Snowshoeing Trillium Lake
A number of the things on my 50×50 list are are activities that show up on many “Things to do in Portland” lists. Described as a very family-friendly activity that’s only 90 minutes away from downtown Portland, and one that’s free, makes snowshoeing Trillium Lake VERY popular during the winter.
Unsurprisingly, I still had to learn that the hard way. During the last week of December, my bubble friends and I decided to celebrate the end of the very long COVID-focused year by engaging in several snowy outdoor activities up on Mount Hood.
Repeat: Trillium Lake is VERY Popular
Snowshoeing Trillium Lake as part of our adventures seemed like a no-brainer. And that might have been true had we not believed we were the only ones to have had that idea. We should have also considered that it was a holiday week after 9 months of COVID-related shutdowns. And we should have left for the mountain before 10am. Had we considered any of these things, we probably wouldn’t have run into the mile-long line of cars waiting on the side of the highway just to get into the parking lot. I know, I know…we failed on multiple levels.
We ended up bailing on the idea and heading 20 minutes down the road to snowshoe Mirror Lake. Even though it was a more challenging hike (4.2 miles, 672 ft elevation gain), it was still enjoyable. However, it wasn’t what was on my original 50×50 list.
Fast forward 3 months and I finally was able to check my original goal off my bucket list
Trillium Lake
Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon
50 miles from Portland City Center
Trail Type: Loop
Distance: I've read everything from 1.9 to 5 miles.
26 ft elevation gain
Barrier-free. Gentle terrain. Good for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Dogs allowed. Must be on leash. Carry-in/carry-out your trash. No garbage cans available.
A Mid-Week Adventure
To be honest, I had sort of written off this hike because Spring had already hit Portland. We’ve been getting sunny days in the high 60s. When that happens in the Pacific Northwest, those of us who are not hard-core snow activity fanatics already start dreaming (and even wearing) shorts and summer dresses…with fleece of course.
How Long Is It?
The Trail Itself
The Views!
Most of the path around the lake is flat and wide. The one misjudgment we made was thinking that the dam was the halfway point of the hike. It wasn’t. So, while easy, the mental mistake we made caused me some worry because it felt like we were walking way longer than we should have been.
Except for the two viewpoints, you don’t have a full view of the lake so it’s hard to tell where you are in relative terms. You also walk by a few private homes that are probably used as vacation spots and/or rentals, so that makes things a little confusing too. It’s not until you get about 3/4 of the way done that you start to see signs for Highway 26 and Trillium Snow Park. And even then, without other people around, it’s hard to tell if you’re going in the right direction.
The hike took us 3 hours. That included stopping for pictures and me fussing with my snowshoes several times. I’m also slow so I don’t doubt that others could finish it much faster than I did.
Equipment
On this hike, I was definitely glad to have had my snowshoes. There have been other “snowshoe hikes” I’ve taken where I’ve ditched them and just relied on my boots and YakTrax. While there were areas that were packed enough for boots alone, there were enough places where our feet drove straight down through the snow and the snowshoes were very useful.
I didn’t need my poles for any part of the hike. Having water was beneficial. Having snacks is always good but since I had a bite on the drive up to the mountain, I wasn’t in need of nourishment during. Hunger did hit at the end of the hike though, so eating afterwards became a priority.
So, with a little help from my friends, I’ve checked off another of my 50x50s.
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