Mount Hood from the Timberline Trail

Mount Hood from McNeil Point.

Several years ago I hiked a section of the northern Timberline Trail with a friend.  They say the prettiest and quietest meadows on Mount Hood are on its north flanks - opposite the crowds at Timberline Lodge.  I would have to agree.

The meadows were fantastic along the Timberline Trail and above.  Surprisingly to me, the trail was devoid of people.  We encountered very few people on this trip, and the few that we did were day hikers.

We spent our first evening climbing up McNeil Point.  The lighting was fantastic at the end as we watched it fade on the mountain.  Unfortunately, the sky didn't offer many clouds for drama, so it was mostly about the experience.

Mount Hood reflected in a tarn along the Timberline Trail.

The next morning we awoke early and returned to Dollar Lake, which we had scouted the day prior.  We then marched upward toward the top of Barrett Spur to get some more photography in before the late became too harsh.

The off-trail explorations were numerous and quite fun!  The scenery, of course, was incredible.

I've had three images from this trip appear in various publications - all shown here.

Mount Hood from Barrett Spur.

The most recent image is the top one from McNeil Point.  It is currently being featured as a full page image in a book being distributed world-wide.

This is an area I've always vowed I would like to return, only later in the year when I little more snow is present on the upper slopes of the mountain.  Perhaps this could be that year?

You can view these images of Mount Hood and more in my Mount Hood Gallery.

I highly encourage you to check this area out for yourself.  It's a bit of a drive from the Seattle area, but the scenery and solitude is well worth it.

As always, thanks for looking!