Mt. Hood Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
Scenic Byway
Forest Primeval
As the log decays, it becomes a “nurse” to
Forest Primeval
Old Growth Nurse Logs
Fallen and decaying logs are one of the structural elements of an old-growth forest. They provide homes for insects, amphibians, and small mammals. Fungi thrive in this habitat. As the log decays, it becomes a “nurse” to young trees.
More Than Just Old Trees
You are standing in a rare forest—but one much like those that once dominated the Pacific Northwest. It’s an old-growth forest, where some of the trees are more than 150 years in age. In addition to these grand trees, old-growth forests have lots of dead wood, many layers in the canopy, and a colorful medley of plant and animal life.
The Only Constant Is Change
Today’s old-growth forests evolved from disturbances (such as fire, wind, and disease) and the climate conditions of the last millennium. The particular composition and structure of these forests may not occur again under modern climate and disturbance regimes, because these regimes have increasingly been altered by human hands.
Why We Care
We are only scratching the surface in understanding the values of old growth forests, some of which may save lives. For example, researchers discovered in the 1980s that the taxol in Pacific yew trees—which slows their growth to only four inches in diameter in hundreds of years—also slows the growth of cancer cells. Today, a synthetic version of taxol is widely used in cancer treatment.
Scientists are currently examining the importance of old-growth forests as a buffer against mounting climate change pressures, such as rising temperatures and declining snow levels. With their closed canopies and moist environments, old-growth forests are predicted to remain cooler for longer periods of time, providing refuge for species that depend on these conditions. Other studies have confirmed the significant role that old-growth forests play in removing carbon from the atmosphere.
To learn more about our forests visit the World Forestry Center in Portland, or www.worldforestry.org
Trillium and iris are two of many wildflowers that decorate old-growth forests in the Cascade Mountains.
The conservation of old growth forests is part of the mission of the US Forest Service.
As you walk along the trail, engage all of your senses. Touch a tree’s protective bark, smell the soil, listen to the river, immerse yourself, and enjoy this rare environment.
How many life forms can you identify on a nurse log?
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway Caring for the Land and Serving People
Reflections of Grandeur Mirror Lake trail is 1.5 miles to the lake with a steady gain of 700 feet in elevation. Its glass-like waters provide a perfect reflecting surface to view and photograph Mt. Hood. From the lake, hikers can venture up the trail another 1.7 miles to summit Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, and on clear days, be rewarded with vistas of the Cascade Range.
Who Needs an Avatar?
In today’s high-tech world many of our children are disconnected from nature. Recent scientific findings support the parental refrain- “Go outside and play!” Experiencing nature first hand has many physical and emotional benefits that help children grow strong and confident. Learn more about nature-deficit disorder by visiting Children & Nature Network at www.childrenandnature.org.
Help keep this area special!Be prepared to share the trail with fellow hikers.
And “Leave No Trace” for the next visitors.
Be PreparedAre you ready for a safe and fun adventure? Check that you have:
Mountains the world over have historic and cultural threads that are woven into the fabric of human society. People cherish the tapestry of mountain landscapes for their beauty and bounty. These ideas drew citizen diplomats from around the world to the first meeting of the World Famous Mountains Association at Lushan, China in 2010. Thus, a partnership was born between Oregon’s Mt. Hood and China’s Lushan (or Mt. Lu) to promote sustainable tourism, teach conservation education, protect fragile mountain ecosystems, and honor cultural legacies.
China’s sacred Mt. Lu (also call “Golden Mountain”) is situated in southeastern China. Shrouded in a sea of clouds most of the year,
Lushan is known for its steep peaks (the highest is Great Han Yang Peak at 4,836 feet/1,474 meters),
roaring waterfalls, picturesque lakes, an ancient religious academy, a world-class botanical garden,
and many western-styled villas.
A Mountain Retreat
For centuries, Lushan has been a place of refuge and learning for mystics and monks, artists and scholars, poets and missionaries. By the late 19th century, picturesque scenery and a hospitable climate made Lushan a world-famous summer resort. In 1895, Reverend Edward Selby Little, an Englishman, leased land near Ku-niu-ling (Bull Peak) for a settlement. He called it “Kuling” for its cooling breezes that contrasted with the blistering heat and virulent tropical diseases in the Yangtze River Valley below.
