Inside Scoop
Adventuring to Year-Round Shelters
in the Backcountry of Mt Hood
Mount Hood is known as Portland’s playground. The playground has a new “swing set” in the form of a “Mount Hood Loop” back-country hut system. Cascade Huts LLC, has partnered with the Mt Hood National Forest to create the system to allow the trip to be easier, safer and in many ways more fun for those who trek the Mt Hood back country.
The Mt Hood National Forest has a great loop trail system, but the round trip is about 140 miles long, much too long for a day trip. Trekkers in the past would normally have to carry four days of subsistence and shelter, making the trip more cumbersome and laborious.
Those days are over, or at least you now have a choice. Cascade Huts LLC has developed a self-guided trip system of back-country cabins strategically located at intervals of a day’s travel apart.
The 256 square foot cabins are reserved ahead of your trip and all fully stocked with all the necessities. Each hut is supplied with a propane stove, lanterns, kitchen utensils, sleeping bags and pads that provide superior comfort in the back country. Propane heaters are provided in the winter. There is an outhouse at each hut. Group size is limited to eight people.
The summer route which starts Memorial Day weekend is a haven for mountain bikers. It encircles Mount Hood starting in Hood River to Surveyors Ridge and along the old Barlow Road to Lolo Pass and then back to Hood River with single track side trip options along the way.
The winter route is limited to three huts located on the east side of Mount Hood in the White River and Barlow Pass area and is available from November through April. All are accessible from area snow parks along Highway 35 between Hood River and Government Camp. Legs of the winter journeys are between two and twelve miles long.
Mountain bikers and hikers in the summer and snowshoer’s and back country skiers in the winter all are able to take advantage of the system making it a year ‘round adventure source. Cabins can be rented as a circuit, or one can reserve a cabin for multiple days. Reservations are made on-line through their web site, or by phone.
This system provides back-country opportunities for those looking for adventure within the beautiful Mt Hood National Forest. You can contact Cascade Huts LLC by going to their web site http://www.cascadehuts.com/ or by phone at 971.322.3638, or toll free at 866.430.4559.
By Gary Randall
