Mount Hood Scenic Byway

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Mount Hood and the Sandy River as seen from the Jonsrud Viewpoint along the byway.

Mount Hood Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Oregon which connects Troutdale with Hood River via the southern flank of Mount Hood. The Byway's route includes parts of present-day U.S. Highway 26 and Oregon Highway 35 and the historic Barlow Road through the Mount Hood Corridor. It also forms a loop with the Historic Columbia River Highway, an All-American Road.

1 Route
2 Points of interest
3 References
4 External links and sources

[edit] Route

From Troutdale, the Byway starts at the end of the Historic Columbia River Highway where the Troutdale Bridge crosses the Sandy River. For the first twenty miles of the route, it follows a southwestern path along city streets: west on Glenn Otto Park Road into downtown Troutdale, connecting with Halsey Street, south along 238th Street (which veers to become 242nd Street), Burnside Street, Palmquist Road, Orient Drive, Dodge Park Boulevard, Lusted Road, and Ten Eyck Road.

The Byway continues into Sandy on U.S. 26, heads west briefly on a spur to Jonsrud Viewpoint on Bluff Road, then backtracks to U.S. 26.

It continues along U.S. 26 for about thirty miles, then leaves the highway proper in favor of the business loop through Government Camp. The Byway follows a spur just east of Government Camp to Timberline Lodge. After returning to U.S. 26, it continues to the junction with Oregon Highway 35 where it exits U.S. 26 and goes north on Highway 35 for about 40 miles. At the eastern outskirts of Hood River, 35 intersects with U.S. Highway 30 and the Historic Columbia River Highway.

Much of the route of the byway is the same as the Mount Hood Highway, which is ODOT's designation for OR-35, and US-26 between Mount Hood and Portland.

[edit] Points of interest

From west to east:

Sandy River: the mouth close to Troutdale is where William Robert Broughton spotted and named Mount Hood
Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint, also known as Chanticleer Point: views of the Columbia Gorge, Columbia River Highway, Crown Point and Rooster Rock State Park
Jonsrud Viewpoint: view of Sandy River basin and Devil's Backbone, route of the Oregon Trail and Barlow Road
Wildwood Recreation Site - Cascade Streamwatch, Oregon: underwater stream and fish habitat viewing, five miles of interpretive trails along the Salmon River, access to the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness via the 70 mile Salmon River National Recreation Trail^[1]
Lost Creek Campground: Nature Trail & Old Maid Flats
Philip Foster Farm National Historic Site
West Barlow Tollgate: operated from 1874 to 1919^[2]
Laurel Hill Chute: This effectively made the Barlow Road one way by its 60% grade, easily the most harrowing portion of the Oregon Trail.
Mount Hood Cultural Center and Museum: historic photos by Ray Atkeson in downtown Government Camp, Oregon
Timberline Lodge and Ski Area
Trillium Lake/Summit Meadow: a Barlow Road tollgate from 1866 through 1870
White River (Oregon) Canyon: views of lahar and mud flows and evidence of frequent floods
Barlow Pass/Pioneer Woman's Grave ^[3]
Sahalie Falls: a horsetail waterfall 100 feet high and 20 feet wide, fed by Newton Clark Glacier and a tributary of Hood River
Tamanawas Falls: a gentle two mile trail along Cold Springs Creek to 100 foot high falls
Toll Bridge County Park
Panorama Point County Park and Viewpoint
Jesse and Winifred Hutson Museum: a National Historic Site in Parkdale, Oregon
Mount Hood Railroad
Historic Downtown Hood River