Snowshoeing

18
Feb
2017
jloomis

Snowshoeing from White River SnoPark, Oregon

Picture of snowshoeing along White River, Oregon

My sister Jessica and her boyfriend Nathan came to visit us this weekend from Nevada. We had a full weekend planned with lots of snow play. On Saturday we all decided to head to White River Sno-Park (off hwy 35) to snowshoe up to Boy Scout Ridge. This hike is about 2-2.5 miles (~1,800' elevation gain) depending on how far up you go and can have great views when the sun is out. It has been some years since we were last here and I am sure it was on another poor weather day.

10
Jan
2016
jloomis

Twin Lakes Snowshoeing with our Mini Adventurer

Picture of Katie and Julian snowshoeing to Trillium Lake, Oregon

It has been a while since Katie and I have snowshoed, so we finally planned a trip Sunday to Twin Lakes. Our Mini Adventurer traveled along on my back. Twin Lakes are a pair of hike-in lakes near Frog Lake about 8 miles SE of Government Camp, Oregon. It's about a 2.2 mile hike each way to the first lake (the bigger of the two). It was a beautiful day today with the temperature around 28°F with partly cloudy skies. Frog Lake SnoPark was already packed with dog sled racers by the time we arrived around 8:15 AM.

09
Dec
2012
jloomis

Skiing and Snowshoeing Boy Scout Ridge - Mt Hood, Oregon

Picture of Boy Scout Ridge - Mt Hood, Oregon

Katie and I went out on our first snow adventure of the season together today. Even though the weather forecast was not great, we were both happy to be out doing what we love. We decided to head to White River Sno-Park (off hwy 35) to ski and snowshoe up to Boy Scout Ridge. This hike is about 2-2.5 miles (~1,800' elevation gain) depending on how far up you go and can have great views when the sun is out. The last time we were here was about two years ago on another poor weather day.

26
Feb
2012
kloomis

Snowshoeing to Tilly Jane A-Frame Cabin and Cooper Spur Stone Shelter - Mt Hood, Oregon

Tilly Jane A-Frame Cabin

In an effort to take advantage of the relatively good weather promised on Sunday, Jason and I decided to venture to Cooper Spur and snow shoe 7.4 miles round trip to the Tilly Jane A-Frame Cabin and Cooper Spur Stone Shelter. We left Portland early and arrived at Tilly Jane SnoPark just below Cooper Spur Ski area around 8 AM. Cooper Spur is located on the Northeast side of Mount Hood approximately 23 miles South of Hood River, Oregon. The parking area was nearly full when we arrived, with most vehicles having obviously been left for a day or more.

19
Feb
2012
jloomis

Snowmobiling to Bonney Meadows and Snowshoeing to Echo Point, Oregon

Mt Hood from Hwy 48

My friend Matt and I spent Sunday snowmobiling and snowshoeing around Bonney Meadows. We had been hoping to go climbing over the weekend, but the weather did not cooperate, so we chose snowmobiling instead. We set off early, arriving at Frog Lake SnoPark around 7:30 AM. We were the first in the SnoPark besides a few overnight vehicles. Our plan was to snowmobile about 18 miles to Bonney Meadows and then snowshoe about half a mile up to Echo Point. Bonney Meadows is on the Southeast side of Mt. Hood about 1.5 miles NW of Boulder Lake.

12
Feb
2012
jloomis

Hall House - Fish Lake Remount Depot, Oregon

Hall House - Fish Lake Remount Depot, Oregon

Katie and I took the day off Friday to spend the weekend at Hall House, part of the Fish Lake Remount Depot. It's a historic site with a handful of structures including two cabins (Hall House & Commissary Cabin) which can be rented during the winter. The first building on the site was a roadhouse built in 1867. Hall House was built in 1924 as a summer residence for forest supervisor C.C. Hall. The area was used as a remount depot by the Forest Service from 1905 until 2005 when the last packer and pack string came through. Today it serves as an interpretive site.

22
Jan
2012
jloomis

Snowshoeing to Clear Lake Lookout Tower, Oregon

Clear Lake Lookout Tower, Oregon

We booked two nights at the Clear Lake Lookout Tower six months ago as dates fill up very quickly. The Forest Service opens it up for reservations in the winter months only, as it is still an active fire lookout during the summer. Clear Lake Lookout is located Southeast of Government Camp, Oregon. The trail starts from the Skyline SnoPark. It's about 3.6 miles from the SnoPark along FSR 42 and then up the 240 spur road. It's popular with snowmobilers, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers, so be sure to share the road.

