Grassy Knoll Trail

Overview

The Grassy Knoll Trail will take you through beautiful flowery meadows, neat cliffy viewpoints and forests to the former site of a fire lookout with views across a lava bed to Mt. Adams and Hood to the south. This trail allows you to enjoy the May flowers without the crowds. You will travel 10.8 miles round trip with 2850 feet of elevation gained with all the ups and downs.

Getting There

See the Getting There section of the main page for directions to the trailhead.

Route Description

From the trailhead, follow the path through a small meadow into the forest and up a steep 600 feet to the clifftop viewpoint about 1.2 miles into the hike. From here the trail continues through huckleberry bushes and firs one mile to climb up the side of Grassy Knoll. Grassy Knoll is also the site of an old fire lookout but all there is now are foundation posts, balsam roots and views to the Gorge. Enjoy and then head on the trail into forest briefly but then into mostly open meadows along a ridge for another mile to Grassy Pass. Watch for bears here.

Past Grassy Pass maybe a half mile back into the forest you will come to a primitive campsite called Cold Srings Camp. Another mile and a half through forests (losing and then gaining about 300 feet as the trail skirts below a couple cliffy spots where you can spot some caves at their bases) and you will come to a trail junction.

Turn right and follow the sign to the summit. You will also pass another trail junction a few yards along the way, that is the Pacific Crest Trail, stay right to head to the summit about .2 miles away. Descend the same route.

Essential Gear

None needed. Maybe some pepper spray if you are worried about the bears.

External Links

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Images

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