• Home
  • Blog
  • Note Cards
  • About
Menu

Maura Brady

Outdoor enthusiast. Sharing what I see.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Note Cards
  • About

Hiking the Paradise Park Loop Trail on Wy'east (Mt. Hood)

July 29, 2021

Most people hike the iconic Paradise Park Loop from Timberline Lodge. Since we backpacked to Ramona Falls for our weekend base camp, we start from Ramona Falls.

After a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, we pack our daypacks and hit the Timberline Trail/PCT by a little after 8:30 am. My legs are a little tired from yesterday’s adventure to Yocum Ridge but overall, I feel great. Our plan is to hike the Paradise Park Loop Trail and return to our campsite at Ramona Falls, pack up, and hike out to get back to Portland by evening. Overall, it’ll be about a 17 mile day to wrap up a 32 mile weekend.

Read More
Tags Paradise Park, Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood Wilderness, Mt. Hood National Forest, Ramona Falls
Comment

Backpacking the Salmon River Trail

June 30, 2017

Better late than never.

It was a long winter in the Pacific Northwest but I'm finally emerging from my seven month blogging hibernation. We didn't stop hiking when the weather turned last fall - we still did plenty of it in the rain and snow - I just lost momentum with writing up our hikes. (I remember sitting down to write after a solo hike along the Eagle Creek Trail a few days after the election but couldn't muster the energy or will to do so. And somehow that lack of will to write continued for months.) 

A lot has also changed in our lives since my last post on our trip to the Canadian Rockies. We are pregnant and due August 28! Lindsay is feeling good and the baby is moving a lot, which is exciting. We have also embarked on the journey of finding and buying a home. As a result, we've slowed down a bit with our weekend adventures and are focusing on preparing for these exciting, daunting life transitions. We still relish every opportunity to get outside and into the woods, even if it is less often.

Lindsay and I knew that early June would probably be our last opportunity to go backpacking before welcoming our new addition in August, so we jumped on it. We were looking for a relatively flat trail that was not too far from Portland. My brother Myles and his girlfriend Rosemary made a last minute decision to join us.

The Salmon River Trail is a true gem. Just a little over an hour from Portland, it is a super accessible trail that winds along the river through lush old growth forest. There are numerous areas along the river to camp. The trail climbs from the Salmon River a few miles to a bluff with multiple viewpoints of the Salmon River Gorge. The entire 33.5-mile river is a protected National Wild and Scenic River.

Read More
Tags Mt. Hood National Forest, Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, Salmon River Trail
2 Comments

A Weekend at Paradise Park

August 18, 2016

I've lived in Oregon now for almost 5 years but somehow have never visited Paradise Park on Mt. Hood. Lindsay and I started backpacking two summers ago and have been to national forests and wilderness areas all over the Pacific Northwest - Olympic, Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, Bull of the Woods, McKenzie Recreation Area. Mt. Hood's Paradise Park has always been on our list.

Paradise Park is a beautiful alpine meadow area above timberline on the south west side of the mountain. It is best known for wildflowers in July and August. Our original plan was to do a one nighter but once we read the Perseid meteor shower was supposed to still peak on Friday night we decided to set out on the Pacific Crest Trail Friday after work and find a site with an open view of the sky. We hoped to get lucky. We did.

Read More
Tags Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood Wilderness, Mt. Hood National Forest, Pacific Crest Trail, Paradise Park
7 Comments

Backpacking in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness

June 2, 2016

Last weekend, Lindsay and I kicked off our summer with a three-day, two-night backpacking trip in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness in Mt. Hood National Forest. We spent a few days researching hikes and potential destinations - we did not want to run into swarms of day hikers or a significant amount of snow at higher elevations. I came across Big Slide Lake and Bull of the Woods Wilderness in a backpacking book - the hike seemed like it was exactly what we were looking for - a moderate hike (too far for most day hikers) to a beautiful destination with ample day hiking options from our base camp at the lake. And, to top it off, Bull of the Woods is far less traveled than the other Mt. Hood wilderness areas. While we weren't expecting solitude, we knew we would see fewer hikers. We were pleasantly surprised by this wilderness gem.

Read More
Tags Mt. Hood National Forest, Bull of the Woods Wilderness, Big Slide Lake
Comment

16 Hours at Lost Lake

May 13, 2016

Lost Lake is one of my favorite places near Mt. Hood. My wife and I have visited at least once a year since we moved to Oregon almost five years ago and it has never once disappointed. If you're looking for solitude, though, you won't find it at Lost Lake. 

We fell in love with this beautiful place the first time we visited. It is highlighted by the majestic mountain towering gloriously above the lake, a well-maintained campground with fairly large sites, a lovely lakeside old-growth boardwalk and trail. It is the perfect spot to lounge in a hammock with a book and a few session IPAs on a hot summer day. 

Read More
Tags Mt. Hood, Lost Lake, Mt. Hood National Forest
Comment
Fresh snow at Tamanawas Falls.

Fresh snow at Tamanawas Falls.

Tamanawas Falls

January 9, 2016

This winter has been a delight for the snow-lover in me. Hundreds of inches have fallen on Mt. Hood - creating magical forest scenes and a winter wonderland to discover. I've embraced dreary rainy days in Portland knowing that rain in the city means snow in the mountains - at least for now.

