•MOUNT HOOD, OREGON•

Your Guide to Big Adventures in the Mount Hood Area

08•25•2022

A nature lover’s paradise, Mount Hood is rich in year-round outdoor opportunities and spectacular scenery. The area around Oregon’s tallest mountain peak offers the longest ski season in North America, epic hiking including the Pacific Crest Trail, and a variety of other outdoor activities for visitors, all easily accessible from Portland.

•Getting to Mount Hood•

At 11,249 feet, Mount Hood looms in the distance from Portland on clear days, beckoning visitors. In this way, Mount Hood is to Portland what Mount Rainier is to Seattle. Mount Hood is located only 90 minutes from Portland and 4 hours from Seattle, making it a popular destination for those in the Pacific Northwest.

Government Camp, also known as “Govy” by those that frequent the town, is the mountain town closest to Mount Hood. Located on the south side of the mountain at 4,000 feet, this small town offers restaurants, lodging, ski resorts, hiking, and other outdoor activities.

The fastest way to get to Mount Hood from Portland is via Highway 26 through Sandy and Mount Hood Village. Alternatively, a slightly longer route will take you along the beautiful Columbia River Gorge via Interstate 84, then south through Hood River. The latter is my favorite trip because there is so much spectacular scenery along the Gorge and in Hood River, and some great restaurants and fruit stands in the Hood River area.

•Skiing Near Mount Hood•

The Mount Hood area offers multiple ski areas including Timberline, Mountain Hood Meadows, Mount Hood Ski Bowl, Cooper Spur, and Summit Pass. Three of these ski areas are located on the south side of Mount Hood near Government Camp:

Timberline offers the longest ski season in North America, plus the historic Timberline Lodge as its base area at 6,000 feet on Mount Hood.
Summit Pass is the oldest operating ski area in the Pacific Northwest, located in the center of Government Camp, and became part of Timberline in 2021.
Ski Bowl boasts the largest night ski area in the country, plus cosmic snow tubing, and is also located near the heart of Government Camp.

Mount Hood Meadows is located on the southeast side of the mountain and is the largest of the ski resorts on Mount Hood but offers no accommodations closeby. Cooper Spur is located on the northeast side of Mount Hood with the Cooper Spur Resort located about 1.5 miles from the ski area. There are also a variety of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing options as well.

•Hiking Near Mount Hood•

There are a variety of hiking trails of varying difficulty in the Mount Hood area with anything from mountain to lake to waterfall views. Check out our hiking 101 tips to help you plan your hike. Note that most of the hikes below do require a valid recreation pass to park at the trailhead, which includes a $5 day pass, Northwest Forest Pass, or America the Beautiful annual pass. Here are some of the most popular trails for you to choose from in the Mount Hood area:

Mirror Lake Loop Trail – 4.2 miles, 672 feet elevation gain – One of the area’s most popular hikes, this aptly named trail leads to a lake that treats visitors to mirrored reflections of the snow-capped peak of Mount Hood in its waters. The trailhead is located right in Government Camp next to Ski Bowl, making it easily accessible but also well-trafficked. Hikers could also choose to continue on to Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain increasing the round-trip distance to 9.0 miles and 1,709 feet elevation gain. This more challenging route offers hikers an overlook of Mirror Lake and Mount Hood from a mountain ridge.
Trillium Lake Loop Trail – 1.9 miles, 26 feet elevation gain – Trillium Lake is hugely popular, and this trail takes you in a loop around the lake. The lake is located a few minutes from Government Camp and is very popular for fishing and watersports, so you are likely to encounter many people on this trail and parking can be an issue.
Tamanawas Falls – 3.4 miles, 580 feet elevation gain – This trailhead is located about 20 minutes from Government Camp on the east side of Mount Hood. The falls are about 100 feet high, and the out-and-back trail follows a creek.
ZigZag Canyon Overlook – 4.7 miles, 885 feet elevation gain – This trailhead leaves from the Timberline Lodge and heads west to an overlook of the ZigZag canyon with views of Mount Hood.
Ramona Falls – 7.1 miles, 1,066 feet elevation gain – This popular trail takes visitors to the iconic cascading 120 feet falls. However, after a bridge washout years ago that was never repaired, the loop hike does require a river crossing via logs, rocks, or fording the river, which is not for everyone and requires caution.

•where to stay Near Mount Hood•

Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood

Depending on the type of lodging that you are looking for, visitors can choose to stay at the iconic Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood or pick from a variety of lodging options in Government Camp.

Timberline Lodge – This 1930’s National Historic Landmark lodge is probably best known for its role in the Stanley Kubrick movie “The Shining” where the exterior of the lodge was used in the film. Sitting at almost 6,000 feet on Mount Hood, you will have spectacular views at your doorstep. Guests can explore the magnificent historical architecture of the lodge while also enjoying what we have found to be spacious and comfortable rooms, some even including wood burning fireplaces.
Collins Lake Resort – This resort in Government Camp offers a variety of condos and chalets in various sizes if you are looking for more room and your own kitchen. The resort includes the Chalets at Collins Lake and the Grand Lodge North and access to a year-round heated pool, hot tub, and sauna.
Grand Lodge South – We actually stayed at the south building of the Grand Lodges, which for some reason unknown to me is not affiliated with Collins Lake Resort. I was worried about the fact that it was not affiliated, but the experience was honestly great and went very smoothly. We booked our stay through Vacasa, which we found to be cheaper for the same exact listing than Airbnb or VRBO. The condo was huge, and we still were able to access the pool, sauna, and hot tub with the code in the Vacasa app.

