For reasons unknown to me yet, I have overlooked some trails on the east side of Mt Hood. Perhaps part of it is because is a longer drive. Reality is this is the second hike I find on this side of the mountain that ends up being particularly surprising. Flag Point is an active, and one of the tallest, lookout towers in Oregon. From its vantage point, it can monitor the Barger Creek Wilderness and beyond. Apparently there are several ways to get there (even by car). One of those routes starts from High Prairie going past Lookout Mountain which is the route we decided to do. Getting to the trail was not difficult at all other than driving for a while on a dirt road. From the trailhead, you already get a feeling that the hike will have splendid views as you start pretty high up. Contrary to most trails, that the reward is at the end or before you turn around to go back, this hike has rewards almost from the moment you step on the trail. When you start, there are to trail options, one that crosses the prairie and the other that circles around it near the cliff end overlooking valleys bellow. Views at this point don’t extend far due to tall trees, but it doesn’t take very long to reach Lookout Mountain. At that point views in all directions open up. Right in front of your face to the west is Mt Hood. Looking north, on a clear day like the one we had, will give you clear views of Helens, Adams, Rainier, Goat Rocks and beyond. A very cool thing about this view though is that being farther east makes Rainier and Adams look almost aligned. If that wasn’t enough, turning south opens the views to Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, Sisters and beyond. The incredible thing about this destination though is that is very easy to get to and the hike is not long by any means. We did stay there for a bit sucking in all those vies before continuing on towards Flag Point. After Lookout Mountain, the trail descends quite a bit as it travels on a ridgeline. There are several knobs on the way with user trails to open spots with more amazing views. About half way to Flag Point, you pass a spur trail that goes to Oval Lake and Fifteen Mile camp, another access point. Between that point and the road that lead to Flag Point, you get more of those clearings with great views but these are all rock outcrops. Some of them with intricate shapes due to wind erosion. Beyond that the valleys of the Badger Creek Wilderness extend in front of you. It’s quite impressive. Towards the end, the trail joins an access road and a short walk uphill will get you to the lookout tower. We climbed to the top of the tower and met the guy manning it. I can’t remember his name but he took note of all our names to keep track of visitors and was kind enough to show us around and answers all our questions. It was interesting hearing that he spends 4 to 5 days in a row at the lookout tower just watching for fires. It’s a solitary life but certainly not a boring one. On the way back we made pretty much the same stops as we did on the way up just enjoy the views a second time. We also took the little detour to Oval Lake which didn’t meet our expectations. After a long, dry summer, the lake was very low and full of flies. Not very inviting. After I mapped this hike, I noted some other trails in the area that I’ve put on my list, so you can expect more explorations in the side of the mountain.
Interactive map
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