With about 140 miles of trails open to mountain bikes, Mt. Hood National Forest is a great place for everyone. Share the trail with other users, especially hikers and riders on horseback. Bikes yield to hikers and horses.
44 Trails Associationis actively involved in the planning, building and stewardship of trails in the area.
Northwest Trail Alliance is dedicated to creating, enhancing and protecting riding opportunities in NW Oregon and SW Washington.
With about 140 miles of trails open to mountain bikes, Mt. Hood National Forest is a great place for everyone. Share the trail with other users, especially hikers and riders on horseback. Bikes yield to hikers and horses.
A small, quiet campground with corrals, Bonney Meadows is adjacent to beautiful meadows lined with single track used by hikers, bikers and horseback riders. Campers can wake up and go for a stroll along Bonney Meadows Trail #471. Located on a high ridge near a lush meadow.
This is a strenuous hike to a beautiful alpine lake with dispersed camping available. Access to Boulder Lakeshore Trail #463B and Little Boulder Trail #463A. There are 10 tent-only campsites at Boulder Lake Campground. This is a primitive campsite. Please follow Leave No Trace principles while camping at the lake.
This trail begins at Bonney Meadows Campground (5,300’) and ends at Road 4880. From Bonney Meadows Campground, head northwest on this trail and after 0.2 mile the trail reaches Hidden Meadows Trail #472. Continue descending north on this trail 0.2 mile where the trail turns and begins to head southeast. The trail levels out slightly for the next 0.7 mile before descending 0.5 to Boulder Lake. From Boulder Lake, continue southeast 0.3 mile to Little Boulder Trail #463A. Turn left (east) and continue 0.5 miles to Forest Road 4880 where trail ends. The trail may also be accessed from the 4880 Road east of Boulder Lake and continue on to Bonney Meadows from the lake.
Knebal Springs Campground is located in an open Ponderosa Pine setting. The campground is adjacent to Knebal Springs Trail which is an approximately 10 mile loop that is popular for mountain bikers and horse back riders.
Clackamas Ranger District is southwest of Mt Hood. The 140,000 acre Riverside Fire that was propelled by the historic Labor Day windstorm has created countless hazard trees and possible slides along many key district roads. A portion of the ranger district is closed- read more and view the map here.
This trail begins at Forest Road 4220 (Skyline Road) near Olallie Lake and ends at Red Lake Road (3,640’) (Forest Road 4600-380), near Red Lake. From Forest Road 4220 (5,000) the trail heads southwest climbing moderately and passes through the Rock Lakes Basin in the first 0.5 mile. After a further 0.1 mile, the trail meets the Timber Lake Trail #733 on the left. The trail continues heading southwest from the junction and reaches Top Lake in 0.3 mile. The trail turns north at the end of the lake and travels up a steep climb for 0.3 mile to a four way junction with the Pacific Crest Trail #2000 (5,280’). From the junction, the trail becomes rocky and rough and continues northwest 1.1 miles to the junction with Lodgepole Trail #706 (4,940’). Turn left (west) to stay on trail #719 and follow it for 0.3 mile, passing Fork Lake, to the junction with Potato Butte Trail #719A. For the next 2.3 miles, the trail travels through old growth forest and passes Sheep Lake, Wall Lake, Averill Lake and Red Lake and eventually reaches a powerline corridor. After crossing the corridor, the trail meets and follows a road for 250’ before intersection a second road (Forest Road 4600-076). The trail continues on the north side of Forest Road 4600-076 for 0.4 mile to its end at Red Lake Road (3,640’) (Forest Road 4600-380).
This trail is on the east side of Mount Hood. Spectacular views are found on the upper portion of the trail. This trail open to Horse, Hike and Bike. This trail is This is a popular for intermediate to advanced mountain bikers. It also provides many ways of looping and variable distances by connecting with many other trails.