During the early 20th century, Kuling was a retreat for Christian missionaries (including the family of Nobel prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck), businessmen, and wealthy Chinese who occupied an estimated 600 western-style villas. The Kuling American School provided year-round schooling from 1916 to 1937. However, the onset of World War II forced Westerners to leave this “Shangri-La.”
Established in 1934, Lushan Botanical Garden,
a subtropical mountain garden, prominently features
pines, cypress trees, and rhododendrons among its 3,400 varieties of plants. Metasequoia, nicknamed “living fossil,” is among
the garden’s most precious native specimens. Lushan
Botanical Garden and Portland’s Hoyt Arboretum
share an interest in plants with genetic roots in both Asia and North America.
The love for these sister mountains has planted a new seed of international friendship and understanding.
To find out more about Lushan, visit www.China-Lushan.com/English/. To learn about the Lushan International Institute of Language and Culture, visit www.kulingamericanschool.org.
Chinese character for mountain
Kuling Lake and waterfall
(Steven Harnsberger)
(Steven Harnsberger)
Kuling’s Importance(Pearl S. Buck in “My Several Worlds,” 1954)
“There were other summer resorts, but none of them, we felt, compared with Kuling. It was much more than a summer resort, it was a lifesaving station, especially in the early years of my childhood before it was known how some of the worst of the tropical diseases, against which white people seemed to have no immunity whatever, were carried…The death of children had really compelled white parents to find some place where families could go for the worst months of our tropically hot summers, and my father had been one of the little group of white men who explored the famous Lu mountains, where old temples had existed for centuries in a climate so salubrious that it was said the priests lived forever…”The air up there is like the Alleghenies” my father said, “and the brooks run clear.”
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Mt. Hood Caring for the Land and Serving People
Effects of Receding Glaciers
Effects of Receding Glaciers
The Lid’s Off
Why have flooding and debris flows on Mt. Hood become more frequent and severe over recent years? There are several factors, but it’s generally attributed to receding glaciers and snowfields exposing easily erodable sediment. Glaciers and snowfields act like lids on top of enormous amounts of loose volcanic and glacial sediment. Without the lids, rain turns the sediment loose down the steep mountain slope.
The 2006 Rain-on-Snow Event
In November 2006, a Pineapple Express storm deposited 25-40 inches of rain within a week. The saturated soil along with excessive amounts of water resulted in one of the largest debris flows on Mt. Hood since its last eruptive period. An estimated 800,000 cubic yards of debris—an amount equal to covering a football field to a height of 132 feet—flooded the White River, destroying sections of Highway 35 and closing the bridge for several weeks. The majority of the sediment came from the recently exposed pyroclastic-flow deposits in the upper basin.
Without glaciers to keep a lid on volcanic sediment, significant debris flows will follow heavy rains.
The Pineapple Express
Moisture-laden tropical storms—known as the Pineapple Express— bring enormous amounts of warm rain to the Cascade Mountains in winter. The warm rain melts the snowpack, exposing glaciers and sheering off their impermeable surface. Massive torrents of melted snow, rainwater, and debris careen downhill.
The down river side of the White River Bridge showing 15-20 feet of fill
Tributary culvert on the north end of White River bridge; Road 48 is about 50 yards north and to the right
White River Drainage
Loose volcanic sediment in the upper White River drainage is easily eroded.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has monitored the glaciers on Mt. Hood for over a hundred years (photo above taken in 2009). In that time they have recorded the glaciers melting, receding, and changing from glaciers to snowfields—a glacier that no longer moves.
Newton-Clark Pyroclastic Ridge
Pineapple Express Storms generate in the
tropics and drop their moisture when they hit
the Cascade Mountains.
Highway 35 south of Pocket Creek Snopark; Clark Creek is flowing along the west side of the highway toward Newton Creek box culvert where it crossed the road
Alaska
Oregon
Hawaii
(Above photos by Doug Jones)
You are here
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Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Mt. Hood Caring for the Land and Serving People
A Highway Runs Through It
An Engineering Challenge
Is it possible to design and build a bridge over a river that is constantly changing due to extreme flooding and debris flows? And is it possible for the design to meet safety standards as well as be sensitive to environmental concerns? This was the challenge facing transportation engineers after the bridge was severely damaged in the 2006 rain-on-snow event. Planners considered relocating the highway. However, because of the commercial importance of its current location this wasn’t a viable option.
