On our second full day in Mount Hood, we chose to do a little bit longer of a hike which would afford us spectacular views of Mount Hood and four of the mightly neighboring peaks. The hike which is called “Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain via Mirror Lake” is a nine-mile out and back trail that starts off at the achingly stunning Mirror Lake and ends with a breathtaking vista of Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson in Oregon and Mount Adams, Mount Rainier, and Mount St. Helens in Washington State. It is the perfect hike to do in fall when the light is ephemeral with the changing colors of the leaves reflecting upon perfectly named Mirror Lake.
We set off for the trailhead around ten o’clock so we could time the hike with a picnic lunch on top. The weather was not nearly as perfect as it was on our hike to Bald Mountain from Lolo Pass the day before with its serendipitous deep blue skies and golden sunshine, yet it was still lovely in its own right despite the overcast skies.
As we entered the forest, it felt like out of a fairytale it was so magical. The tall trees gracefully pillared high above our heads, occasionally letting rays of light caste a mystical haze over the dirt path below our feet. Since it was a Monday there were not many fellow hikers on the trail and it was rather serene.
After a short hike through the forest, you reach the first vista of the absolutely breathtaking Mirror Lake. At first glance, it is no wonder why they chose the name for the lake as the reflection of Mount Hood even on a cloudy, overcast day, was sublime and the fall foliage had just began to do its magic.
After hiking around the lake, the path takes you up the Tom, Dick and Harry Trail to the summit. It took us about two hours from the start of the trailhead to reach the summit for lunch. We only passed a few people along the way and the views on top were exceptional.
While we ate our lunch, I tried to capture some of the neighboring summits in a video. I can only imagine what this view must look like when the trees are covered in snow.
It took us a little under two hours to make it back down to the parking lot. All in all, the nine-mile hike took roughly four hours with a lunch break and lots of stops to take photos.
We arrived back at our cabin for a relaxing night before heading off to Crater Lake National Park the next day. Little did I know, we were in for an amazing surprise!
If you go:
We found a ton of amazing day hikes on AllTrails.com. With only two full days, we felt we picked two of the very best medium length hikes, Hike to Bald Mountain via Lolo Pass and this one. Visiting the historic Timberline Lodge to either hike above it, dine there for a meal or simply just check it out is a must. The architecture is pretty amazing and I wish we would have gone back to eat in its dining room.
At Mount Hood, we picked the tiny town of Rhododendron to base our stay and found a truly magical place on Airbnb called the “Little House on the Mountain”, a beautiful custom built, one-of-kind cabin. It was magnificent! For eating, we unfortunately did not have a lot of luck since it was in-between seasons. Therefore we chose to enjoy eating in our little cabin nestled against the woods. Finally, when researching this blog post I did a few google searches to narrow down what hikes to do and found this blog post to be one of the best resources. Thank you Oregon is for Adventure for the help!
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Beautiful views!
Thank you! I loved it!
🙂 🙂 🙂 Awesome! I took this hike in September, and one of my favorites. We left early in the morning, and the trail was clear but the skies were not as we have fog and light drizzle which made for something special too ~ although no views of Mt. Hood this time for us. Excellent photos and video – it is something else to see Hood with so little snow, but that too gives it a magical look as well. We stopped off for a meal on our way back, a great little tavern…made for a perfect day.
Sounds delightful! Did you go to Crater Lake at all? That was my absolute favorite. I just loved it so much and no one was there. I’m excited to share that story when I have a chance to put it all together. I’m also amazed that you can ski so long on Mount Hood. Not this year of course as there was very little snow.
I haven’t been to Crater Lake in decades… wow, surprised at how long it has been. I look forward to your post about it, it’ll inspire me to get down there again for a nice visit. 🙂
I loved it!
Beautiful Nicole. We tried to hike there last fall, but we’re rerouted because of the fires. I am saving this post for our trip next spring.
I loved it so much. We did some amazing hikes. I have more coming soon. Also, I have your most recent posts in my inbox to read as I’m excited to hear all about your recent experiences.
Absolutely gorgeous! I can imagine how invigorating and satisfying this hike must have been. The views of Mt Hood and Mirror Lake together are just fabulous.
Alison
Thanks Alison! It was so pretty. I can’t wait until I have the time to share my Crater Lake photos. I fell in love with it. It was so spectacular and so uncrowded. 🙂 I’ve got some catching up to do on your blog with several posts awaiting in my inbox! 🙂
Beautiful and serene place, Nicole. It sure is a great place to hike.
Yes it was lovely. Glad we got a chance to get away! Hope you are doing well !
All is well, Nicole 🙂
This Mount Hood guide is incredibly helpful. You’ve really thought through everything you need to know before planning a trip. Thank you for this helpful resource. Saving this guide for later!
Thanks so much! I’m glad you liked it! I loved hiking out there. 🙂