PCT: Timberline Lodge to Hwy 35 Out and Back

Dogs Unknown

Features Views

This route starts and ends at Timberline Lodge, a beautiful WPA building finished in 1938 rooted in the ash of Mt. Hood's 1907 eruption. Views from the start are stunning both of the glaciers of Mount Hood and Mt. Jefferson in the distance to the south.

NW Forest Pass is not required in the Timberline Lodge lot.

This run can be started easily from either end. It depends on your mood; would you rather get the tough part out of the way first or finish with the uphill Timberline is a good place to start/end, because of bathrooms and food.

From the lodge, climb to the PCT and go right (or south). Follow the trail in and out of washes above treeline. After 1.5 miles, the trail descends into the trees and follows a steep ridgeline down to Hwy. 35. Touch the pavement at Hwy. 35 before turning around and retracing your steps back up the grueling incline.

The distance is short, but running the entire incline without slowing to a crawl is a good challenge.