Last of the Season Hiking and Mountain Biking

Just a few weeks left until it will be too cold, wet, or snowy to hike or bike out in the rugged terrain of the Mt. Hood forest. But today is gorgeous, and it seemed like a perfect indication that a last minute reminder may give a few die-hards out there the opportunity to try out a new trail!

This trail is about an 8 mile loop trail with an elevation gain of just under 1700 ft. Moderately difficult, with moderate trail conditions through old growth, ferns, and berry bushes into the timberline zone where the vegetation thins drastically. The top ridge is the crossroads of the Burnt Lake Trail and the Zig Zag Mt. Trail with a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood from nearly 700 ft above Burnt Lake. It's still another 200 ft. to the summit where you can view the Cascades mountain tops in all their glory. Follow the trail contuing to the west, down the ridge to meet up with Cast Creek Trail, taking the south path following Zig Zag Mt. Trail until it again meets the Burnt Lake Trail. Another (slightly shorter and more direct) route would be too take the Devil's Tie Trail from the Zig Zag Mt. Trail, which will reconnect with the Burnt Lake Trail, but you miss the simmit views. The hike ends with a nice cool-down walk back to the trailhead. You can get directions and more detailed information by visiting this website.