An Elegant Solution
By raising the bridge and creating more flow outlets, the 2010 design allows for river channel movement and peak debris flows to move down river nearly unimpeded. The bridge piers have been hardened to withstand powerful forces of debris flow events. There is no doubt that future events will put this design to the test.
A Critical Artery
Oregon State Highway 35 is a critical artery to the state’s economic and social network, affecting the lives of thousands of residents every day. However, the
highway is vulnerable to natural events on Mt. Hood that can cause severe damage in a heartbeat. Washouts have closed the route
20 times since 1907. Reopening and reinforcing the artery has been critical to the health of Oregon’s transportation
and commerce.
Because of Highway 35’s significance and the nature of Mt. Hood, maintaining a viable transportation
corridor will always be a challenge.
White River drainage
A Highway Runs Through It
Old White River bridge
after a debris flow (Oregon
Department of Transportation)
The White River Bridge under construction, 2011(Oregon Department of Transportation)
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Mt. Hood Caring for the Land and Serving People
BackcountryRetreat
The Mountain Beckons
William Mead Ladd ~ Oscar Stranahan Dr. Thomas Lamb Eliot ~ Sarah Langille
Captain Henry Coe ~ Dr. P. G. Barrett ~“Tilly Jane” Ladd David Rose Cooper ~ Oliver C. Yocum ~ Fred H. McNeil
These are some of the men and women whose names define the north side of Mt. Hood. Some were pioneer settlers; others were mountaineers. All were drawn to the mountain.
Cloud Cap Inn
More than a century ago, rugged individuals carved a toehold high on the north slope of Mt. Hood. In 1885, David Rose Cooper, Capt. Henry Coe, and Oscar L. Stranahan built a primitive wagon road to the 6,000 foot level. They operated a rustic tent hotel east of Ghost Ridge below Eliot Glacier. William M. Ladd and Charles E.S. Wood bought the road in 1889 and built a permanent log structure; Wood’s wife Nannie named it Cloud Cap Inn. Ladd and Wood formed a stagecoach company to transport guests to the Inn which offered fine dining and flush toilets. In 1890, operation of the Inn was turned over to Sarah Langille who operated it profitably for 16 years. Telephone service was added in 1894.
Mt. Hood’s untamed north side will continue to attract individuals seeking to challenge themselves.
Cloud Cap Inn will be their link to civilization.
BackcountryRetreat
At the summit of Mt. Hood, 1892 (Mazamas Collection)
Peering into a crevasse, circa 1915 (From the Homer
Rogers collection, courtesy of Jack Grauer)
Cloud Cap Inn, 1915
Ascent of Cooper Spur, 1894 (Mazamas Collection)
New Purpose for an Old Lodge
Cloud Cap Inn changed hands several times until 1942 when the Forest Service bought it. In 1954, it was leased to the Crag Rats Mountain Search and Rescue Organization as a base for their operations. The partnership between the Forest Service and Crag Rats continues to this day, and the old log Inn has been largely restored. Cloud Cap Inn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as the country’s oldest alpine lodge. Contact the Hood River Ranger District about summer tours.
Crag Rats Search and Rescue Team
After returning home from their second search and rescue, news reporters asked this team what their name was. One man blurted out what his wife called him—a crag rat! They are America’s oldest organized search and rescue team, established in 1926. To learn more or become a volunteer visit www.cragrats.org.
The Crag Rats,1923
A fireside chat
Relaxing on the roof deck
Card game (Jack Grauer)
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Mt. Hood Caring for the Land and Serving People
First Foods ~Feasts of Giving Thanks
Reserved Rights
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWSRO) historically hunted and gathered food from lands that are now part of Mt. Hood National Forest. To this day they continue their hunting and gathering traditions.
Provisions from the Creator
For the people of the CTWSRO, the connection between them and their Creator is inseparable. All provisions including food come from the Creator. For thousands of years prior to settlement on the Warm Springs Reservation, food was abundant on the landscape and there was no need for agriculture. The people spent significant time fishing, hunting, and gathering for their food and other items needed for daily life. The people of the CTWSRO continue to honor the Creator in the way their people have for thousands of years, using methods and tools handed down through traditional teachings. They lived a life governed by the rhythms of the seasons giving thanks to the Creator for his provisions in each.
