In 2021 the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area opened a new collection of summer trails to the public. We had passed through the area clear back in 2013 (post) so it was past time for us to revisit and check out some of those new trails.
We used an entry in the OregonHikers Field Guide as inspiration for our planned route which included the Bear Grass, Bear Grass Cutoff, Stadium Loop, Lower Wizard Way, Middle Wizard Way, and Picnic Rock Spur trails. Our planned route got extended immediately upon our arrival at the entrance to the main parking lot at Mt. Hood Meadows. The lot is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and the amenities at the lodge (restaurant and restrooms) don’t open until 10am however it was our understanding that the lot was available to park in prior to 10am. This was true; however we failed to notice that the left side of the entrance gate was open.
Something about the ribbon, cones, and equipment in the background tricked my eyes into seeing a gate across both sides, green on the right and pink on the left so we parked in a small pullout on the side of the road.
You’d think I would have noticed that there wasn’t actually a gate on the left when I took this photo.
Parking here meant walking through the parking lot which took us right past the Umbrella Falls Trail.
It was just under a quarter of a mile down to Umbrella Falls from the parking lot and given we had not been to the falls in almost 12 years we detoured down the trail.
Valerian and false hellebore
Mountain bluebells
Aster
Mt. Hood from the Umbrella Falls Trail.
Umbrella Falls
After visiting the waterfall we climbed back up to the parking lot and continued on to the Mt. Hood Meadows Lodge.
Trail map at the lodge.
From the lodge we angled left on a roped gravel path passing several interpretive signs to a large “Blue Chair Lift” sign. The signed Bear Grass Trail began to the right of that sign.
Spirea
We followed this trail for a half mile through wildflower meadows to a junction with the Bear Grass Cutoff Trail.
An aster or fleabane
Elephants head
Penstemon, cat’s ear lilies, and spirea.
Beargrass on the hillside.
Beargrass and clumps of lupine on a hillside.
Arnica and valerian
The Bear Grass Trail crossing a service road.
Coiled lousewort
Jacob’s ladder
A short section of trees between meadows/ski runs.
Bear Grass Cutoff Trail on the left.
We turned left onto the cutoff trail which climbed roughly 350′ in 0.8-miles before rejoining the Bear Grass Trail. The climb was well graded and crossed several ski runs which provided views and more flowers.
Pink monkeyflower
One-sided wintergreen and dwarf bramble
Pacific coralroot
Sub-alpine mariposa lily (cat’s ear lily)
Coming up on another ski run covered in beargrass.
Partridgefoot
Bonney Butte (post) on the far right.
Hood River Express chairlift.
Back at the Bear Grass Trail we turned left to continue up the mountain.
Another half mile of views and wildflowers brought us to a fork where the Stadium Loop Trail split off to the left.
Mt. Jefferson to the south.
Broken Top, the Three Sisters, and Mt. Jefferson.
Cinquefoil
Mountain heather
Stadium Loop left and Bear Grass Trail to the right.
Mt. Hood Meadows Lodge from the junction.
We took the Stadium Loop Trail uphill and rejoined the Bear Grass Trail in less than a quarter mile.
The Stadium Express lift in front of Mt. Hood.
Goldenrod
Buckwheat
Yarrow
Penstemon
Subalpine fleabane
Trail signs below the Stadium Express at the upper junction with the Bear Grass Trail.
From the upper junction the Bear Grass Trail briefly followed a service road uphill to the top of the Stadium Express chairlift and a couple more interpretive signs.
The trail signage had been very good up to this point but there weren’t any signs at the top of the lift. The Bear Grass Trail was obvious though as it headed into a stand of trees.
In less than a tenth of a mile we arrived a the Timberline Trail where the Bear Grass Trail ended. The Lower Wizard Way Trail continued on the opposite side of Timberline Trail.
We crossed the Timberline Trail and began a mile long, 600′ climb, to the top of the Mt. Hood Express chairlift. This trail was a bit steeper than any of the lower trails, but it was still reasonably graded.
Sub-alpine mariposa lily and an orange agoseris
Paintbrush and cinquefoil
The trail crossing another service road.
Broken Top and the Three Sisters in the distance.
