Tom Dick and Harry Mountain Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Mirror Lake Trailhead
- End Point: Tom Dick and Harry Mountain
- Trail Log: Trail Log
- Distance: 5.8 miles round-trip to West Summit
- Elevation gain: 1710 feet
- High Point: 4,920 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Seasons: Summer through early Fall
- Family Friendly: Yes, for older kids
- Backpackable: Yes - camping at Mirror Lake
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Contents |
Description
The Mirror Lake Trail has the misfortune of being one of the few hikes accessible directly from Highway 26, and thus suffers a crush of visitors on weekends. The attention is well-deserved: the always well-graded trail takes you past a picture-postcard views of Mount Hood and rugged Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, towering above Mirror Lake.
From the trailhead parking area, cross rushing Camp Creek and immediately enter deep forest, crossing Mirror Creek on a second log bridge. The trail soon enters more open woods, then begins a series of switchbacks across open scree slopes that provide interesting views of the Zigzag valley, far below. If you’re taking children on this hike, the evidence of shortcuts at the switchbacks provide a good opportunity to teach the about trail stewardship, and the idea that everyone is an owner of our public lands.
As the trail approaches Mirror Lake, you will hear the outlet creek, and see a third bridge leading to the loop around the lake at the 1.4 mile mark. If you’re planning to stop at the lake, go left and cross the bridge for the best picnic spots along the east shore. Then be sure to complete the loop around the lake to take in the marsh boardwalk at the south end of the lake, and picturesque views of Mount Hood.
If you opt for the longer hike, continue straight (right) when you reach the loop junction, and soon pass the west shore of Mirror Lake, with views of the massive summit cliffs of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain towering above. The second junction with the lake loop is near the south end of the lake at the 1.5 mile mark. Take a moment to walk the marsh boardwalk, visible just a few yards away on the lake loop, before continuing beyond the lake on the mail trail.
The route continues through handsome forest, thick with pink rhododendrons in early summer, before reaching the steep north slopes of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain. This section of trail is lush with wildflowers in summer, and features unusual views of Highway 26, far below, as well as Mount Hood and the Zigzag Mountain high country. The trail continues along this slope, gradually climbing to a broad crest, where a huge rock cairn at 2.5 miles marks a switchback toward the summit. From the cairn, continue at an easy grade along the ridgetop through open lodgepole forest for a half mile before reaching a steep, more rocky section of trail as you near the West Summit of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain.
The final pitch is up an open rocky crest, where the view is dominated by Mount Hood and Mirror Lake, far below. The view also includes Mount Jefferson to the south, and the high, wild ridge tops of the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness to the southwest. The village of Government Camp and Timberline Lodge are also visible from this airy viewpoint. Though some continue on toward the eastern summits of the mountain, the trail gets rough, so this is the best spot to end your hike. From here, retrace your steps to complete the hike.
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Guidebooks that cover this hike
60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Portland, by Paul Gerald
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Page Contributors
- Splintercat (Tom Kloster) (primary)