Preserving Traditions
Despite the loss of traditional culture resulting from settlement on the reservation, the tribes have kept many ancient customs and values. They realize that they must hold on to their past and bring it into the future lest the spiritual and cultural values that sustained them for centuries be lost.
The spiritual significance of the First Food feasts reinforces the interconnection between the
people of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon and Creator.
From the Pacific Ocean to their spawning grounds in the Salmon and Sandy Rivers, anadromous fish must swim more than 150 miles (52 km).
A Vestige of Primitive America
Wild and Scenic Rivers
From its headwaters on Mt. Hood, Oregon’s Salmon River plunges over waterfalls, churns through deep canyons, and occasionally rests in tranquil pools. It’s the only river in the 48 contiguous states whose entire length (33.9 miles/55 km.) is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. The upper portion of the Sandy River is also protected as a Wild and
Scenic River.
These rivers provide excellent habitat for Chinook and coho salmon, and steelhead trout—all
of which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1968.
Freeing the Sandy
Two dams on the Sandy River have been removed to restore the migration routes of threatened fish species (Marmot Dam in 2007 and Little Sandy Dam in 2008). Decomissioned facilities from the Bull Run Hydroelectric plant were also removed,allowing the Sandy River to become free-flowing for the first time in more than a century. This improved access to over 100 miles of river systems for anadromous fish.
Embracing our stewardship responsibilities to the earth ensures a lasting legacy for future generations.
Columbia
River
Sandy
Salmon
River
River
RiverLittle Sandy
Dam
Dam
You are here
Portland
Mt. Hood
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Wild and Scenic Designation
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Chinook salmon
Coho salmon
The Incredible Journey
Anadromous fish hatch in freshwater, spend the majority of their lives in the ocean, and then swim back to their freshwater birth place to reproduce and die. Enabling them to migrate to and from the ocean unimpeded is vital to their survival.
Marmot Dam demolition, 2007 (Portland General Electric)
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
What Lies Beneath
What’s up with the Vegetation?
Have you noticed how stunted the trees seem around this campground? Why are there small lodgepole pines growing here and not towering Douglas-fir and western hemlock trees so common in the Cascade Mountains? The reason is beneath your feet—the soil.
Old Maid Flat
Mt. Hood, although currently dormant, has erupted many times. During its last two major eruptive periods (Timberline 300-600 C.E. and Old Maid 1781-1865 C.E.) multiple lahars and sediment-rich floods deposited hundreds of feet of sand and gravel. These deposits created the area called Old Maid Flat, located upstream from the confluence of Sandy and Zigzag Rivers. This coarse-grained soil—combined with a basin topography—mimics a colder, higher elevation ecosystem. It is a habitat suited to the small, but hardy lodgepole pine.
What Lies Beneath
What lies beneath determines what lives above.
Lahar is an Indonesian word meaning mud and/or debris flows from the slope of a
volcano.
Sandy River
Old Maid Flat
Typical vegetation in Old Maid Flat
Typical vegetation in the western (lower) Mt. Hood area
The Evolution of a RoadThe Evolution of a RoadFrom Animal Path to Toll Road
Transportation on Mt. Hood has evolved over the years, reflecting the technology of the time. Native Americans trod animal paths that emigrant wagons later used as the Barlow Road. Samuel K. Barlow opened the first wagon route over the Cascades in 1846 to complete the Oregon Trail. A tollgate located at this site from 1883 to 1918 allowed Barlow to exact a fee from emigrants using his road.
Recreation Takes to the Road
The moan of wagon wheels gave way to the rumble of gas engines. In 1903, John B. Kelley drove the first motorcar up this mountain to Government Camp. On that first trip, Kelley returned with 50 pounds of snow.
From its humble beginnings as a foot path, the historic Barlow Road has evolved into a
conduit for commerce and a route to a recreation wonderland.
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Tollgate on the Barlow Road, circa 1885
The road to Lost Lake, circa 1925
Memories of the Early Road
Lottie Maybee Morris recalled in 1900: “Night of the second day brought us to the old Barlow Tollgate. It looked like any farm gate… But it was locked and there was no way around it. Thick logs and brush barricaded it on both sides. We paid 25 cents to pass through. It was even a social occasion to meet the toll man, as we had not seen anyone since leaving Cherryville.”
