Scenic Tour: The Golden Larches of Mt. Hood

I found the prettiest backwoods forest drive in the entire Mt. Hood wilderness. It transitions seamlessly from deep, dark Doug Fir to explosions of radioactive yellow larches and poplars and then spreads out into open savannahs of orange and russet white oak, sweet-smelling Ponderosa pine, and red-barked manzanita. You can feel the state of Oregon evolve completely from west to east in under 20 miles.

And get this: Nearly the whole thing's paved!

If you've never seen larches larching, this is your moment. I know a secret spot where you can walk right into a golden thicket of them. When the sun beats down on all that color, everything glows and you feel like you're on the inside of a light bulb. Some trees wear a gradient along their limbs from chartreuse green to lemon, some dab on a little light orange. It's ethereal, even under overcast skies.

We'll meet the at the Government Camp Rest Area and then carpool and caravan in max. 4 vehicles to selected spots. All the roads we will be traveling are paved or very well maintained gravel. Our first stop will take us down a short gravel spur where we will park, walk down the road about half a mile, frolic in the larches and take pics, sit on logs and eat lunch, and then return to our vehicles and backtrack to the main road. We'll be bushwhacking through an uneven but airy Larch forest with logs, twigs, and occasional thorny gooseberry and wild rose to step over, so wear pants and bring the trekking poles.

Then we'll slowly drive a scenic route, stopping occasionally at overlooks for expansive views and wildlife appreciation. When we get to the flatlands at the bottom, we'll explore the scattered ghost town of Friend. The schoolhouse still stands and you can go inside and sign the blackboard in chalk. The outhouses were viable last I checked. A bank vault sits bank-less in a field and the mercantile can still be seen. Then, we'll turn around to see the whole route again from a new perspective heading back and catch some nice shots of Mt. Hood in the alpenglow of sunset.

WARNING: We will reach altitude, between 4500' and 5000', so the air will be thinner and you will be working harder than usual. Move slowly and drink extra water, it helps.

Bring $10 cash, a few bucks for your carpool driver, extra water, lunch/snacks enough for two meals, binoculars, camera equipment, trekking poles, and WEATHER appropriate clothing. Public restroom at carpool site, none elsewhere (but lotsa trees out there, just sayin'). Adults only, please, and no pets, thanks.

CARPOOL: Parking at the stops along the touring route is extremely limited, about 4 vehicles, so we will carpool from the Government Camp Rest Area. GET THERE EARLY (about 15 minutes early) so you can check in, pay your fee, use the restroom, and leave with your carpool driver promptly at 11 AM. Don't forget to toss them a little extra cash for their efforts.