Another route from my long to-do list, and this one had been there for quite a while. The Blue Grass ridge is one of those trails that is slowly disappearing and being forgotten. I’m not sure if it’s because a big portion of it was burned in 2006 or lack of funding yet, due to the fire, you now get some pretty amazing views from that trail. The other challenge about this route is distance. Even though it could be combined to make a loop using the Elk Meadows trail, it’s better to do a car shuttle between the trailhead and the Tamanawas trailhead. So, when I saw Zach’s post to lead this hike I jumped right in. AS things go, everyone bailed so in the end it was just him and me for this hike – no car shuttle, but we decided to test our luck and try to catch a ride back to the trailhead from Tamanawas Falls. So off we went. There are several places when you can get on this trail but the most convenient perhaps is the Elk Meadows trailhead just before Hood River Meadows. The first portion is a very well know area where you can cross with lots of other hikes and families heading to or coming back from Newton Creek (also a great winter route). After crossing the creek people thin out as the trail quickly gains elevation thru several switchbacks that take you up to Elk Meadows. Once there, you find yourself at a four-way junction where any choice good if you had to pick one. You could head to Gnarl Ridge, continue exploring Elk Meadows or the lesser known trail to Elk Mountain which is the one we took. The top of Elk doesn’t offer much of a view but a short trail continues down a ridge to a much better viewpoint where Mt Jefferson appears to the South. The views east are a bit harder to identify as you look at Robin hood Creek drainage. After a short stop for pictures and food, we retraced our steps back to Elk Mountain and got on the Bluegrass Ridge trail. The trail thins out and disappears quickly under your feet so you need to find your way. It’s not that hard as you are following the ridge line, still, there’s plenty of logs and rocks to go around. Aside from the magnificent view of Mt Hood to the left, we had a compete wildflower covered ground. It made a great contrast with the white, dead wood all around. We hiked for miles enjoying both until we reached a rocky outcrop that opened views to the north with Mt Adams and Rainier almost aligned. Right in that area, we crossed a small creek completely covered with Columbines.
I’ve never seen so many in just one spot, the whole hillside was painted red. From there we negotiated our way down on an even more faint trail until we reached the Elk Meadows trail where we turned right. This trail took us to the junction with the Tamanawas Falls trail which is not part of the route but a side trip. I’ve seen this waterfall in the winter but never in the summer so it was time for a side trip. WE headed up and found a big rock slide that fell on the trail making a bit hard to go thru. Several people got to that point and turned around as they couldn’t figure a way around the huge boulders. We climbed around and got back on the trail to the waterfall where we found a family taking pictures behind the waterfall. We didn’t go there but took a break at the base enjoying the views.
Several pictures after, we resumed our hike retracing our steps to the junction and continuing the Tamanawas trail to the trailhead. Along the way we met a couple that was also hiking out and asked them for a ride which they gave us to the trailhead. To celebrate our accomplishment, we made a stop at Solstice for a well-deserved pizza and beer. What a day.
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