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
An Enchanted ForestAn Enchanted Forest
The Positive Effects of Negativity
While relaxing at the base of Little Zigzag Falls, sense the rush of air propelled by the waterfall. There’s something enchanting in the air that you can’t see, touch, or taste, but you CAN feel: negative ions.
One way negative ions are generated is by breaking the surface tension of water. Falling water does this. Inhaling these ions increases the amount of oxygen in your brain, kills germs that cause illness, and increases serotonin levels (improving mood, increasing mental alertness, and relieving stress). The amount of negative ions in the forest, especially near moving water, is thousands of times greater than in your home. No wonder waterfalls are such a popular hiking destination! Nature provides these
life-enhancing benefits without a doctor’s
prescription.
Linger along the trail, breathe deeply, and soak
up all this goodness.
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Little Zigzag Falls Trail
The trail to Little Zigzag Falls is a delightful respite gaining only 100 ft in elevation over its 0.5 miles. It follows the Little Zigzag River and passes through an old-growth forest filled with mosses, lichens, ferns, rock outcroppings, and majestic conifers. It’s a great hike for supervised young children. To Timberline
Automobiles improved, speeds increased, and roads evolved. In the 1950s the original state highway was moved to its current location 1/4 mile to the south. In front of you is a remnant of an historic bridge from the original highway. There are other remnants of the old highway between here and Hood River.
Recapture the romance of a bygone era by slowing down and enjoying the simple pleasure of the forest.
A Road Evolves
Samuel K. Barlow opened the first wagon route over the Cascades in 1846 to complete the Oregon Trail. The roads you drove to this trailhead travel over parts of the original Barlow Road as well as the first state highway. Roads reflect the art and architecture of the era. As you drive the byway, notice the art deco design of the historic bridges, a popular style in the 1920s.
Driving For Pleasure
As horse-drawn wagons gave way to horseless carriages, the Barlow Road was replaced by State Highway 26 in 1923. Day trips to Government Camp and the surrounding forest were now possible, giving rise to a new era of adventure and mobility. Mt. Hood became Portland’s playground, offering leisurely, scenic drives and alfresco picnics next to mountain lakes and cascading waterfalls.
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
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A slower drive in a slower time
Early Forest Service
vehicle, circa 1925 You are standing in the curve of the road shown in this circa 1923 photo
(Courtesy of Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory)
Today, the road ahead has evolved back to a trail, popular with hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders.
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
Wy’east - The Legendary Mountain
A Navigational Landmark
Mt. Hood (11,239 ft./ 3,426 m.) was first documented in 1792 during a British expedition lead by Captain George Vancouver, but named in honor of the British Naval Admiral, Lord Samuel Hood. However, the mountain has been known to indigenous tribes for thousands of years as Wy’east, after the legendary warrior with a broken heart.
Wy’east - The Legendary Mountain
Oregon’s highest peak was a beacon for travelers throughout the centuries. During their 1804-1806 expedition, Lewis and Clark knew they were back on the map when they saw Mt. Hood looming in the distance. For emigrants on the Oregon Trail, the monolith signaled their journey was almost done, providing much-needed encouragement to press on.
Captain George Van
couv
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Lord Samuel Hoo
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HogsbackCrater Rock
Triangle MoraineIllumination Rock
Palmer Snow Field
Steel Cliff
White River Glacier
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
What Can Shrinking Glaciers Tell Us?
Mt. Hood’s Glacial Record
For more than 100 years, scientists have documented the receding glaciers. In 1901, Harry Fielding Reid, head of the Department of Geological Physics at Johns Hopkins University, visited Mt. Hood. He located, measured, and recorded the termini of some glaciers. He also advocated annual glacier observations thereafter to scientifically document their movement.
Henry Gannett, Chief Geographer of the US Geological Service, accompanied Reid on that 1901 trip. Gannett theorized that the earth’s atmosphere was growing warmer.
What Can Shrinking Glaciers Tell Us?
Monitoring Mt. Hood’s glaciers helps us understand our changing world.
Climate Changes
Earth’s climate is constantly changing. Worldwide evidence is found in fossil, ice core, geological, and other environmental records. Locally, Mt. Hood’s 12 glaciers and snowfields have been visible indicators of change.
