Hi all, new to the Portland area and curious to know if anyone could recommend some backpacking campsites, particularly in this early spring season. Looking to hike anywhere from 3 to 10 miles out, although open to longer treks if the spot is nice! Ideally the trailhead would be within 3 hours of portland. My car is offroad capable, but has low clearance. Thanks!
Twin lakes is a short fairly easy hike and provides a camping area right at the lake.
http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Twin_Lakes_Hike
So 3 hours from Portland covers Hood, Rainier, Helens, Adams and Jefferson volcanoes. IMO Spring is the best time for the Volcanoes: more snow, low crowds and permit availability. But it depends on your skill and gear.
Start here http://www.powells.com/
and https://www.oregonhikers.org/ trip reports.
When something catches your fancy, check trail reports (wta.org for WA), road conditions and permits. If all is good, go there! If not, mark it for the future.
Within 3 hours you can hike beaches, old growth forests, subalpine, alpine, high deserts, canyons, ski in the middle of Summer and surf on the coast. If you're a climber, skier, paddler or biker your options grow even more.
Thanks for the suggestions and links! I ended up camping over beyond Triple Falls based on the Oregon Hikers report - just something easy for me and my pup. Had a blast!
There are lots of places on the coast!
You can camp at Ecola State Park, up the trail from Indian Beach. Just an hour and a half drive from Portland, its one of my favorite go-to's.
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