Mount Hood in Oregon is the tallest mountain in Oregon and popular with skiers, hikers, and climbers. The mountain has six ski areas including Timberline, the only ski area in North America that operates 12 months of the year.
Mount Hood is the tallest mountain in Oregon and popular with skiers, hikers, and climbers. It is 45 miles east-southeast of Portland, Oregon. Its snow-covered peak rises 3,429 meters on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties. It can be seen easily from both Portland and Vancouver, Washington.
Mount Hood is part of the Mount Hood National Forest, which has 1.2 million acres , four designated wilderness areas and more than 1,900 km of hiking trails. The popularity and relative ease of the climb has led to some carelessness and tragedies, especially climbers in late spring when the glaciers tend to soften. Avalanches have taken their toll from time to time; and in a partly live-televised incident on May 30, 2002, several climbers were killed and others injured when they fell into a crevasse in the "hogsback" that connects the crater rock with the summit ridge. Most unusual was the startling crash-and-roll of a rescue helicopter whose rotors clipped the sloping ice bridge.
The mountain has six ski areas including Timberline, the only ski area in North America that operates 12 months of the year. Timberline Lodge is a National Historic Landmark located on the southern flank of Mt. Hood. The Palmer Glacier, uphill from the lodge at about the 8,000 foot level, has been used for summer practice by the Olympic skiing team from time to time. The other areas are Mt. Hood Meadows, Ski Bowl, Cooper Spur, Snow Bunny and Summit.
