28 min
Overview
In 1924, workers constructing the Mt. Hood Highway discovered, hidden under debris and brush, the grave of an unnamed woman from the era of the Oregon Trail. The remains were reinterred by the side of the highway and now a pile of stones with various offerings marks the site. This short hike takes you down a section of the Barlow Road, a toll road constructed in 1846 and used by Oregon Trail wagon parties to cross the Cascades. The old wagon route, which went straight up and down steep slopes is still there among pockets of big old growth trees and a full-on view of Mount Hood. This short hike can be combined with any of the other hikes departing from the Barlow Pass Trailhead and is also a great snowshoe excursion in the winter. From the west side of the parking area, hike down what is an old road bed in mountain hemlock/silver fir/Douglas-fir slope forest. A sign designates this the route of the Barlow Road. Soon come to a small sign that indicates the “original wagon route” heading straight down the hill where the old motor vehicle road veers left. To experience hiking in the rut created by the passage of wagons, walk directly down the slope. Small trees have fallen over the route, so you might need to clamber a little before rejoining the road track. Go right and keep descending gently. The road bed switchbacks to the left and then levels in a shady woodland of western red-cedar, silver fir, and mountain hemlock. Pass two large cedars on your left and then reach a grove of massive Douglas-firs. Keep following the eroded, rocky track as it descends until it levels in a carpet of vanilla leaf and twin flower. Huckleberry bushes form the understory. Pass another big Douglas-fir. Wind down again and then wade through the huckleberries to your right to get a view of Mount Hood. Soon the trail departs the road bed to the right and crosses a rotting log footbridge over a creek to descend to a bottomland of cedar, Douglas-fir, and western hemlock. A path departing to the right is the Beaver Marsh Ski Trail, wh
Trail Stats
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141 m
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Photos
300px-PioneerWomansGraveMap
300px-PioneerWomansGraveMap
250px-Log_bridge%2C_Grave_Trail
250px-Log_bridge%2C_Grave_Trail
250px-View_to_Mt
250px-View_to_Mt
250px-Looking_down_the_wagon_route%2C_Barlow_Pass
250px-Looking_down_the_wagon_route%2C_Barlow_Pass
400px-Pioneer_woman%27s_grave%2C_Grave_Trail
400px-Pioneer_woman%27s_grave%2C_Grave_Trail