Mount Hood National Forest

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Old-growth Douglas Fir in the Mount Hood National Forest

The Mount Hood National Forest is located 20 miles (32 km) east of the city of Portland, Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than 60 miles (97 km) of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mount Jefferson. The Forest encompasses some 1,067,043 acres (4318 km²).

Visitors to the Forest can enjoy fishing, camping, boating and hiking in the summer, hunting in the fall, and skiing and other snow sports in the winter. Berry-picking and mushroom collection are popular, and for many area residents, a trip in December to cut the family's Christmas tree is a long-standing tradition.

The Forest started as the Cascade Range Forest Reserve, which was established in 1893. It was then divided into several National Forests in 1908, when the northern portion was merged with the Bull Run Reserve (city watershed) and named Oregon National Forest. The name was changed again to Mount Hood National Forest in 1924.

Popular destinations in the Forest include

Timberline Lodge, built in 1937 high on Mount Hood
Lost Lake
Burnt Lake
Trillium Lake
Timothy Lake
Rock Creek Reservoir
the Old Oregon Trail, including Barlow Road.

There are 189,200 acres (766 km²) of designated wilderness on the Forest. The largest is the Mount Hood Wilderness, which includes the mountain's peak and upper slopes. Others are Badger Creek, Salmon-Huckleberry, Hatfield, and Bull of the Woods. Olallie Scenic Area is a lightly-roaded lake basin that provides a primitive recreational experience.

Bark, a nonprofit organization dedicated to stopping commercial logging on Mount Hood, offers free hikes in the Mount Hood National Forest on the second Sunday of every month.

A view of the forest from the south	Temperate rain forest in the Mount Hood Wilderness section of the national forest.	Mountain biker gets air in Mount Hood National Forest	Mount Hood as seen from Trillium Lake
Old-growth along the Old Salmon River Trail