Sunrise on Mt. Hood

I was recently asked if I wanted to do a “sunrise hike” in the Mt. Hood area before we officially transition into fall and lose our clear mornings. I immediately said yes without thinking of the consequences. Those consequences being waking up at 4:30 in the morning and hiking 6 miles.

We got to Timberline Lodge at 6am and started our slow accent up the side of Mt. Hood. I’m a little out of hiking shape right now so the elevation gain got to me a few times but I persevered and pushed myself to the top. 

I was able to get one photo of the mountain and the stars in the dark (see below) but it was still a bit blurry because I didn’t have a tripod.

We hiked about 3 miles up to our destination at the top of the Palmer ski lift, elevation 8,540 feet. This is the last stop before you really have to know what you are doing in order to summit Mt. Hood. 

When we started the hike we could just barely see light on the horizon from the impending sunrise. It was just light enough to be able to see our trail. The sky got lighter and lighter the higher we hiked and eventually thrilled us with its beautiful oranges, yellows, and blues. 

Overall, the terrain was rocks and dirt but the last 1.2 mile to the top was packed iced, covered (mostly) in a thin layer of dirt. Thankfully my friend had some trekking poles so we split them up to help us get to the top. I would highly suggest having a pair of poles if you do this hike or any other steep hike.

Throughout most of our hike we could see Mt. Jefferson and the outlines of the Three Sisters in the distance. They were surrounded by gorgeous layers of misty blue-grey hills. 

Once we got to the top, we ate a snack and took a little break to fully appreciate the now visible sun and take some photos. My favorite snack bars (for now) are this one and this one. I get them at my local health food store. 

After taking a little break, we started our trek down the hill. It took us about an hour to get back to the bottom. We stopped back at Timberline Lodge for a few minutes to use the restroom and fill our water bottles, and then we headed back towards Welches to grab some food. 

It was still pretty early in the day so we were ready to eat a large breakfast. We had heard Zig Zag Mountain Cafe was good so we drove about 20 minutes to eat there. I got the Mt. Hood Scramble with breakfast potatoes and my friend got the Eggs Benedict with a pancake on the side. Both were excellent. 

After breakfast we headed back home to soothe our aching muscles and dream of the next big hike. This was my first sunrise hike and while it may have been early, it was so worth it. The view was incredible and the exhaustion was satisfying. I can’t wait to do it again!