Newton Clark Glacier1901
For more information on climate change and the Forest Service, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/
2005
Eliot Glacier1901
2000
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
July 1901 (photo by Harry F. Reid; Mazamas Collection)
Harry Reid and party on Reid Glacier, 1901 (Ashael Curtis; Mazamas collection)
July 2005 (photo by Keith Jackson)
July 1901 (photo by Harry F. Reid; Mazamas Collection)
July 2000 (photo by Thomas Deroo)
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
Newton-Clark RidgeNewton-Clark Ridge
Poised for Dramatic Change
Newton-Clark Ridge is the most prominent formation on the east side of Mt. Hood. The pyroclastic material was deposited during the Polallie Eruptive Period (about 30,000 years ago). Scientists believe that multiple pyroclastic flows filled the upper valleys. Next, a glacial period carved out two U-shaped valleys—Newton and Clark—and transported massive amounts of debris down the East Fork Hood River leaving behind a remnant pyroclastic ridge. Eventually this ridge will erode away.
With the recession of Newton-Clark glacier, millions of cubic yards of loose gravel are exposed and poised for havoc to highways and bridges. However,
this erosion can be be ecologically beneficial by bringing large wood and fish spawning gravel to lower elevations. This helps maintain and improve stream and riparian health in the long run.
Here Comes the Rain
Heavy rain from September 30- October 1, 2000 triggered a series of landslides and debris flows down the Newton and Clark valleys. About 300,000 cubic yards of debris (or 30 thousand dump truck loads) thundered into the East Fork valley, knocking the stream out of its channel in several places, destroying a bridge, damaging another, and blanketing Robin Hood Campground with debris. A similar flood occurred on November 6, 2006 when rain triggered a landslide with approximately 420,000 cubic yards of debris. Both events destroyed sections of Highway 35.
A natural process, the erosion of the Newton-Clark Ridge is destructive—but also benefits the ecosystem.
Pyroclastic sediment is rock fragments, ash, and/or pumice from a volcanic
explosion.
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
Returning Trees to the River
Riparian areas are lands next to freshwater lakes or streams that have
significant ecological values.
Returning Trees to the River
Lessons Learned
After epic Pacific Northwest floods in 1964, the US Forest Service began an era of removing large trees and log jams from streams and rivers that it felt were barriers to fish migration. This practice - along with timber harvest and road building in headwaters areas - actually reduced fish habitat.
Fish biologists now know that large wood in and along streams and rivers is an important natural component of these ecosystems. It stabilizes banks, reduces damage to stream channels and riparian areas during floods, and creates excellent fish habitat.
Logs, Floods, and Fish
In 1998, the Forest Service placed over 1,000 logs in and along 2,000 feet of the East Fork Hood River between Sherwood and Nottingham Campgrounds. The goals were to stabilize banks, slow flood waters, and create spawning habitat and refuge areas for fish.
This project has withstood two major debris flows in 2000 and 2006 as well as numerous smaller floods. During the flooding events large logs were transported downstream and created huge log jams. They backed up large amounts of sediment raising the river elevation. Flood waters spread across the surrounding floodplain, improving fish habitat.
Equipment operators maneuver large logs into the East Fork Hood River to improve fish habitat.
BEFORE: Although serene in appearance, the fast-moving water and lack of cover discourage fish spawning.
AFTER: Large logs slow down the water create slower pools of water for fish cover and refuge.
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Mt. Hood
Large logs in rivers stabilize stream banks and improve fish habitat.
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
Mountains Born of Fire Mountains Born of Fire
Hot springs, lava flows, and iconic cone-shaped mountainsreveal the Cascade’s volcanic origin.
37 Million Years In the Making
This is a region of volcanic origin. A large magma field lies beneath the Cascade Mountains extending from British Columbia to northern California, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. For 37 million years, scores of one-eruption volcanoes have built the matrix of lower-elevation Cascade peaks and
ridges. Each eruption lasted for a geologically-short period of time (a few years to centuries). By contrast, Mt. Hood and the other photogenic Cascade peaks are long-lived volcanoes. Their repeated eruptions have created mountains of great height.
Slumbering Giant
There is a striking outcrop of lava on the west side of this highway, 0.3 miles south of Dog River Trailhead. The 425,000 year old lava flowed from two of the many one-eruption volcanoes in the Mt. Hood region. It came from a vent high on the north flank of Mt. Hood, but the lava is not from the Hood magma system. It is from the underlying, background magma field in the Cascades region that tends to be more basaltic than Hood magma. Ongoing research may determine if this “hot magma” mixes with and stokes the Hood system, triggering Mt. Hood eruptions.
