Owl Point from Vista Ridge Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
This page is marked as Off trail. The route or sections of the route may be dangerous and hard to follow and is not recommended for beginning hikers without an experienced leader. Beginning hikers should check out our Basic Hiking Information page. |
To Owl Point
- Start point: Vista Ridge Trailhead
- End Point: Owl Point
- Trail Log: Owl Point from Vista Ridge Hike/Log
- Hike Type: Out and back
- Distance: 3.7 miles round-trip
- Elevation gain: 500 feet
- Difficulty: Difficult due to trail debris
- Seasons: Late Spring through early Fall
- Family Friendly: Not yet - until trail has been fully restored
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Only the trailhead - on summer weekends.
To Perry Lake
- Start point: Vista Ridge Trailhead
- End Point: Perry Lake
- Trail Log: Perry Lake Hike/Log
- Hike Type: Out and back
- Distance: 5.4 miles round-trip
- Elevation gain: 1000 feet
- High Point: 4.934 feet
- Difficulty: Difficult due to trail debris and some steep sections
- Seasons: Late Spring through early Fall
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Only the trailhead - on summer weekends.
Contents |
Description
This is a highly rewarding adventure for hikers wanting a bit of a challenge. The route is a long-forgotten, unmaintained segment of the Vista Ridge Trail. This description will eventually include a cross-country route to Red Hill, proper, but for now covers less difficult visits to The Rockpile, Owl Point and tiny Perry Lake. The view of Mount Hood from this trail is gorgeous, and well worth the brushy scramble. Watch the Portland Hikers site for work trips if you're interested in helping make this trail a bit easier for families to follow.
For now, there are many blowdowns across the trail, the bulk of which are grouped in the first 1/2 or so of the trail. They ranged from wrist-size to about 18 inches in diameter, and hopefully will be cleared soon by a work party. But most of the trail is surprisingly clear, with only four blowdowns forming much of a barrier, and only three areas where huckleberries and mountain ash have covered the trail pretty thickly. The rest is no worse than any other lightly used trail, and the tread is completely intact - no washouts or slides. The route has been flagged thoroughly to make it very obvious, but be sure to use the maps on this page to familiarize yourself with the flagged, cross-country spurs to the viewpoints.
From the trailhead, continue one third mile to the Vista Ridge junction (and wilderness registration). Turn left here, passing a "trail not maintained" sign. After a short walk on the level, the trail begins to climb more steeply, passing several blowdowns. All are navigable and in open forest, so easy to bypass. The route switchbacks once, then begins a traverse along the east side of Vista Ridge, heading north. There are some interesting views into the Clear Branch valley at a couple of spots, plus a forested boulder field. The traverse section has a couple of brushy areas that will soak you when they are wet with dew - so this is definitely a dry weather hike until the trail has been maintained.
Beyond the traverse section, the trail crosses a broad crest of open forest and huckleberry fields, passing a scree slope, then dropping to a small meadow. Here, the main route continues across the meadow, re-enters forest and then climbs to a low saddle where a flagged route to Red Hill will eventually lead to the right. But for now, follow the main trail as it drops over the ridge line, then climbs to another saddle with a pretty heather and huckleberry meadow. From this point, the main trail climbs abruptly to the left of a large, flagged tree, but don't miss the faint spur trail that heads into the meadow. Roughly 300 feet into the meadow, watch for the flagging to head right, through open forest for another 300 feet to the stunning viewpoint at The Rockpile. This stop, alone, would be worth destination for the hike.
To continue on, retrace your steps back through the heather meadow, and turn uphill at the large, flagged tree you passed earlier. The trail passes more scree slopes framed by beautiful forest of mountain hemlock and subalpine fir before reaching a gentle crest in deep forest. Watch for the flagged cross-country route to Owl Point, on the right, just before the main trail starts to descend. This spur is brushier than the visit to The Rockpile, but soon emerges at the rugged, rocky viewpoint. The view of Mount Hood from this spot is also stunning, but you are also treated to views into Laurance Lake. This beautiful spot is a good turnaround point if you're not interested in the 500 foot elevation loss/gain entailed in the trip to Perry Lake, 0.8 miles beyond. For both The Rockpile and Owl Point, the best times for photography are early morning and early evening.
After soaking in the views at Owl Point, follow the flagging back to the trail, and continue left and downhill, passing yet another viewpoint along the trail, this time looking north to Mount Defiance, with the Washington volcanoes floating on the horizon. The upper Hood River Valley is spread out below. From this viewpoint, the trail leaves dense forest, becomes more rocky and drops quickly to what I've called the "Clear Fork Rim", a long cliff and scree slope that continues east of Owl Point. The trail visits several viewpoints of Hood along this section -- watch your step, it's an abrupt cliff. Approximately 0.8 miles from Owl Point, the trail ends at an old road, where concrete foundations mark the site of the former Perry Lake Guard Station. The lake -- a tiny, but charming pond -- is located another 0.2 miles down the road, on the left.
The trail between Owl Point and Perry Lake is in very good condition -- only a few slightly brushy sections, some rocky portions of trail, and almost no blowdowns, largely due to the lack of big trees here. There are also visible blazes on trees along this section, so it's easy to follow the route From Perry Lake, simply follow your footsteps back to the trailhead. A caution for this hike: don't do it alone until the trail has been maintained, and make sure you save some daylight for the return trip in order to navigate the blowdowns without losing the trail.
Maps
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Owl Point from Vista Ridge Hike
Fall 2006 Red Hill Scouting Trip
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Owl Point from Vista Ridge Hike
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More Links
Contributors
- Splintercat (Tom Kloster) (primary)