Other options that exist in Government Camp but that we have not tried are the Best Western Mount Hood Inn, Huckleberry Inn, and the Lodge at Government Camp that is run by Timberline. Plus, there are other vacation rental options through Airbnb, VRBO, and Vacasa as well.

•Where to Eat Near Mount Hood•

Most of the dining options near Mount Hood are found at the Timberline Lodge or in nearby Government Camp.

Mount Hood Brewing – This is our favorite restaurant to visit on our trips to Mount Hood. It’s located in Government Camp, and they have great burgers. We also recently tried the mac-n-cheese skillet with pulled pork, and it was very good too. I don’t think that we have tried anything there that we did not like.
Ratskeller – This restaurant is also located in Government Camp and is known mostly for its pizza. We tried the Chicken Carbonara and Buffalo Ranch pizzas plus the Bavarian Pretzel appetizer, and all of these were delicious. The only thing that was not so great is that you stand in line and order at the bar and grab your own utensils and drinks there, and then they bring your food to your table. This made refills challenging with the line at the bar, so just go in knowing that this is the situation. There was also an arcade upstairs that the kids checked out, but the price per token wasn’t clear anywhere so we didn’t partake.
Volcano Cones – This little ice cream stand just opened this year for the summer and it was great. They had a variety of ice cream flavors and cones to choose from.
Timberline Restaurants – The Timberline Lodge offers a few restaurant choices including the Cascade Dining Room with a breakfast and lunch buffet and table-service fine dining dinner, the Rams Head Bar and Restaurant which offers small plates and sandwiches, Y’Bar which has a limited menu of barbeque sandwiches and sliders, and the Wy’East Cafe which offers a variety of cafeteria-style choices.

Other restaurants that we have not tried but that you can enjoy in Government Camp are the High Mountain Cafe, Huckleberry Inn Cafe, Glacier Public House, and Charlie’s Mountain View.

•Other Summer Activities Near Mount Hood•

Mount Hood isn’t just spectacular in the winter – it has plenty to offer in the summer as well! Here are some of the top things to do in the area during the summer:

Timberline Bike Park – This ski resort transforms into a lift-assisted mountain bike park in the summer, offering visitors miles of trails with spectacular views. Gravy Train is the primary green / easy trail and travels from the lodge about 4.5 miles down the mountain where bikers then board the ski lift back to the lodge level. There are also blue and black (more difficult) trails for those who are more experienced. We only tried the Gravy Train trail as this was our first mountain biking experience, and I was honestly surprised that this was a beginner trail! It took us about 35-45 minutes from top to bottom, and our kids took some spills along the way. But it was certainly a memorable place for our first mountain biking experience!
Mount Hood Adventure Park at Ski Bowl – The ski resort Ski Bowl transforms into an adventure park in the summer. Ski Bowl West offers an alpine slide, scenic chairlift ride, and disc golf course. The dual alpine slide is approximately a half mile long and offers riders amazing views of Mount Hood and wildflowers along the slide. You can also take the chairlift past the alpine slide starting point and hop off at the top of the lift and hike down to the alpine slide, which is just a short downhill hike that has amazing views. Ski Bowl East has quite a few adventure park attractions including go-karts, a summer tubing hill, a maze, batting cages, a rock-climbing wall, bungee trampolines, a bungee tower, and ziplining. We went to the adventure park twice during our week-long visit and loved it! They have a few different levels of tickets that you can buy with different things included, plus a la carte activity options as well. We opted for the Action Pass which limits you to 5 lift rides at West for the alpine slide, chairlift ride, and disc golf course, and does not include one go-kart ride like the Adrenaline Pass does. We added on a go-kart ride for two people (note that there are minimum height requirements for the go-karts) and found that 5 alpine slide rides were plenty.
Summer Skiing on Mount Hood at Timberline – As mentioned above, Mount Hood has the longest ski season in North America at Timberline. It closes for only a few weeks each year in August and/or September. It’s so strange to be at Timberline and see all the people skiing in the middle of summer – pretty cool!
Mountain Climbing on Mount Hood – Interestingly, Mount Hood is often cited as the second most climbed mountain in the world behind Japan’s Mount Fuji. However, this is a technical climb that requires advance preparation and a permit.
Trillium Lake Watercraft Rentals – Spend time on the lake with a view of Mount Hood by renting a kayak or stand-up paddleboard. When we visited, the rentals were set up near the main parking lot and there were lots of people out on the lake enjoying themselves. Note that no motorized watercraft are allowed on the lake though.

•Fun Facts About Mount Hood•

Mount Hood is a potentially active but dormant volcano, meaning that it will likely erupt again, and is considered Oregon’s volcano that is most likely to erupt with a 3-7% chance of eruption in the next 30 years. Its last major eruption was in the 1790’s.
Wy’East is the original name given to Mount Hood by the Multnomah tribe of Native Americans.
Mount Hood is the 4th tallest mountain by elevation in the Cascade Range, which stretches from Lassen Peak in California all the way up into British Columbia. Only Mount Rainier and Mount Adams in Washington, and Mount Shasta in California, are taller.
Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood has the longest ski season in North America.
As mentioned above, Mount Hood is often cited as the second most climbed mountain in the world behind Japan’s Mount Fuji with approximately 10,000 people attempting to summit Mount Hood each year.
There are a dozen named glaciers and snowfields around the summit of Mount Hood, with the most well-known being the Palmer Glacier that is part of the Timberline Ski Resort.
Mount Hood is located in the Mount Hood National Forest which encompasses just over one million acres of land.
Mount Hood can be seen from up to 100 miles away due to its size and prominence.

If you are looking for a great place to have an adventure in any season, definitely add Mount Hood, Oregon, to your list!

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