04
Dec
2011
jloomis

Snowshoeing to Badger Butte, Oregon

Badger Lake from Badger Butte

December has been dry and sunny, but cool, so far. We haven't had any new snow in the mountains since our big storms in November, but thanks to colder temperatures, little has melted above 4,000 feet in elevation. Katie and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather on Sunday and headed to Bennett Pass SnoPark for a day of snowmobiling and snowshoeing. Bennett Pass SnoPark is approximately 9 miles East of Government Camp, Oregon across Hwy 35 from Mount Hood Meadows ski resort. The trails at Bennett Pass are mostly used by cross country skiers and snowshoers.

26
Nov
2011
jloomis

Snowmobiling and Christmas Tree Hunting Near Mt Hood, Oregon

Mt Hood, Oregon

After spending all day Friday driving to John Day, Oregon to buy a couple snowmobiles, Katie and I were anxious to take them for a ride on Saturday. We have a tradition of heading toward Mt. Hood the Saturday after Thanksgiving to hunt for Christmas trees, so we planned to test out the sleds before looking for a tree. We unloaded our snowmobiles at Frog Lake SnoPark, which is about 7 miles Southeast of Government Camp off hwy 26. We arrived early before the crowds showed up, so we had the trails to ourselves except for a few sled dog teams.

16
Oct
2011
jloomis

Solo Climb of Mount Hood, Oregon in October

Mt Hood in October

It's been awhile since my last climb, but mother nature cooperated on Sunday, providing ideal conditions for climbing Mount Hood via the South route. My climbing partner wasn't able to join me, so I went up solo on this trip. October is often a poor month to climb Hood due to rockfall, but this year's combination of leftover snow and a couple early season snow storms yielded great conditions on Sunday. There have been several freeze-thaw cycles the past week to consolidate the new snow.

24
Jul
2011
kloomis

Snowshoeing In July: Illumination Rock - Mount Hood, Oregon

Illumination Rock - Mount Hood, Oregon

After spending Saturday cleaning house and hearing about Jason’s summit attempt on North Sister, I was ready for another adventure. Never one to sit still for long, Jason was game for more activity after a good night's sleep. Temperatures were expected to climb into the upper-80’s on Sunday, so we decided it might be fun to beat the heat with an adventure to Illumination Rock on Mount Hood. At 9,543’ elevation, Illumination Rock sits on the Southwest side of the mountain, North-Northwest of Palmer chairlift.

17
Apr
2011
jloomis

Lookout Mountain Climb in the Snow

Summit of Lookout Mountain, Oregon

On Saturday, Matt, his friend Al, and I went on a climb (non-technical) to Lookout Mountain. At 6,525 feet, Lookout Mountain is second in elevation only to Mount Hood within the Mt. Hood National Forest. The trailhead is about 4.5 miles Northeast of the Mount Hood Meadows turnoff on Hwy 35. The weather forecast was a mixed bag with rain showers predicted and a freezing level of around 6,000 feet. As it was still early spring, our 7.4 mile round-trip route was different from the normal trail due to the amount of snow above 4,500 feet elevation.

23
Mar
2011
kloomis

Snowshoeing Maxwell Butte near Sisters, Oregon

Summit of Maxwell Butte, Oregon

After spending much of the winter enjoying the sights and peaks of the Northern Oregon Cascades, Jason and I decided to travel further South and snowshoe to Maxwell Butte on Sunday. We left early, hoping to avoid any Spring Break traffic and have the trail at least partially to ourselves. Our reward was a nearly empty parking lot. The only cars there had clearly been left overnight. The sky was high overcast with a slight breeze and 29° F temperature when we arrived. Maxwell SnoPark is located approximately 28 miles Northwest of Sisters, Oregon along Highway 22.

22
Mar
2011
jloomis

Snowshoeing Barlow Butte, Oregon

Summit of Barlow Butte, Oregon

After a fun night snow camping at Devils Half Acre Meadow, Matt and I took off on snowshoes for Barlow Butte. Since we were camped at the base of the butte on the Western side, we chose to go almost straight up from there. Our route was about 0.6 miles each way. The temperature was in the mid 20s F with no wind and mostly sunny skies. This was one of those times I regretted not bringing my sunglasses.

21
Mar
2011
jloomis

Snow Camping at Devils Half Acre Meadow Campground, Oregon

Devil's Half Acre Meadow Campground in the Winter

On Friday night, my friend John and I headed off with fully loaded pulk sleds to snow camp at Devils Half Acre Meadow. We left my house at about 2:30 PM and set out from the Barlow Pass SnoPark at around 4 PM. Another friend, Matt, planned to meet us there just after dark. It's an easy 1.2 mile hike downhill to the campground, which was our destination. The campground sits right at the base of Barlow Butte. The weather was a comfortable 29°F with moderate to heavy snow fall.

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