A scenic forest hike on Mount Hood that follows the Pacific Crest Trail along Ghost Ridge, with side trails that lead to Twin Lakes and Palmateer Point.

distance: 7 miles (out and back)
elevation gain: 850 ft.
high point: 4,557 ft.
difficulty: easy
drive time from Portland: 1 hour 20 minutes
parking pass: NW Forest Pass

After last week’s hot weather, it felt great to trade the heat for a cold, wet, foggy day on Mount Hood. Starting at Barlow Pass, we followed the Pacific Crest Trail up Ghost Ridge, then took the Twin Lakes Trail to a creek crossing before turning around and retracing our steps.

It was much colder than I expected for the end of June, with temperatures in the low 40s. My hands stayed cold all day, so I kept my gloves on the entire hike. During our lunch break, the temperature dropped even more, and I swapped my fleece for a puffy jacket until I warmed back up.

I had hoped we’d find a few more wildflowers this late in June. Most of the forest understory here is covered with huckleberry shrubs, making this an especially beautiful hike in the fall when the leaves turn shades of yellow, orange, and red. The trail remains in the forest almost the entire way, with only a few small meadows scattered along the route. Near the start of the hike, several Washington lilies were beginning to bloom. We also saw a handful of purple lupines and a few patches of scarlet paintbrush, but there wasn’t much else flowering.

Once we were on the Twin Lakes trail, there were quite a few small blowdowns on the trail, but all were easy to go over.

We had planned to continue to Palmateer Point, but a creek crossing would have meant getting my feet soaked when they were already cold, so we turned around and retraced our route instead.

Even with the colder-than-expected weather, I love hiking on cool, misty days like this. The fog softens the forest, deepens the greens, and creates a peaceful atmosphere that’s completely different from hiking the same trail on a warm, sunny day.