This trail starts at Oregon Hwy 35 (2,120’) at Dog River Trailhead and travels south to its junction with Zigzag Trail #678 and Surveyor’s Ridge Trail #688 (4,000). From OR Hwy 35, the trail heads south 0.1 mile to a wooden bridge crossing Puppy Creek. Cross the bridge and continue south along the hillside above Dog River 1.7 miles to a wooden bridge crossing Dog River (2,640’). Cross Dog River and from here the trail climbs to a saddle above East Fork Hood River and OR Hwy 35. After approximately 1.1 miles of climbing, visitors are rewarded with a spectacular view of Mount Hood (3,360’). Continue climbing 0.9 mile, passing Forest Road 4400-620, to another view of Mount Hood (3,840’). The trail levels slightly and continues south 0.8 mile to a wooden bridge crossing a small stream (3,880’). The trail crosses four more wooden bridges in the next 0.4 miles. From the last bridge, the trail continues southwest 0.3 mile to its end at the junction with Zigzag Trail #678 and Surveyor’s Ridge Trail #688 (4,000). From this junction, visitors can turn left and travel 0.9 mile on Surveyor’s Ridge Trail #688 to Dufur Mill Road (Forest Road 44), or turn right on Zigzag Trail #678 and travel downhill 0.8 mile to OR Hwy 35.
This trail follows a ridgeline west of the Badger Creek Wilderness to Gunsight Butte. Spectacular views of Mount Hood are found at several points along the trail. Fairly open along the way and is popular with intermediate to advance mountain bikers.
This trail begins at Bennett Pass Road (Forest Road 3530) and ends at Gumjuwac Saddle near Forest Road 3531 (5,240’). From Bennett Pass Road (4,120’), the trail heads north along a ridge overlooking Badger Creek. After 0.9 mile the trail reaches Camp Windy Trail #685A. From here the trail continues north, and 2.2 miles beyond the junction with #685A, the trail joins Bennett Pass Road (Forest Road 3550). The trail follows the road for 0.2 miles before heading north. 0.2 mile after leaving the Bennett Pass Road, the trail reaches Gunsight Butte (5,900’). Continue north 1.4 miles to the trail’s end at Gumjuwac Pass. The majority of this trail is under high elevation fir and pine trees with occasional openings looking east and west. There are several challenging technical sections for mountain bikes including exposed rock, rock slide areas and several difficult switchbacks.
The trail begins at Clear Branch Dam and ends at a dead end on a ridge top. This trail provides an incredible few of Laurence Lake. The trail leads to some great vistas of Mt. Hood and is fairly open allowing good views of the surround area. Walking up the old road a quarter mile leads to a vista point where the burn area for the Dollar Lake fire which has exposed the Pinnacle.
This is a good early season trail choice. The trail overlooks the Hood River Valley and offers views of Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier.
This trail begins at Smullin Drive (1,760’) and ends at Surveyor’s Ridge Trail #688 (3,680’). From Smullin Road, the trail climbs Oak Ridge via a series of switchbacks passing through open slopes and stands of Oregon White Oak. After 1 mile, the trail enters mixed oak and fir. Near the top of the ridge, the trail crosses Forest Road 1700-640. Continue a few hundred feet beyond the road to the junction with Surveyor’s Ridge Trail #688.
The trail begins at Lost Lake Horse Camp and ends at Forest Road 13 Lake Branch. Not open to bikes. Old Skyline Trail begins at the trailhead on the 1340 Rd. and ends after 2.5 mi. on the 13 Rd. It is a slightly more difficult tr. that intersects with the Lost Lake Horse camp Trail, Lost Lake Butte Trail, and Lake Branch of the Cascades Trail. The first 1.5 miles is an easy hike through timber and huckleberry. After the junction with Lake Branch of the Cascades the trail becomes more difficult, dropping down to Lake Branch Creek and back up to the Forest Road 13. There is no bridge over Lake Branch Creek and may be difficult to cross at times.
This trail is on the southeast side of Mount Hood. The trail passes Umbrella Falls on the way to the Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area. The trail provides easy access to Timberline Trail #600.
