Portland Hiking News, Conditions and Schedule for October 25

Every week I try to bring readers up to date on the latest hiking news and conditions, as well a sampler of what local hiking groups are up to this weekend. Here’s the installment for October 25, 2013.

Best Fall colors hikes near Portland
It’s fall colors time for just a little while longer!

Conditions

First, the weekend weather looks basically pretty good — I mean, at this point they’re not showing real rain in the forecast until November 3! Where are we???

Scouring around the Internet, I’ve mainly been keeping an eye on fall colors. And here’s a list of the best fall colors hikes near Portland, by the way. One on that list is one of my favorites:s the Ape Canyon hike near Mount St. Helens. Another good way to track fall colors is to check this thread on PortlandHikers.org.

Of course, we’re not far from having to track snow levels, so here’s that thread from the same awesome site.

Marquam Nature Park
There are new trails to enjoy in Marquam Nature Park.

Hiking Events

The Friends of Marquam Nature Park have been doing a lot of work lately, and they have new trails and four new bridges to show off at an event this Sunday. From the Friends:

Hike the new trails in Marquam Nature Park

Sunday, October 27th, 2013, 2-4 p.m.

Meet at 3799 SW 12th and SW Gaines  at the Marquam Nature Park entrance at 2 p.m. We will leave there at 2 and check out the 55 foot bridge about 200 feet inside the park. Hear the story about how the beams were placed with rigging and small trail equipment. We will leave the 55 foot bridge about 2:30 to walk the new trail that goes up to Fairmount Avenue. If people have time we will walk down the new trail that connects to Terwilliger Avenue. Then we will circle back to the 55 foot bridge and the SW 12th entrance.

Join the trailbuilders for a tour of the new 1.5 mile of new trail and the four new bridges.

McNeil Point is one of the best hike near Mount Hood.
McNeil Point Trail, above Timberline Trail.

Recent Hike Reports

On days like today, when I am working instead of hiking, I can at least read reports from other hikers and get some ideas for where to go.

This report from Vista Ridge and Barret Spur was pretty inspiring, and since it hasn’t rained or snowed since it was posted, I imagine you could still get up there and do that one. This one from Timberline Lodge to ZigZag Canyon is a little out of date, but somebody else made it to Paradise Park without snowshoes earlier this week! Somebody else camped above McNeil Point this week, too. Crazy October.

Olallie Lake was snow-free and crazy with fall colors on October 23, and closer to home Timothy Lake was “stunning” just a few days before. Cape Falcon on the coast was a mushroom haven a week ago, and probably still would be. And Silver Star Mountain looked mighty nice in this report from October 20.

And finally, you might have heard we have a new state park on the John Day River, Cottonwood Canyon. Well, my friend Eric went to check it out.

Mazamas will get you to Pup Creek Falls this weekend.
Mazamas will get you to Pup Creek Falls this weekend.

Group Hikes This Weekend

An attempt to summarize where various hiking groups and clubs are off to this weekend:

  • Mazamas have hikes to Round Lake, Eagle Creek and Silver Star on Saturday, then Pup Creek Falls on the Clackamas, Observation Peak in Trapper Creek Wilderness, and Nesmith Point in the Gorge on Sunday. Details here.
  • The Adventurous Young Mazamas (roughly under 40) are off to hike the Little North Santiam River on Saturday. Advance registration required.
  • Sierra Club is headed for Mirror Lake and Tom-Dick-Harry Mountain on Saturday, then Lava Canyon and Herman Creek Sunday. Details here.
  • Friends of the Columbia Gorge have a petroglyph tour on Saturday (members only) as well as public hike to Latourell Falls on Saturday and Starvation Creek and Cape Horn on Sunday. Details here.
  • Oregon Wild appears to be all about mushroom these days, with “mushroom hikes” on Saturday to Eagle Creek, Monday to Herman Creek, and Wednesday to Larch Mountain. Details here.
  • And of course there are about a dozen local hiking-related groups on Meetup.com. Search for them here and join one.

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I don’t just hike, though: I’m also the Portland Breakfast Guy. Check out BreakfastinBridgetown.com.