Cascade Range Archives – GlassMountains Trip Reports

On October 6, Bob F. and I visited the Tidbits Mountain Lookout site in the Willamette National Forest of Oregon. This was the first time either of us had visited the lookout site, perched atop a rock pinnacle. I was hopeful we might also visit the higher Lookout Mountain summit atop another rock pinnacle to the east of the lookout site.

The Titbits Mountain Lookout site is on the top of the rock tower ahead

We followed forest roads from near Tombstone Pass and parked at the Gold Hill Trailhead. The Gold Hill Trail led us west through old growth forest to the Tidbits Mountain Trail. From there we continued west trail through more forest and across talus below the summit rock pinnacle. Finally we climbed up steep western slopes to reach the exposed and tiny lookout site.

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On October 2, Bob F. and I drove to the Woodpecker Trailhead in the Willamette National Forest. From there we hiked the Woodpecker Ridge and Pacific Crest Trails to Jefferson Park, below the north face of Mount Jefferson. This was my first visit to Jefferson Park in 18 years. I wanted to visit it again and to see how the Lionshead Fire of 2020 had impacted the trails and the park, itself.

Mount Jefferson from the Woodpecker Trail and PCT junction

The Woodpecker Trailhead was still officially closed. But it was a quirk of the regulations that one could park a few hundred feet below the trailhead and hike around it to reach the trails. So we did that. Bob had a Central Cascades Wilderness Permit for the Pamelia Lake Trailhead. So we were legal and prepared for any forest rangers we might encounter.

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Tidbits Mountain Lookout, Oregon, October 2022

Jefferson Park, Oregon, October 2022