Elk Cove

Directions:
From Highway 35, south of Hood River, follow the signs for Lawrence Lake. At the lake, turn left on road 2840 for one mile, then turn onto road 650 for 1.3 miles. If you are driving a passenger car and want a little less stress in your trip, I would suggest parking your car at the bottom of road 650. It is possible to make it up the road in a car, but on our trip, we routinely had to get out of the car and move rocks out of the way! The trail starts on the left side of the road.

The Trail:

The trail starts in a nice ridge-crest forest. At around one mile up the trail, the views of Mt. Hood start to open up. There are a couple of viewpoints along the way that are very nice for breaks. At three miles, the trail crosses a little creek, which could be difficult during the summer, but should be possible. The trail meets Elk Cove at 3.5 miles with great views of Coe Glacier and the north face of the mountain. Camping sites can be found in the forests at the end of the trail. This area of the Mt. Hood Wilderness is amazing. In my opinion, Elk Cove offers the best views of Mt. Hood, from it's best angle. Wish I had pictures to go along with this description, but you'll just have to see it for yourself. The wildflower displays are also pretty amazing during certain parts of the summer, so plan to spend lots of time exploring this area.