Paradise Park, August 14 and 15, 2023
One of the most beautiful areas on Mt Hood, the hike into Paradise Park is about 6 and a half miles of up and down with one river crossing. Fortunately, the Zig Zag River isn’t very wide as it flows down the mountain, so the crossing is not that difficult (though I did manage to fall in on our return trip). The hike down into the Zig Zag canyon is long and dusty on a gorgeous summer day, whereas the hike up out of the canyon seems even longer and harder. But the rewards of this hike are truly worth the work you have to put in to get to the Park. The flower fields are bursting with color: the pale blues and purples of asters and fleabanes and lupines; the reds of paintbrush and fireweed; the yellows of monkeyflowers; and whites of the bear grass, Sitka Valerian and American Bistort. And of course, the views of the mountain itself: wow!!! The hike starts at Timberline Lodge (6000 feet in elevation) and wanders to the meadows at very close to the same elevation. There are numerous viewpoints along the way both down into the valleys and up to the mountain. The campsite we found had views up to the peak, down into the valley with a steep waterfall we listened to all night long. And the sunset was stunning! (Unfortunately due to smoke from nearby wildfires.) And we watched the Perseid Meteor shower’s streaking lights of the tails of the meteors as they blazed through.
Bear grass
Wandering fleabane
Streamside with Monkeyflowers of red and yellow
Sitka Valerian
View of Mt Hood with false hellebore, lupine and American bistort
Broadleaf lupine
Mountain Monkeyflower
Fireweed
Pasqueflower seed heads, sometimes called Old Man’s Whiskers
Lost Creek along the trail
Davis’s Knotweed
Fringed Grass of Parnassus
Streamside with Monkeyflowers
Broadleaf Arnica
Sunset from our campsite
