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| Wild rhododendron. |
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| Beggarticks |
Mirror Lake is one of the more popular hikes in Mt. Hood National Forest. It's easy to see why. The trailhead starts right beside Route 26, the scenery is spectacular, and the lake itself is delightful. We hiked to Mirror Lake, and then took another trail to Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain. From the top of one of the tree peaks, there is a wonderful panorama of Mt. Hood and the surrounding forest. The altitude gives spring a late start. At the trailhead, wild rhododendrons, which peak mid-May in Portland, were putting on a glorious show mid-July. Further up the trail, the earliest wildflowers including violets and trilliums were blooming. At the peak, areas of snow could still be found. Normally on weekends we would have expected to have lots of company on the trail, but we chose a day when it rained all morning. The rain subsided while we were there, leaving sparkling raindrops on everything. This was one of the most spectacular hikes we have done. A
Northwest Forest Pass (daily or annual) is required, and can be purchased online ahead of time to save some hassle.
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| Bunchberry |
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| Maple flowers. |
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| Bear grass. |
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| Sitka Mountain Ash |
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| Mt. Hood |
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| Red Columbine. |
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| Reaching the top. |
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| Western Paintbrush. |
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| Yellow violets. |
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| Blue Lupine. |
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| Fool's Huckleberry. |
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| Trillium. |
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| Slime mold. |
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