8-12 miles hikes on Wy’east (Hood)
McNeil Point | 10.5 miles | 2700 ft of elevation gain | One of my favorites. It’s hard to choose a highlight between the forest trails, the ponds surrounded by beargrass, the meadows, the McNeil shelter, or the final push to Ho Rock and the views that await.
Bald Mountain and Muddy Fork | 11 miles | 2000 ft of elevation gain | Coming around Bald Mountain and seeing Wy’east ahead is one of my favorite hiking views. It’s a shorter hike if you stop at Bald Mountain but I went well past it, to the Timberline Trail.
Timberline to Paradise Park | 12 miles | 2300 ft of elevation gain | The hike that made me fall in love with hiking. Lots of ups and downs on the Timberline Trail on the way to Paradise Park, which is…well…paradise.
Elk Cove | 12 miles | 2900 ft of elevation gain | A very exposed hike, making it tough on a hot day, but one of the best trails for pasqueflower viewing (the hairy Seussian-looking flowers). I didn’t get far up Barrett Spur, but I did get as far as Dollar Lake.
Gnarl Ridge | 10.5 miles | 2400 ft of elevation gain | I love this trail for the meadows, the wildflowers, creek crossing, gnarly trees (of course) and close-ups of Wy’east from the SE side.