If you are headed out for a hike near Portland this weekend, you might want to know where the snow is melting, the flowers are blooming, and the bugs are biting. And you might want some folks to go hiking with. So here’s your news and conditions for hikes near Portland as of July 12, 2013.
To quickly check last week’s conditions, here’s that post.
Trail Conditions as of July 12, 2013
Full disclosure: Much of this comes from the wonderful site PortlandHikers.org, where I post as OneSpeed. They also have a great Field Guide where you can look for hike descriptions. Other sources are my own experiences, reports from friends, and maybe you.

Hikes Close to Portland:
- As I reported this week in my hiking section, it is “go time” for the flowers on the Saddle Mountain hike.
- The lower Cape Horn Trail will open Monday, and so will the road to Cascade Head on the coast. Yay July 15!
- The road to Cloud Cap — like to do the Cooper Spur hike on Hood — is closed but there’s another way to do that hike.
- I-84 Eastbound is closing from Friday night to Monday morning; that’s I-5 to I-205. So if you’re headed for the Gorge or Mount Hood, seek another way.
- Despite earlier reports, there’s totally a crossing (via rock-hopping) of Newton Creek on the Timberline Trail above Elk Meadows. And the flowers are starting to rock there.
- Jefferson Park was melting out but buggy on July 5-6. The same was said last week of hikes like Vista Ridge, McNeil Point, and Elk Meadows.
- Somebody found rhodies, beargrass, and a canoe on the Serene Lake (Roaring River Wilderness) loop!
- There was a 150-acre fire at Catherine Creek last week, but I don’t know how that will affect the hiking there, if at all.
- The Loowit Trail around Mount Saint Helens appeared to be snow-free as of this July 4 trip report.
- PCT from Timberline through White Canyon and down to Timothy is clear.
- Lookout Mountain is snow-free, and I’m leading it July 20 for the Mazamas. (Here’s the whole list of my upcoming hikes.)
Random Bits of News:
- There is a new bus pass system on the coast that lets you buy one pass and use regional transit systems in multiple areas. Awesome idea for traveling the coast or hiking the Oregon Coast Trail.
- The Mount Hood National Forest has a new Hood River office — and they announced that the Cloud Cap Road is closed until “later this summer.”
- There’s a new blog called Explore Portland Nature that has some interesting stuff on it, much of it family-friendly — and they’re looking for writers.
Love a Trail
The fine folks at Trailkeepers of Oregon will be maintaing a local favorite, the Mirror Lake Trail, on July 13. Sign up here to show some love and affection for the trails we all love so much.

Join a Hiking Group
Maybe you want to go hiking but either don’t know where to go, don’t have a car, or don’t have a crowd of hiking friends? Check out one of these groups for weekend, and the occasional weekday, outings. For some of these you might want to look ahead a couple weeks on the links, to get a spot.
- I am leading hikes for the Mazamas on Wednesday July 17 to Siouxon Creek and Wildcat Falls, and on Saturday, July 20, to Lookout Mountain. Contact me if you’re interested.
- Mazamas also have hikes this weekend to Forest Park, Angels Rest, Yocum Ridge, Dry Creek Falls, and Nestor Peak. Here’s their schedule.
- The Trails Club has a membership hike to their fantastic Nesika Lodge in the Gorge Saturday. They also have regular Wednesday hikes. Details here.
- The Sierra Club is going to Ape Cave on Sunday.
- The Oregon Nordic Club — yes, they go hiking, too — next outing is July 17, the big loop at Trapper Creek Wilderness.
- The Friends of the Columbia Gorge are Silver Star and Larch Mountain this weekend, and Cape Horn on Tuesday.
- The Mount Saint Helens Institute has field seminars starting August 3 but also offers guided hikes; the next one is a July 21 “doggie hike” on the Toutle River.
- Oregon Wild has hikes all over the state; the next one is July 13 to Tidbits Mountain, leaving from Eugene.
- I won’t even try to keep up with all the groups at Meetup.com, but here are some hiking-related ones around Portland:
- Portland Hiking Meetup Group is a biggie.
- Portland Outdoor Adventurers Club also has more than 3,000 members.
- The Backpacking Bunch
- NW Wilderness
- Portland Metro Urban Hikers
- Wild Mind Outdoor Community (meditation bent)
- Contemplative Hiking Society (also spiritual)
Current conditions (+ news and group hikes) for hikes near Portland this weekend: http://t.co/dS2Td0pI1O