Paradise Park Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Paradise Park Trailhead
- Ending point: Paradise Park
- Trail log: Trail Log
- Hike type: Lollipop loop
- Distance: 13.9 miles
- Elevation gain: 3050 feet
- High point: 5840 feet
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Seasons: Summer into early Fall
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: Yes
- Crowded: Paradise Park is crowded on summer weekends
Contents |
Description
This hike takes you up to and around Paradise Park, one of the most extensive and beautiful alpine areas on Mount Hood. The Paradise Park from Timberline Lodge Hike describes an easier way to get there - 10 miles round trip and 2000 feet elevation gain to the same spot as this hike. However, if you want to get a good impression of the different layers of climate/vegetation zones on the west slope of Mount Hood, this lollipop loop hike takes you from typical lowland woodland through the montane forest zone and into subalpine parklands. The destination, of course, is the alpine fell area above the treeline in Paradise Park, best visited from late July through August for prime-time flower blooms. While Paradise Park itself is a popular destination, this hike's long access and egress using the forested lower slopes will most likely be quite unpeopled.
Look for the path on the east end of the parking area, to the right of the information kiosk. Walk east on that path about 0.15 miles until it ends at a gravel road. Turn left, and proceed about 0.2 miles past the closed gate and across the rushing Zigzag River to the trailhead sign marking the official start of the Paradise Park Trail. It’s a clear understory at first, quiet and shady and carpeted with moss. Hemlock, cedar and Douglas-fir provide the canopy. The path switchbacks past an information kiosk and up a bank. Salal, pipsissewa, rhododendron, and red huckleberry contribute to the understory here. Hike gradually up past the wilderness permit box. Then switchback past large Douglas-firs in a vine maple understory. Traverse up and swing right with lady fern, sword fern and Oregon grape dominating now. The trail makes three long switchbacks and then levels in rhododendron, cedar and hemlock woods. Drop a little to reach the edge of Zigzag Canyon. The track heads up in the woods on the edge of the canyon. A spur leads right to the Paradise Park Lower Viewpoint, where you can get vistas towards Mirror Lake and Tom Dick and Harry Mountain. Now mountain hemlock and lodgepole pine are in the mix. Hike steadily up under both western and mountain hemlocks, Douglas-fir and cedar with some western white pines. Bear-grass and rhododendrons form the understory. Pass through a blueberry patch and enter the silver fir zone. The path makes two switchbacks, heading up in a montane woodland of mountain hemlock, silver fir, and noble fir. Cross a footbrdige over a brook and switchback. The trail drops to another footbridge and wends up past two noble firs on the left (one has been split off by lightning) and then there is a series of six switchbacks before the trail rises and then switchbacks twice more. Cross a gully and reach the edge of the canyon to switchback again. Wind up and keep right at the Paradise Park-Zigzag Mountain Trail Junction.
The route now enters meadows blooming with heliotrope, lupine and groundsel in mid-summer. Head up to a viewpoint over Zigzag Canyon and switchback. The route winds up through this parkland and reaches the four-way Pacific Crest-Paradise Park Trail Junction, where you keep straight to continue up through more mountain hemlock/ subalpine fir parkland blooming with lupine, false hellebore, paintbrush, heliotrope, and groundsel. Here the gradient is quite steep, but soon you reach the Paradise Park Loop-Paradise Park Trail Junction.
A use trail heads straight to above the tree line, but keep left on the Paradise Park Loop Trail #757. This tread winds up and then traverses and then descends to the South Fork of Lost Creek Crossing in a lovely flower-filled valley. Heading up, you come a campsite area and the site of the now-destroyed Paradise Park Cabin (This may be a good point to turn around if you wan to shave some miles off the loop). Keep right here and traverse (Going down from the campsite to the left will only take you to more campsites). False hellebore blooms luxuriantly on these slopes in summer. Make the North Fork of Lost Creek Crossing, and pass along open slopes of pyroclastic material and see Split Rock up to your right before stepping over another creek. The west face of Mount Hood, including Mississippi Head and the Zigzag Glacier, looms above. Traverse open meadows blooming with mariposa, false hellebore, lupine, paintbrush, partridge foot, and knotweed. Towhead babies, the seed heads of pasque flower, stud the grasslands later in the summer. Ahead, one can see the verdant spine of Yocum Ridge before the trail turns west and wends down through small meadows and mountain ash thickets. At the Pacific Crest-Paradise Park Loop North Trail Junction, go left.
The trail heads through shady silver fir/mountain hemlock woods and crosses small creeks. Begin to ascend and then drop down the lush side of Rushingwater Creek Canyon, with its spindly waterfall and verdant bottom. Ascend the bare, pyroclastic opposite bank and reenter woods where a spur trail goes down to the right to campsites. The path makes a traverse and heads gradually down into Lost Creek Canyon with its two waterfalls above the Lost Creek Crossing. Make another traverse and meet the four-way Pacific Crest-Paradise Park Trail Junction. Turn right here and head down to the Paradise Park Trailhead, about five miles down the slope.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- A Northwest Forest Pass (or annual America the Beautiful Pass) is required. The pass must be acquired beforehand as it is not sold at the trailhead.
- Port-a-potty and information kiosk
- Self-issued wilderness permit
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Paradise Park Trail #778 (USFS)
- Paradise Park Loop Trail #757 (USFS)
- Timberline Trail #600 (USFS)
- Green Trails Maps: Government Camp, OR #461 and Mt Hood, OR #462
- Adventure Maps: Mt. Hood Area
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Zigzag Ranger District
- Discover Your Northwest: Mt. Hood National Forest North: Trail Map & Hiking Guide
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood Wilderness
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Paradise Park Hike
- Devil's Peak Still Creek (July 16) & Paradise Park Tr (July 30) 2023
- Paradise Park
- Paradise Park trail 7-15
- Paradise Park trail
- Trail 779, 600, 798 bees, butterflies, marmots ,deer 8/11
- GoalTechHikes Paradise Park Trail-Winter Wonderland 5/13/17
- Paradise Park 7/21
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Paradise Park Hike
- Paradise Park Trail 778
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Best Hikes Near Portland by Fred Barstad
- Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
- Day Hiking Mount Hood: A Year-Round Guide by Eli Boschetto
- 105 Virtual Hikes of the Mt. Hood National Forest by Northwest Hiker
- 70 Hiking Trails: Northern Oregon Cascades by Don & Roberta Lowe
- 62 Hiking Trails: Northern Oregon Cascades by Don & Roberta Lowe
More Links
- Paradise Park Trail #778 (USFS)
- Paradise Park Loop Trail #757 (USFS)
- Timberline National Historic Trail #600 (USFS)