Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Part 3: Huckleberry Mountain - not the usual way
Details
Would you like to see five Cascade stratovalcanoes from the relative safety of very lightly visited wilderness viewpoints? Join me on my last outing to the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness for this summer hiking season. Provided that the clouds permit it, you’ll be presented the opportunity to take a selfie worthy of adding to your growing collection of digital self-photos. There may be flowers too.
- Start point: Douglas Trailhead at the Wildcat Mt gravel pit
- End point: Huckleberry Mountain
- Hike type: Out and back
- Distance: 11 miles
- Elevation gain: 2600 feet
- Moving Pace: 2.5 to 3 mph
- Difficulty: Moderate (if you can sustain the pace)
- Dogs: No
- Permits: NW Forest Pass or equivalent
- Carpooling: Clackamas Fred Meyers close to the Elmers
- Driving RT: 65 miles
This is not the usual way to Huckleberry Mountain; the steep and arduous Boulder Trail, but rather the much more gradual, ridgeline route from the Douglas Trail. Although this route is far less steep, it will still be moderately difficult hike due to distance, elevation-gain, hiking pace, and trail conditions that are on ridgelines (meaning there are elevation gains on the return trip also).
I always encourage new people on my hikes, but if you don’t have a hiking history with NW Wilderness, I will verify with you that this outing is a good fit for you and might suggest you start your life-long commitment to the NW Wilderness meetup group by joining one of my semi-regularly scheduled evening conditioning series events. I don’t discriminate by age, race, gender, sexual-orientation, religion - and neither should you.