On the final part of our Oregon Cascades Volcano road trip we headed for Mount Hood and enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the Timberline Lodge.
We arrived in the Mount Hood National Forest the day before, in late afternoon, after driving north along the McKenzie River and crossing McKenzie Pass to the east. We found a USFS campsite at Frog Lake, and hung out for a while, eating dinner and planning the next few days of our trip. We decided to head north into Washington, then west to the Pacific Ocean. After that, our goal was to spend a week or so travelling south along the Oregon Coast, which was supposed to be spectacular. These road trips can be logistical nightmares, but so far we were doing well by having only a rough plan and filling in the gaps as we went along. We were winging it, in other words. Being retired helped, as there was little time pressure, and having a National Parks Lifetime Senior Pass made every campsite half price. It was working out for us thus far.
We woke up the next day and took our time getting packed. We had already made a reservation for the renowned Breakfast Buffet at the Timberline Lodge, so there was no rush. The lodge was famous among Pacific Crest Trail thru hikers as having the “Best Breakfast on the PCT,” so of course we had to go there. In order to use up some time that morning, we checked out Frog Lake itself. It was quite large, and it made me wish that I had an Oregon Fishing License. Vicki didn’t care, as the buffet meant that she wouldn’t be cooking a trout even if I caught one.
We were under gray skies initially, and as we drove up the highway toward the lodge we eventually ended up within the clouds themselves. There was very little traffic that morning, and we liked cruising through the misty forest as we climbed ever higher up the flank of the mountain. Eventually, of course, we punched through the clouds, and Mighty Mount Hood was exposed in all its glory. Now that was a volcano!
The parking lot wasn’t crowded, but we noticed that there were people walking around carrying skis! We looked up at the mountain, and there were several snow-cats grooming the slope up above the lodge. In mid-June! Summer was less than a week away. Yes, 2023 had been a big snow year, not only for California, but for Oregon as well.
We saw the signs for the PCT, but of course there were no backpackers up there yet. There was a campground just above the lodge that hikers used. Staying at the lodge itself was beyond the budget of most thru-hikers. Heck, it was beyond ours! But that didn’t mean we didn’t want to stay there someday. It was an awesome lodge, built long ago by the CCC during the Great Depression, and it was solid.
We arrived as the dining room was about to open. They opened the wrought-iron gate and we went inside. They had eggs benedict, bacon, sausages, and excellent fried potatoes. Vicki even had some smoked salmon, which was far better than any trout I might have caught, considering that the chef really knew how to make everything taste great. Trout on a camp stove is a treat in the backcountry, but this was a step above. Being a buffet, we went back to try out everything, one plateful at a time. Oh, yeah!
After that, we wandered around the building for a while. Vicki took photos of all six carved stairway posts. There were game rooms, and even museum rooms showing the details of life from long ago. Fascinating.
Eventually, it was time to go. We headed back to the car and drove back down the mountain.
One of our additional plans, made last night, was to head north to see some waterfalls out in the middle of the Mount Hood National Forest. We drove west of the mountain, then headed north on a paved forest road. We drove for quite a long time, and eventually discovered that the road had washed out and was closed beyond a locked gate. Why hadn’t they let us know this back in town? We were annoyed, to say the least. After consulting the map, it was obvious that we’d have to drive all the way to Government Camp, back to where we started. So that’s what we did. Once we got to town, we decided to salvage our day by first visiting Trillium Lake. Then we would continue north on the main highway on the east side of the mountain. That one certainly wasn’t closed!
Trillium Lake was huge, and it sported a tremendous view of Mount Hood from the southern shore. On a calm day with good lighting and puffy clouds, this would be a perfect spot for a stunning picture. Or so the photographer in me insisted. Meanwhile, there were people catching stocked trout in the lake from a fishing pier! They were definitely big enough to eat, and once again I was sad that I had no fishing license. Oh well. The license costs a lot more if you live out of state, so I didn’t bother getting one. We could buy smoked salmon for less.
After that, it was time to leave the Oregon Volcano Country behind. There were a few more sights to see on our way to the Washington Cascades, so we weren’t too sad. The world was a big place, after all, and there were more volcanoes in our future.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
Punchbowl and Emerald Falls >>
hikingtales.com 