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  1. #1
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    Timberline Trail... Labor Day Weekend?

    Hello, Northwesterners! I'd like to take a big (for me) adventure this year around Labor Day, plus or minus a week. One of the finalists in my pre-planning is a 3-night trip around Mt. Hood on the Timberline Trail.

    Do any of you have an idea of what traffic might be like close to the holiday?

  2. #2
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    If weather is good it will be crowded. I hiked it last August, during the week before Labor Day weekend and it was pretty crowded. Started on a Monday and went counter clockwise. There was more traffic early on as people who were finishing up going clockwise. By Wednesday it wasn’t as bad but still a number of people.
    Great hike though and the weather was **** near perfect.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
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    That's a great weekend for the weather, but a terrible weekend for crowds. One thing you need to understand is that this trail is frequently recommended for access restrictions due to weekend crowds. It doesnt have any yet, but it shows you how popular it is.

    If you wait just one more week, or start in the middle of the week, its going to be a much better story. I avoid this weekend for all backpacking trips in our area, then plan my annual "big trip" for any subsequent weekend in September. Then kids have gone back to school, vacation season is over, and crowds have gone home, but the weather just perfect.

    PS - what were the other options?

  4. #4
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    The end of the week/weekend after Labor Day is also an option. Probably the better one when it comes to crowds.

    Quote Originally Posted by leiavoia View Post
    PS - what were the other options?
    Four Pass Loop at Maroon Bells is also still in the running. The holiday likely has a similar impact there.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by WanderingKansas View Post
    Four Pass Loop at Maroon Bells is also still in the running. The holiday likely has a similar impact there.
    Yes, its similar anywhere ~3 hours from Portland or Seattle.

    If you must go on that weekend, there are some further away options that see less crowds just because there are fewer people willing to go that far, yet no less spectacular:
    - Strawberry Mountain Wilderness (6 hours from PDX, with non-technical trail to 9000ft summit )
    - Steens Mountain (8-9 hours from PDX. difficult)
    - Willowas (6 hours from PDX. south side has less crowds)
    - Diamond Peaks (4 hours from PDX. Near Crater Lake.)
    - Mt St Helens (3 hours from PDX, but on list because its amazing. difficult. not hammock friendly.)
    - Rogue River / Rogue River Loop (6 hours from PDX, will be hot)
    - too many others to mention

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by leiavoia View Post
    Yes, its similar anywhere ~3 hours from Portland or Seattle.
    On labor day weekend, there's no getting around crowds in the Northwest. Places that aren't nationally known are going to be better, leiavoia has some good ones.

    Luckily, you're in a hammock! If you have the skills and confidence to stealth camp, you can make Timberline work. It can be difficult to find trees on the Eastern portion of Timberline trail, and all the way around you will weave in and out of treeline. We brought extra webbing and hung from boulders in the elliot wash, it was like camping on the moon.

    There are lots of water sources for a responsible stealth camper to utilize. Leave-no-trace is important, the trail is heavily impacted already.

    Last edited by ceiliazul; 01-27-2020 at 18:13.

  7. #7
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    Whether it's Colorado, or PNW, I'm convinced that it will be worth waiting until the weeknd after Labor Day.

  8. #8
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    Thanks for the info guys, a group of us from MS is coming out late August to do the Timberline trail. We will probably be the week or two before Labor Day to hopefully miss some of the crowd. The last few years we have found that those two weeks (Aug 15-Sept 1) can be a sweet spot in terms of crowds b/c a lot of schools are starting back earlier these days, and even if they aren't it seems like a lot of families won't take vacations the week or weekend right before it starts back. Living in a university town I am always looking for excuses to leave town on move-in weekends.

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