Jacob’s ladder
Townsend’s solitare
Pussypaws
Ragwort
Checkerspot on cinquefoil
Mountain heather and Jacob’s ladder
The trail got lost in the rocks here, but we simply walked under the lift to a service road and a ski patrol hut.
Penstemon
Mt. Hood from the top of the Mt. Hood Express lift.
That’s the blue lift to the right.
The ski patrol hut.
We followed the road past the ski patrol hut to the signed Middle Wizard Way Trail.
The Middle Wizard Way Trail is much rougher and steeper than any of the other trails. The route was flagged which helped us stay on course as we climbed over rocks and snowfields. Heather and I had split up on this portion and I made it a little over three quarters of a mile up to an old structure where I declared victory.
Stripped flagging marking the trail.
Paintbrush
Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sister from the trail.
The trail heading into a snowfield.
Penstemon, yarrow, buckwheat and pussypaws.
The lupine bloom was going strong.
Clark’s nutcracker
Mt. Jefferson from my turnaround point.
Broken Top, the Three Sisters and Mt. Jefferson
Looking down the Clark Creek Canyon. The Timberline Trail is visible near the bottom of the grey hillside on opposite canyon wall.
The Clark and Newton Glaciers.
The trail had gained 600′ from the service road and the remaining length of the trail gained at least 600′ more. On a cooler day I might have been tempted, but it was warm enough today to make me think twice.
The trail heads up the left side of this rock formation. It is reportedly possible to continue to the moraine behind and climb to 9000′ in elevation (which would be an additional 1300’+ climb from the top of the rock formation).
After a brief rest I started back down to find Heather was waiting for me part way up the trail near one of the snow fields.
Crossing one of the snow fields on the way down.
Jacob’s ladder and lupine
Aster
The view from Heather’s turnaround point.
We headed back down together retracing our steps back to the upper junction with the Stadium Loop where this time we stuck to the Bear Grass Trail.
Western white?
Mt. Jefferson and the ski patrol hut.
Checkerspot and aster
Cinquefoil
Stadium Loop Trail on the right.
It was just a tenth of mile before we arrived at the lower junction with Stadium Loop Trail and we were back on our earlier route.
Cat’s ear lilies along the trail.
The lower junction.
We followed the Bear Grass Trail downhill to the junction with the Bear Grass Cutoff Trail where we again left our earlier route and stayed on the Bear Grass Trail.
We followed the Bear Grass Trail down through the forest. This section of trail did not cross any ski runs and there were several patches of snow remaining in the trees.
Snow patch covering the Bear Grass Trail.
Shooting stars and cinquefoil
Violets
Four tenths of a mile from the Bear Grass Cutoff Trail we ignored the Jack Woods Trail joining from the left. This trail connects with the Timberline Trail along the ridge above the Clark Creek Canyon.
View across the Clark Creek Canyon.
Avalanche lilies
A little over 1.25-miles from the Bear Grass Cutoff Trail we came to a junction with the Picnic Rock Spur. This 0.3-mile spur led out to a rocky viewpoint above the Clark Creek Canyon.
Elk Mountain in the foreground with Lookout Mountain (post) behind to the right.
Arrowleaf buckwheat
Heather skipped the spur so after checking out the view I returned to the Bear Grass trail and followed it another 1.2-miles back to Mt. Hood Meadows Lodge.
The Umbrella Falls Cutoff Trail split off from the Bear Grass Trail and would have taken us back to Umbrella Falls, but we had agreed to meet up back at the lodge so we stuck to the Bear Grass Trail.
Trail sign at the junction with the Bear Grass Cutoff.
Pink monkeyflower
California tortoiseshell
Speedwell
It took a minute to locate Heather but once we’d reunited we headed back through the parking lot and returned to our car.
My mileage was 11.1 with a full mile of that attributed to parking at the gate and visiting Umbrella Falls. Total elevation gain was close to 2300′.
The green track is from our 2013 hike.
We were impressed with the trail system that Mt. Hood Meadows has developed and really enjoyed our hike here. There are a number of potential loops using the various trails and we look forward to returning and checking out more of them. Happy Trails!
Flickr: Wizard Way
wanderingyuncks 