Accessible Trails in Oregon's Mt. Hood Area

Wildwood Recreation Area

Directions:

From Portland, travel 39 miles east of Portland on U.S. 26. The entrance to Wildwood Recreation Area is one mile west of Welches just past the 39 mile marker.

Features:

This recreation area was designed with universal access in mind! There are wheelchair-accessible trails throughout and accessible facilities to support it.

The Cascade Streamwatch Trail is a paved, three-quarter-mile trail adjacent to the Wild and Scenic Salmon River with Interpretive displays describing points of interest. Boardwalks allow close up views of natural stream and wetlands.

Visitors can see young salmon and steelhead in a small side channel through an accesssible viewing window . This stream-profile viewing chamber provides an underwater "fish-eye" view of salmon habitat.

The side channel is a small branch of the Salmon River that provides critical rearing habitat for juvenile coho, chinook, steelhead, and cutthroat.. A small fraction of the water from the Salmon River branches off from the mainstem and then flows back into the Salmon River about a 1/4 mile later.

The Wildwood Wetlands Trail is a one-mile loop of gravel and paved foot paths and elevated boardwalk that accesses the heart of a vast wetland area where many different wildlife species live.

Other:

Accessible restrooms and picnic areas. A small fee is required to enter the recreation area and there is a station after the turnoff to collect money. NW Forest Passes are not accepted in lieu of the fee.

View a KATU video about this area.

Lost Creek Nature Trail

Directions:

From Portland on Hwy 26, drive 42 miles to Zigzag. Turn left onto East Lolo Pass Road and continue for 4 miles. At a fork in the road turn east on Road 1825. Lost Creek Picnic area and the trail are 2.2 miles further.

Features:

A paved, accessible .5 mile starts in the campground opposite the day use parking lot and loops along the forested bluff of Lost Creek. The trail has interpretive signage as it passes through beaver ponds, wetlands, mountain hemlock and old-growth forest of cedar and Douglas fir.

A spur off the loop leads to a creek overlook. In the middle of Lost Creek you can view jagged-topped snags from the Mt. Hood eruption of 1781. Over years, the creek cut through the soft, ash deposit. These stumps are all that remains of the mudflow that buried this area. A boardwalk spur leads to a fishing platform. A third spur leads to an overlook of a beaver pond.

Other:

The campground is constructed to be entirely barrier-free and there are accessible campground sites, restrooms, a picnic area and fishing piers. Benches are provided for sitting along the trail.

Lost Lake Old Growth Trail

Directions:

From Portland - on Hwy 26, drive 42 miles to Zigzag. Turn left onto East Lolo Pass Road and continue for 10.5 miles to Lolo Pass. Turn right on Road 1810 for 4 miles until it reconnects with FS Rd. 18.  Follow FS Rd 18 to FS Rd. 13, and turn left (south) and follow FS Rd. 13 to Lost Lake. Keep right at the lake to the east picnic area parking lot.

Features:

The Lost Lake Old Growth trail is half gravel, half boardwalk trail and a 1-mile loop among old-growth forest: western red cedars, hemlocks, Douglas and Pacific Silver firs. The barrier-free trail runs north and south between A Loop Campground and the Organization Camp. Spurs lead to couple of decked lakeside fishing platforms. Numerous interpretive signs set along the trail provide information about the ecology of the area.

The Lakeshore Express trail is a short, half mile trail that connects the Old Growth Trail with the Lost Lake shoreline at the public boat launch. It is a little more strenuous but is still barrier free

The Lakeshore trail circling the lake is barrier-free from the group camp to the viewpoint. Wheelers can't complete the perimeter trail around the lake due to stairs.

Trillium Lake

Directions:

Drive 2 miles east of Government Camp on Hwy 26, turn south on FS Road #2650 for about 2 miles. Park at a picnic area.

Features:

Trillium Lake offers a variety of accessible recreational opportunities, including fishing, boating, and hiking and birding. This alpine lake is surrounded by evergreen forest with incredible views of Mt. Hood from the 1.7 mile gravel trail around the lake. The trail passes ADA picnic tables, fishing piers, and camping sites.

Other:

Facilities are wheelchair accessible.

There is a boat ramp, picnic facilities, and a wheel-chair accessible fishing dock.

Little Crater and Timothy Lakes

Directions:

From Government Camp go 13 miles east on Hwy 26, go south on Forest Service Road #42 (Skyline Rd), for 5 more miles; then go west on Forest Service Road #58 for 2 more miles to the campground.

Features:

The Timothy Lake trail is a mostly flat, 12-mile loop around the Lake with breathtaking views of Mt. Hood and beautiful forests.

Be sure to get a look at nearby Little Crater Lake, a cold, crystal clear, blue lake located 300 feet down an accessible trail from the Little Crater campground. The trail first crosses a meadow with view of Mt. Hood. then enters a small stand of trees which open up onto tiny Little Crater Lake. A viewing deck, bench and information sign are at the lake.

The spring-fed lake is 45 deep and less than 100 feet in diameter. It is not suitable for fishing, but is very scenic.

To this point, a distance of only 800', the trail is barrier-free. The trail continues another 800 ' to the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, but a fence on a stile blocks wheelchair access to the Pacific Crest Trail which continues the 10.8 mile loop around Timothy lake.

Other:

Besides the wheelchair accessible trail around Timothy lake, there is a large T-float by dam for wheelchair accessible fishing, with hard packed trail to attractive wood deck.

There are four campgrounds at Timothy Lake with a total of over 200 spaces. Hoodview Campground and Gone Creek Campground are the most scenic with a spectacular view of Mt. Hood. Oakfork and Pine Point are excellent but the view is not quite as good.

Little Crater campground offers 16 sites for tents, trailers, or RVs up to 22 ft. The campground offers drinking water and wheelchair accessibility.