Found a way to cut a day off the Timberline Trail loop

Honestly, I was looking at the usual 4 day plan for the Timberline around Mt. Hood and the mileage between campsites just looked rough. Tbh, I checked the map closer and saw a spur trail down to the Muddy Fork. I hiked down there on the second afternoon instead of pushing to the next official site, found a perfect flat spot right by the river. It shaved about 7 miles off that day's hike and made the whole trip way more chill. Has anyone else tried camping off the main loop to break up the miles differently?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wesley21h ago

My last trip planning session involved more staring at the map than actual hiking. Maybe I should try your shortcut instead of just complaining about the miles.

iris92719h ago

Wait, you actually measure your planning by how much you stare at the map? That's the real problem right there. If you're just looking and not plotting a real path, you're never gonna get out the door. You gotta draw a line on it, even if it's wrong at first. All that staring just turns into another way to avoid the hard part, which is picking a trail and going.

angela_harris19h ago

Nice find! That Muddy Fork area is a solid spot, and honestly, @iris927 has a point about needing to actually draw a line on the map. But sometimes staring at it shows you those off-loop gems the main plan misses. You just have to be sure about the river crossing the next morning, that can be a real pain if the water's high.