Owl Point Via Old Vista Ridge Trail 7/1/13

http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Owl_Point_from_Vista_Ridge_Hike

On Sunday, we decided to head up to Mt Hood for an "easy" hike.  We chose to do Owl point via the Old Vista Ridge trail.  I have seen a few trip reports on the Portland Hikers website for it recently and noticed that it has appeared in William Sullivan's 100 Hikes in NW Oregon (revised for 2013-14).

We have been to the trailhead a few other times, to go up to Wy' East Basin and Elk Cove.  Since EB I84 was closed for paving, I thought I would just head down Burnside to HWY 26 and take Lolo Pass rd to the trailhead.  When I came to the end of Lolo pass, I didnt remember which road to take ( and of course my map app on my phone wasnt picking up a signal).  After turning on my Garmin, we eventually figured out to go down FS 18.  Going this way (as opposed to coming in from the north) is a lot more bumpy, but you do get some nice views of Mt Hood.

Mt Hood from Lolo Pass road (photo bomb courtesy of Butterfly)

We finally arrived to the TH around noon and were on the trail by about 1220.  The first 1/3 mile was familiar to us, as mentioned above.  Once we filled out our registration at the FS box, we headed on the trail to Owl point.  The trail starts heading up pretty quickly. 

After about .7 miles, there are two viewpoints on the right side of the trail.  You can see the devastation from the Dollar Lake fire that occurred in 2011.  It is amazing how there are patches that were relatively unscathed amidst the devastation. 

 

View of Mt Hood from first viewpoint on trail

 A short walk after the viewpoint, there is rock pile on the left side of the trail, with boulders that are almost elephant-sized.  (pics to follow soon)

Diego Rivera posing on a tree that was growing sideways

 The trail is in really good condition and has been cleaned up a lot in the last year, or so.  After the large rock pile, the trail looses a little elevation and comes to a meadow.  The trail disappears in the meadow (which I'm sure will change, when more people start checking this place out), but you can easily see where it picks up again.

enjoying one of the level spots on the trail

 After the meadow, the trail beings to climb again.  This is where the junction is to get to "The Rockpile".  We decided we would come back to it after we checked out Owl Point.

Junction-Which way do we go now?

It was just another 1/4 mile to Owl Point.  Amazing views!!  As we came to the "summit", we noticed a registration box.  There was a log, a view of Mt hood(with points labeled) and a photo book.  (photos to come soon).

View of Mt Hood from Owl Point

We found a nice spot, in the shade, to have some lunch.  We had decided to forgo making lunch and had swung by Subway on the way and grabbed a sandwich and some Cheetos.

Lunch always hits the spot when your hiking!!

What is the smell of yums coming form this bag?

I cant wait until my ma'ams give me some of these!!

We are all waiting for the Cheetos bag to be opened ;)

Give me a chip now!! Please?!?!

Finally!!

View of Mt Hood from our lunch spot

After enjoying some food, we took in the view for a little longer and then started heading back down the trail.  We went down the the Rockpile junction and went to check it out.  The trail quickly disappears.  I kept thinking that I found it again, but was never successful.  I did manage to step on some uneven ground and do a graceful fall into a sapling (which helped break my fall and I only received some minor scratches).  We decided to not try to find the trail and just head back to the car.

The Beargrass blooms are coming to the end of their lifespan now, but there were a lot of Avalanche lilies to be seen.  I saw a lot of greenery that looked like would have flowers in the near future. The mosquito's seemed to just be coming on in the area.

We got back to the car at about 430 and headed home.  This time, we opted to go out through Hood River.  It is a little longer in distance, but takes less time this way.