Trip Report: Becky on the Timberline Trail

Where did you go? 

My partner and I took on the Timberline Trail, a 40 mile trip that circles Mt Hood in Oregon! This is Minimal Gear’s backyard trail and has been covered extensively in our trip reports already, but here’s a fresh take on this accessible and fun trail. 

Why there?

Since moving to Oregon in January of 2021, pretty much all of my summer backpacking adventures have taken me out of state. I wanted to rectify that this summer and hit a lot of the classic PNW trails, so I decided to have an Oregon focused backpacking summer. The Timberline was an obvious choice to include - I had done the section that overlaps with the PCT during my 2019 thru-hike, along with other small sections of the trail as day hikes, but I had never looped the full thing and neither had my partner. It’s easily the closest hike of this nature near us (hence why almost everyone I work with had already hiked it) and it’s got all the logistical ease of a permitless loop trail, so it all but hiked itself. 

Trip details:

Length of trip: We did the 41.2 mile trail in the most classic way - four days, three nights in a clockwise loop from Timberline Lodge on the southernmost part of the trail. This can certainly be done faster, although at the time of year we did it (July), hikers do need to be cognizant of their timing on the many, many glacial river crossings you’ll be wading through each day. 

Weather: Two days of sun and two days of overcast skies and light showers. 

Best moment?

I did the section of the PCT that overlaps with the Timberline roughly between the hours of 3am-8am during my thru-hike - I hiked southbound and got up early to reach the Lodge so I could be there in time for an all you can eat breakfast. That means that most of that hike happened in the dark and I have very little memories from it, but I vividly remember stopping somewhere along the way to watch the sun come up. My favorite moment was finding that place again (this time at 11am, swarming with day hikers) and remembering that moment, which is pretty high on the list of my favorite backpacking memories ever. 

Worst moment?

I did all my river crossings on the PCT by just charging in, shoes, socks and all - I just couldn’t be bothered to take the time to get my feet prepared in any meaningful way. I did the same this time and it turns out I do not have the feet now that I did back then. While my feet fared fine in 2019, they suffered pretty miserably this time around. I also realized I forgot my rain jacket in a gusty (but light) rain on top of Gnarl Ridge and was pretty in my feelings about that as I got soaked the whole ridgeline. 

Gear MVP?

My partner and I brought a hot toddy mix from Trail Toddy and a 350ml Hydriam full of whiskey - a move that seemed fun the first night and became significantly more meaningful as the hike transitioned to the feel of a shoulder season hike. A warm drink was a huge highlight for us at camp each day - we even ended up reusing the spice bag to a decent success as we didn’t bring enough for each night we were out. 

Who would you recommend this trip to? 

I think the Timberline is a great hike for pretty much any backpacker, but anyone going in July should be comfortable with knee deep river crossings and snow fields, as well as washed out chunks of trail year round.