with paintbrush and penstemon. The trail switchbacks and then takes you up concrete steps to the fenced viewpoint area at the very top of [[Sherrard Point]]. Blooming on the steep rock faces are Howell’s daisies, alumroot, rock penstemon, matted saxifrage, and Cardwell’s penstemon. There’s a view of a tarn below and the crater meadow. You can see west to Washougal and east along the [[Columbia River Gorge]]. The Cascade peaks are in view. Concrete slabs name them, and give their heights and distance (for [[Mount Saint Helens]], it’s the pre-eruption height!).
 === Maps ===
-{{HikeMaps|latitude=45.5383|longitude=-122.08032}}
+{{HikeMaps|latitude=45.5388|longitude=-122.0875}}
+* Green Trails Maps: ''Bridal Veil, OR #428''
+* Green Trails Maps: ''Columbia River Gorge - West #428S''
+* Geo-Graphics: ''Trails of the Columbia Gorge''
+* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management: ''Columbia River Gorge''
+* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: ''Zigzag Ranger District''
+* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: ''Mt. Hood National Forest''
 === Fees, Regulations, etc. ===
-* Northwest Forest Pass required at [[Larch Mountain Trailhead]].
+* Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) required at [[Larch Mountain Trailhead]].
+* Restrooms, picnic area, information kiosk
+* Share trails with mountain bikes
-{{TripReports|{{PAGENAME}}}}
+{{TripReports|Larch Mountain Crater}}
-* (Click [http://portlandhikers.com/forums/AddPost.aspx?ForumID=8 here] to add your own)
-{{RelatedDiscussions|{{PAGENAME}}}}
+{{RelatedDiscussions|Larch Mountain Crater}}
-* (Click [http://portlandhikers.com/forums/AddPost.aspx?ForumID=141 here] to ask a question or start a conversation)
 === Guidebooks that cover this hike ===
-* ''Day Hike! Columbia Gorge'', by Seabury Blair, Jr.
+* ''60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland'' by Paul Gerald
-* ''Afoot and Afield Portland/Vancouver'', by Douglas Lorain
+* ''Day Hikes in the Columbia Gorge'' by Don J. Scarmuzzi
-* ''Columbia River Gorge, 42 Scenic Hikes'', by Don & Roberta Lowe
+* ''Day Hiking: Columbia River Gorge'' by Craig Romano
-* ''Hiking the Columbia River Gorge'' - 1st and 2nd Editions, by Russ Schneider
+* ''Day Hike! Columbia Gorge'' by Seabury Blair, Jr.
-* ''100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon'' - 3rd Edition, by William L Sullivan
+* ''Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver'' by Douglas Lorain
+* ''100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington'' by William L Sullivan
+* ''Hiking the Columbia River Gorge'' by Russ Schneider; revised by Jim Yuskavitch
+* ''Columbia River Gorge: 42 Scenic Hikes'' by Don & Roberta Lowe
+* ''Oregon Hiking'' by Sean Patrick Hill
+* ''Oregon's Columbia River Gorge: Camping & Hiking'' by Tom Stienstra & Sean Patrick Hill
+* ''Pacific Northwest Hiking'' by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill
+* ''Best Old-growth Forest Hikes: Washington & Oregon Cascades'' by John & Diane Cissel
+* ''A Walking Guide to Oregon's Ancient Forests'' by Wendell Wood
+* ''Trail Running: Oregon'' by Lizann Dunegan
+* ''Mountain Biking Portland'' by Scott Rapp
+* ''The Dog Lover's Companion to Oregon'' by Val Mallinson
 === More Links ===
-* [http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/153640/larch-mountain.html Larch Mountain on Summit Post]
+* [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recarea/?recid=80589  Larch Mountain Trail (#441) (USFS)]
+* [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recarea/?recid=29952  Multnomah Creek Way Trail (#444) (USFS)]
+* [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recarea/?recid=82254  Oneonta Trail (#424) (USFS)]
+* [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recreation/recarea/?recid=30070  Sherrard Point Trail (#443) (USFS)]
+* [https://gorgefriends.org/hike-the-gorge/larch-mountain-crater-loop.html  Larch Mountain Crater Loop (Friends of the Columbia Gorge)]
+* [https://www.iheartpacificnorthwest.com/larch-mountain-crater-hike-2/  Larch Mountain Crater (I Heart Pacific Northwest)]
+* [https://adventureswithdotty.com/portfolio-items/larch-mountain-crater  Larch Mountain Crater (Adventures With Dotty)]
+* [https://oregonwild.org/explore-oregon/suggested-outings/suggested-hikes-larch-mountain  Larch Mountain (Oregon Wild)]
+* [https://www.backpacker.com/trips/portland-or-larch-mountain-crater  Larch Mountain Crater (Backpacker)]
+* [http://www.oregonhiking.com/oregon-adventures/100-hikes-in-northwest-oregon-and-southwest-washington/columbia-gorge-hikes/larch-mountain-crater-hike  Larch Mountain Crater (Oregon Adventures)]
+* [https://www.westcolumbiagorgechamber.com/larch-mountain-crater-trail-loop/  Larch Mountain Crater Trail Loop (West Columbia Gorge)]
+* [http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/153640/larch-mountain.html  Larch Mountain (Summit Post)]
 === Contributors ===
 * [[User:Stevefromdodge|Stevefromdodge]] (creator)

Difference between revisions of "Larch Mountain Crater Loop Hike"

Difference between revisions of "Larch Mountain Crater Loop Hike"

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

Revision as of 00:31, 2 August 2020

Contents

Hike Description

Maps

Fees, Regulations, etc.

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

More Links

Contributors