The Dog River lava outcrop (left) has striking joints formed as the lava flowed through an ancestral East Fork valley and chilled quickly against the old valley walls.
Lava Beds Geological Area (above) is an example of a volcanic extrusion from the magma in the Cascades zone.
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
Birth of a Legendary Mountain Club ~ Mazamas
Birth of a Legendary Mountain Club ~ Mazamas
A Climb to Organize
On July 19, 1894, 193 climbers converged on the summit of Mt. Hood to organize a club—171 from Government Camp on the south side, and 22 from Cloud Camp Inn on the north. Thirty-eight women completed the climb. At the end of the day, 105 people signed on to became charter members (summiting was required to join). Foul weather caused a premature end to a promised banquet at the summit.
Mazamas Lodge
Almost from its inception in 1894, the Mazamas wanted a lodge near Mt. Hood as a base camp for weekend outings. In 1923 Mazamas built their first lodge—Twin Bridges Lodge—near here. However, their time there was short-lived because the road to Government Camp was opened year round in 1926. In 1931 Mazamas moved to their new lodge in Government Camp. Twin Bridges Lodge was sold and in 1939 torn down.
A Living Legacy
The Mazamas Club has become synomous with mountaineering on Mt. Hood. It continutes to promote its sport through education, climbing, hiking, fellowship, safety and the protection of mountain environments. The Mazama’s founding climb, Cooper Spur,
July 19, 1894 (C.C. Lewis, courtesy of the Mazamas). To become a member, you still must climb to the summit of a mountain with a living glacier. The Mazamas is the third oldest mountaineering club in the country.
Summit register, July 19,1894
(Mazama Collection)
A Mazama climbing party at Frog Camp, 1929 (Mike Herman photo, Mazama collection)
Twin Bridges Lodge, 1935 (Oregon Historical Society, Donald G. Onthank Collection, #1305)The Mazamas’ devotion to Mt. Hood is inspired by
their love and respect for the mountain.
“Mazamas” means mountain goat, from the Mexican indigenous language of Nahuatl.
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
A Final Rest
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
A Final Rest
For One Pioneer Woman, the Oregon Trail Ended Here
In 1924, engineers constructing the first Mt. Hood Highway discovered a gravesite here. The grave was marked with an old wooden wagon tongue buried beneath decades of overgrown brush. When they dug up the site, they found the remains of an emigrant woman. After reburial, a cross was placed in honor of this unnamed pioneer.
As you travel in comfort over the formidable Cascade Range, think about the hardships and heartaches pioneer families endured in pursuit of “the promised land.”
Would you have been so bold?
Pioneer Woman’s Grave ceremony in 1931, attended by Mt. Hood National Forest Supervisor T.H. Serrard and a group of Portland Progressive Club Business Men (photo taken by John D. Guthrie)
The son of Steven Coalman (former Barlow Toll Road Superintendent) recalls: “My father remembered meeting a man who had just buried his wife. He buried her in a wagonbox made of the wagon, and made a crude fence around the grave. She had been very sick, and they had camped there several days before she died. The man had two small children, a boy and a girl, both under five years of age.”
“Disparite Bad Beyond Discription”
Caring for the Land and Serving PeopleMt. Hood
Mt. Hood Scenic Byway
Hardships on the Trail
This mountain pass is named for Samuel K. Barlow who opened the first wagon route over the Cascades in 1846 to complete the Oregon Trail. The route was far from easy. Emigrant Isom Cranfill (cabinet maker, farmer, and itinerant preacher) made the journey in 1847. His haunting journal entry evokes the hardships of the trail: “Disparite bad beyond discription.”
Eleanor Allen, an 1852 Barlow Road emigrant, wrote about her misgivings near Barlow Pass: “Have thought of home, the dear ones there, the quiet Sabbath, and the sanctuary they enjoy, whilst we are among the cruel mountains, in the most dreary place, dependent upon strangers for assistance in getting along, nearly out of provisions and our stock famishing! All these things together almost shake the faith, but it must not be so.”
Countless other pioneers and emigrants suffered similar adversities crossing the Cascades – the final obstacle between their past and future. Some were sustained by their faith or strength of character, some by the vision of a better life.
