Gnarl Ridge from Hood River Meadows Hike

Overview

Gnarl Ridge, near the highest point on the Timberline Trail, can be approached from the north (see the Gnarl Ridge from Cloud Cap Hike) or the south. The latter approach keeps your car on a paved surface and begins at the popular Elk Meadows Trailhead. This lollipop loop takes you across Newton Creek twice, allows you to visit Elk Meadows, and with a little off-trail scramble, puts you on top of Lamberson Butte, staring up at the imposing Newton Clark Glacier and down past dark breccia crags to the always changing spate of Newton Creek. If you're backpacking, there's water at Elk Meadows and Newton Creek. The Elk Meadows Trail begins in mountain hemlock forest, with silver fir, Douglas-fir, noble fir, Engelmann spruce and western white pine. There’s a huckleberry understory that invites plunder in late summer. Cross one firebreak and then another one. There’s an unmarked trail junction, with a trail leading left to a parking area for the Meadows Nordic Center. Reach the Elk Meadows-Umbrella Falls Trail Junction and keep straight. Drop to cross Clark Creek on its handrailed footbridge after passing the Elk Meadows-Clark Creek Trail Junction on the right. Before the bridge, there’s a wilderness permit box. After crossing the bridge, the trail heads up a bank and enters the Mt. Hood Wilderness. The path levels and then drops to cross two small creeks. Then it proceeds gradually upward. Cross a creek on a footbridge and, on a level section, reach the Elk Meadows-Newton Creek Trail Junction. The trail drops into the Newton Creek channel. A plank usually affords a good crossing of Newton Creek; otherwise, especially early in the season, you will have to pick your way across (see Tips for Crossing Streams). Cairns mark the route to the continuation of the Elk Meadows Trail on the opposite bank. The dusty trail switchbacks up, passing over many lush seeps and small brooks. Switchback again, and note the many large Douglas-firs on this steep hillside. Pass through thimbleberry thickets with active mountain beaver war

Trail Stats

Photos

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350px-GnarlRidgeElkMeadowsMap

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250px-Looking_up_at_Gnarl_Ridge%2C_Timberline_Trail

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250px-Whitebark_pine_corpse%2C_Lamberson_Butte%2C_Mt

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250px-NewtonCreekCrossing2

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400px-Gnarl_Ridge_View

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TKO put tools to trail here.png

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