Perry Lake from Vista Ridge Hike

Overview

Past Owl Point, the Old Vista Ridge Trail #626A is marked as 'Not Maintained,' but in fact hikers can continue almost another mile down the ridge to tiny Perry Lake, passing Alki Point and the site of the Red HIll Guard Station. The trail becomes a rough, rocky road bed (gated lower down) just above the guard station site. In July 2018, rangers from the Hood River Ranger District and volunteers from Trailkeepers of Oregon (TKO) officially reopened the Old Vista Ridge Trail, the culmination of a ten-year effort to bring back this route of many views. The trail is much lower than the adjacent trails to Mount Hood, and thus open earlier in spring (early June) and much later in the fall (mid-November). This is an especially attractive hike in late afternoon, when the view from Owl Point is at its best. The short spurs to The Rockpile and Owl Point follow informal trails that are usually well-marked and easy to follow. From the trailhead, continue one third of a mile to the Vista Ridge Junction, where there's a wilderness registration kiosk. Turn left here onto the signed Old Vista Ridge Trail #626A. After a short walk on the level, the trail begins to climb more noticeably. In this section, you'll see the many cleared logs that once blocked this portion of the trail. The route switchbacks once to the high point of the hike, and then begins a traverse along the east side of Vista Ridge, heading north. There are some interesting views into the Clear Branch valley at a couple of spots, plus a forested boulder field and some attractive stands of mountain hemlock and noble fir. If you watch closely, you'll notice occasional traces of old phone wire from the 1920s that once served area lookouts. There are also a couple of short spurs to overlooks just off the trail to the right. Beyond the traverse section, the trail crosses a broad crest of open subalpine forest and huckleberry fields, passing a couple of scree slopes and then dropping to a small meadow. Here, the main route continues across the meadow, and in wet se

Trail Stats

Photos

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TKO put tools to trail here.png

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