This trail begins at its junction with Timberline Trail #600, heads southeast and ends at its junction with Sahalie Falls Trail #667C. From Timberline Trail #600 (5,800’), the trail heads southeast through a meadow and crosses two small creeks. After 0.4 miles, the trail switches back several times before heading north another 0.3 mile to Mitchell Creek (5,540’). Cross Mitchell Creek on the wooden bridge and continue downhill (southeast) 0.5 mile to Mount Hood Meadows Road (5,200’). (This is a good place to start the hike). Cross Mount Hood Meadows Road and follow the trail north 0.25 mile to Umbrella Falls (5,250’). Continue past the falls 0.25 mile to the first junction with Sahalie Falls Trail #667C. Continue from the junction, crossing several ski runs, 1.3 miles to the second junction with Sahalie Falls Trail #667C and the end of this trail. Hikers can return on this trail or take Sahalie Falls Trail #667C 2.1 miles back to the first junction with this trail.
Zigzag Ranger District spans 250,000 acres on the south and west side of Mt Hood and is about an hour from Portland.
The district manages one of the region's largest recreation programs including 550 summer homes, 30 developed campgrounds, three ski areas including Timberline Lodge, over 300 miles of trails, and two wilderness areas.
The district also manages the Bull Run Watershed cooperatively with the City of Portland, which supplies drinking water to the Portland metro area.
The Zigzag Ranger District offices are historic, constructed in the 1930s by the CCC.
Scroll down for a list of Zigzag Ranger District recreation sites, sorted by activity.
Trail access is affected by recreational gate closure on Dec 1st – April 1st annually. Please see our Roads Table for current information.
This short forested trail can make a nice loop for mountain bikers when combined with the eastern segments of Still Creek Road (Forest Road 2612) and Sherar Burn Road (Forest Road 2613). The trail travels through a fairly young lodgepole pine forest and as it descends it, passes between older stands of Douglas fir. Eureka Peak is located a few miles from Trillium Lake and Still Creek Campgrounds.
Starting from the southern end at Sherar Burn Road, this single track trail descends almost the entire length to its end at Still Creek Road (Forest Road 2612). The grade varies from moderate to steep, but the trail is mostly intended for experienced mountain bikers. There is one water crossing near the bottom.
Flag Mountain Trail offers a few excellent views of Mt. Hood. Dogwood and Rhododendron bloom abundantly here in June. This lower elevation trail is free of snow much of the year.
From its northwestern end, this trail climbs steeply for almost ½ mile until it reaches the ridge. This section may be too steep for most bikers. Once on the ridge, the trail has a gentler grade, but still gains and loses elevation. For bikers, the trail is a narrower single track trail, and can be challenging on the ridge.
This trail is very kid-friendly. Only 1.9 miles long, it parallels the wild and scenic Salmon River. Although this trail is near the road, the closeness and constant sound of the river, as well as the old growth features of the forest, make this one of the most outstanding hikes on the Zigzag District.
Other than a short hill on each end, this is a relatively flat trail. It has several bridges that cross small creeks. It does pop up on to the road a couple of times since it is located on a narrow slice of land between the Salmon River and Salmon River Road.
A very pleasant forest trail that begins out of Camp Creek Campground. The middle segment of this trail contains a short boardwalk that guides the hiker through a nice wet Cedar grove.
There are a couple of steeper pitches at the beginning and end of the trail, but overall the trail is moderately easy. There is one section soon after leaving the campground that has smooth, sloped rock, which creates awkward footing for a very short distance.
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977, Timberline Lodge is one of Oregon’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing nearly two million visitors every year. Considered an architectural wonder, it’s still being used for its original intent—a magnificent ski lodge and mountain retreat for all to enjoy. Self-guided tours are available through the winter.
Open all 12 months of the year with 3,690 vertical feet and 1,415 acres of skiable terrain in winter.
Lodging Available
Timberline lodging options include: varied room sizes and prices at the main lodge and group accomodations at Silcox Hut which sits above the main lodge at 7,000 feet.
Upgrades
Timberline's Pucci lift got an upgrade in 2020 from the existing triple chair to a high-speed detachable quad. This upgrade increases uphill capacity with a user-friendly top terminal for speedy unloading.