The Tamanawas Falls hike is one for all seasons. I've seen it in the fall and late summer but never winter. I was eager to see it dressed in snow and ice. 

Read More
Tags Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood National Forest, Tamanawas Falls, Oregon
Comment
Magic in the forest.

Magic in the forest.

Timberline Trail

November 22, 2015

Some hikes remain engrained in your memory for years to come. This is one of them.

We have done a lot of hiking within 100 miles of Portland - but somehow never anything northwest of Mt. Hood off of Lolo Pass Road near the PCT. We hoped to encounter our first glimpse of winter's beginnings on the mountain.

Read More
Tags Mt. Hood, Timberline Trail, Mt. Hood National Forest
Comment

Never Miss a Post

Enter your email address and receive updates from Maura's blog.

We respect your privacy. 

Thank you for subscribing!

Featured
Two Days in Rocky Mountain National Park
Jul 19, 2024
Two Days in Rocky Mountain National Park
Jul 19, 2024
Jul 19, 2024
Is this thing still on?
Jul 12, 2024
Is this thing still on?
Jul 12, 2024
Jul 12, 2024
Backpacking the Northern Loop in Mount Rainier National Park
Aug 26, 2021
Backpacking the Northern Loop in Mount Rainier National Park
Aug 26, 2021
Aug 26, 2021
Hiking the Paradise Park Loop Trail on Wy'east (Mt. Hood)
Jul 29, 2021
Hiking the Paradise Park Loop Trail on Wy'east (Mt. Hood)
Jul 29, 2021
Jul 29, 2021
Hiking Yocum Ridge on Wy'east (Mt. Hood)
Jul 29, 2021
Hiking Yocum Ridge on Wy'east (Mt. Hood)
Jul 29, 2021
Jul 29, 2021
A Week in Olympic National Park
Jul 9, 2021
A Week in Olympic National Park
Jul 9, 2021
Jul 9, 2021
Backpacking in Eagle Cap Wilderness
Aug 7, 2020
Backpacking in Eagle Cap Wilderness
Aug 7, 2020
Aug 7, 2020
Exploring the Central Oregon Coast
Mar 13, 2020
Exploring the Central Oregon Coast
Mar 13, 2020
Mar 13, 2020
A Weekend in Sedona
Mar 9, 2020
A Weekend in Sedona
Mar 9, 2020
Mar 9, 2020
2019: a year on the trails
Jan 10, 2020
2019: a year on the trails
Jan 10, 2020
Jan 10, 2020
Backpacking the Copper Ridge Loop in the North Cascades
Sep 5, 2019
Backpacking the Copper Ridge Loop in the North Cascades
Sep 5, 2019
Sep 5, 2019
Larch Mountain Trail Run
Aug 20, 2019
Larch Mountain Trail Run
Aug 20, 2019
Aug 20, 2019
A Rainy Weekend in Squamish, BC
Aug 9, 2019
A Rainy Weekend in Squamish, BC
Aug 9, 2019
Aug 9, 2019
Weekend on the Salmon River
Jun 5, 2019
Weekend on the Salmon River
Jun 5, 2019
Jun 5, 2019
Retreat to California's Redwood Coast
Jun 27, 2018
Retreat to California's Redwood Coast
Jun 27, 2018
Jun 27, 2018
The Wonder of Opal Creek
May 25, 2018
The Wonder of Opal Creek
May 25, 2018
May 25, 2018
Winter in Forest Park
Feb 21, 2018
Winter in Forest Park
Feb 21, 2018
Feb 21, 2018
Spectacular Siouxon Creek
Feb 16, 2018
Spectacular Siouxon Creek
Feb 16, 2018
Feb 16, 2018
Luca: Our Little Hiker
Feb 9, 2018
Luca: Our Little Hiker
Feb 9, 2018
Feb 9, 2018
Backpacking the Salmon River Trail
Jun 30, 2017
Backpacking the Salmon River Trail
Jun 30, 2017
Jun 30, 2017
Backpacking to Mount Assiniboine
Oct 20, 2016
Backpacking to Mount Assiniboine
Oct 20, 2016
Oct 20, 2016
A Day at Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park
Oct 9, 2016
A Day at Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park
Oct 9, 2016
Oct 9, 2016
Backpacking the Berg Lake Trail in British Columbia
Sep 29, 2016
Backpacking the Berg Lake Trail in British Columbia
Sep 29, 2016
Sep 29, 2016
Enchantments Thru Hike
Sep 3, 2016
Enchantments Thru Hike
Sep 3, 2016
Sep 3, 2016
Backpacking Jefferson Park
Aug 31, 2016
Backpacking Jefferson Park
Aug 31, 2016
Aug 31, 2016
A Weekend in Glacier National Park
Aug 26, 2016
A Weekend in Glacier National Park
Aug 26, 2016
Aug 26, 2016
A Weekend at Paradise Park
Aug 18, 2016
A Weekend at Paradise Park
Aug 18, 2016
Aug 18, 2016
Backpacking in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness
Jun 2, 2016
Backpacking in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness
Jun 2, 2016
Jun 2, 2016
Ramona Falls
May 20, 2016
Ramona Falls
May 20, 2016
May 20, 2016
16 Hours at Lost Lake
May 13, 2016
16 Hours at Lost Lake
May 13, 2016
May 13, 2016

Powered by Squarespace