2.1 hr
Overview
NOTICE: Trails in this area have been affected by the 2021 Bull Complex Fire. Please check current closures in the Clackamas River Ranger District before planning an outing. This undulating hike over prominences on the southern half of Rho Ridge takes you to an old lookout site and cabin with an outstanding view of Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters. While some of the hike is through regenerating clearcuts (There will be huckleberries galore in late summer), you'll also encounter a couple of lush meadows and walk in shady unlogged ridge-top woodland. This route, part of the old Skyline Trail and currently the Rho Ridge Trail #564, is also open to motorcycles; however, the trail is so rarely maintained that, with quite a few downed trees, it hasn't seen ATV traffic in years. From the sign at the back of the large parking area, take the Rho Ridge Trail, which makes a wide switchback to the right. Ascend through young conifers in a former clearcut and reach a decommissioned road - the first of several you will be crossing. Make a level traverse in old clearcuts and cross another road bed. The trail veers right and then passes through a clearcut in a bear-grass meadow. Right after you exit the cut, you’ll encounter a massive noble fir, the biggest tree on this trail. Continue along the broad crest of Rho Ridge in a grouseberry/bear-grass carpet, and pass over another old road among Douglas-firs and mountain hemlocks. The trail drops, crosses a draw, and swings left. Pass lush Fawn Meadow, which positively bursts with shooting stars in late spring, on your left. Traverse up through a thicket of rhododendrons and cross another road bed. Continue rising to another old logging road, catching glimpses of Sisi Butte's silhouette through the trees. Descend from here and then traverse up a slope, passing a large old western hemlock. The trail drops gradually before rising again. Descend once more to hike along a broad ridge crest. Then head up again in unlogged woods with a dense huckleberry understory. Reach a decom
Trail Stats
0.0 km
624 m
0 m
0 m
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Photos
300px-HawkMountainGrahamPassMap
300px-HawkMountainGrahamPassMap
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250px-Road_crossing%2C_Rho_Ridge
250px-Fawn_Meadow%2C_Rho_Ridge
250px-Fawn_Meadow%2C_Rho_Ridge
250px-Trail_sign%2C_Graham_Pass_Trailhead%2C_Rho_Ridge
250px-Trail_sign%2C_Graham_Pass_Trailhead%2C_Rho_Ridge
400px-Lookout_and_Mt
400px-Lookout_and_Mt