Mt. Hood Bikepacking Loop
Mount Hood is the tallest point in Oregon at 11,249 feet. I've summited it a few times and last summer I hiked the 40 mile Timberline Trail circumnavigating Mt. Hood. This summer I had the idea to ride my bike all the way around it for a bikepacking trip.
First what is bikepacking? Its pretty simple, its basically a backpacking trip but instead of hiking you ride your bike. This gives you the freedom and adventure of backpacking and being able to camp wherever, but you can go faster and cover more miles. Instead of a carrying a 40-60 litter backpack on your back, you strap several smaller bags to your bike to spread the weight out and keep your center of gravity low.
Trip Planning
I honestly did very little planning for this trip. We had a general idea of doing like 70-100 miles around Mt. Hood over 3 days on bikes sometime in late Summer or Fall when it cooled down. We got a clear weather window in the end of October so I texted Ryan and he was down with about a four day notice. On day 2 of the trip we were looking at the map and make a quick change up to go up over a different pass instead of taking a longer mellower road.
Gear setup
The Bikes: Priority 600ADX
We both rode Priority 600ADX bikes. They are 29-inch hardtails built for exactly this kind of trip. The bike is like a hybrid between a gravel bike and a mountain bike, with front shocks and knobby tires but not as aggressive as downhill mountain bike tires. Instead of a normal chain and derailleur, the bike has an internal sealed gearbox and a belt drive, so there's nothing to lube and nothing to clog on gravel. Also the shifter is all on one side so you can easily change gears and not have to bounce around chain rings to get to the perfect gear ratio. The only weird thing is you shift when you aren't pedaling so it takes a second to remember that, but you can jump from 1 to 12 in one shift which is impossible with a normal chain drive bike.
Racks and dry bags: Aeroe
We used the Aeroe Spider Rear Rack and the Spider Front Rack with a few of the Rack Cradles. These lightweight racks easily strap to the bike without needing rack eyelets. Each cradle cinches down a dry bag, a rolled tent, or a sleeping pad, and the whole system is rated for 35 pounds.
We also used a few of Aeroe's Heavy Duty Roll Top Dry Bags are welded TPU and come in 8- and 12-liter sizes. They're quick to pull off at camp, which is exactly what you want at the end of a long day.
Bikepacking Bags: Kokopelli Durango
We also used some Kokopelli Durango bikepacking bags. The frame bag fits perfectly in the middle of the frame with a waterproof zipper to keep your gear clean and dry. We also used the Durango Feed Bags which are water bottle holders with extra pockets for snacks for quick easy access.
The route at a glance
The loop runs 83 miles clockwise around Mount Hood and with a total elevation gain of 8,500 feet throughout the ride. It bottoms out at 1,400 feet near Zigzag and tops out at 4,688 feet on Highway 35. Since its a loop you can start and end anywhere but we picked Government Camp as the starting point.
Day 1: Government Camp to Lolo Pass Road
We met up in Government Camp and quickly sorted some gear and then headed out. We got a really late start after work and started riding at 6 pm. It was nice to start with a huge downhill to crush out a few miles quickly. We started on Highway 26 and then cut onto the Timberline to town trail for some single track action and to avoid the highway in the dark.
Then we popped out onto the highway for a few more easy miles to the town of Zig Zag. You could refuel here with snacks or dinner if you wanted to. From here we started the climb up Lolo Pass. We rode about 5 miles up and then turned off to camp along the Sandy River at about 8 pm. Theres tons of places to crash out around here and its right along the water too which was great to top off our water.
Day 2: Over Lolo Pass to Toll Bridge Park
This was the longest of the trip, and it started with a small morning fire and some hot coffee to get us going. We left camp at around 9 am and headed back up Lolo pass to the top at 3,415 feet, where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road and Mount Hood fills the view to the southeast.
At the pass, the pavement ends. The road down the northeast side turns to gravel, and this is where the 600ADX earned its keep. We were bombing down the dirt road with tons of sneaky pot holes and the big 29-inch tires and front suspension forks saved me a time or two.
We rode this all the way down and then topped off water at another little creek. This route is awesome because even in late Fall theres tons of water sources along the way.
Then we headed up FS 16 on the North Side of Hood. This is a beautiful road that heads up another pass topping out around 3,700 feet. From there, it's a long, swooping descent out of the trees and into the orchards of the Upper Hood River Valley. This was a super fun downhill section where we got going pretty fast and it felt good to cover some miles quickly.
We got into Parkdale at around 6 pm and stopped at a little market for a few extra snacks. We were also pretty beat after almost 40 miles so we ate at the local BBQ restaurant too instead of cooking our freeze dried meals that we brought.
After dinner we rode two more miles over to Toll Bridge Park to camp out for the night. This is an established campground with bathrooms, picnic tables, water and fire pits. It's also right on the East Fork of the Hood River and falling asleep to the sound of the river is hard to beat.
Day 3: Parkdale to Government Camp
We woke up a little earlier to get going but with temps in the 30's its hard to climb out of your sleeping bag when it's dark out. We had another small morning fire and coffee and then headed out at 8:30. The last day is about 28 miles, and most of it goes up. From Toll Bridge Park, Highway 35 climbs south along the East Fork of the Hood River for nearly 20 miles, gaining roughly 3,000 feet on the way to the loop's high point at 4,688 feet near Bennett Pass and Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort.
This part is the sketchiest part with not much of a shoulder to ride on as you follow the East Fork of the Hood river up a narrow canyon.
We got to Bennett pass and took a little side road to Sahalie Falls overlook and then refilled water from another small creek nearby.
The final 9 miles are mostly downhill, but with two short steep climbs (apple maps said we might have to get off and walk). As we were passing Trillium Lake it started to rain on us which was about 4 hours before it was forecasted to. We rolled into Government camp at 3 pm just before it started to downpour. We grabbed some pizza and beer and then went home.
Overall this is a very obtainable bikepacking trip. If you have experience riding bikes and have done some backpacking trips I recommend checking this one out. It’s a great mix of dirt and pavement so it’s not super overwhelming for someone with no mountain biking experience but enough dirt to make it not a plain pavement ride. Also with easy access to most spots bailing out and hitching a ride would be pretty easy.
Riding it yourself
- Go in late spring, summer, or early fall. Lolo Pass isn't plowed in the winter and takes a while to melt out. Summer would be great, you'd have more day light and could bring less gear but would have to stop more for water refills with the heat. Fall was pretty perfect but sometime in September would have been a little better.
- Camping. Theres tons of spots around the Sandy River to camp out off Lolo Pass. You could also camp out at the top of Lolo Pass but you'd need to stock up on water about a mile before the top. Toll Bridge sites are first-come, first-served so if it's full you might have to ride an extra 10 miles up to Sherwood Campground or crash out on a random spot along the East Fork of the Hood River.
- Carry enough for the middle. There are no services on the route between Zigzag and Parkdale, so pack a full day of food and bring a water filter.
- Respect the highways. Highways 26 and 35 carry fast traffic. Run front and rear lights, wear something bright, and start early when traffic is lighter.
- Gear low and bring gravel-ready tires. With 8,500 feet of climbing on a loaded bike, low gears matter more than anything else. The north side of Lolo Pass is unpaved, so skip skinny road tires.
- Pack for mountain weather. Conditions on Mount Hood can change fast. We wore everything from t-shirts to puffy jackets with rain coats on. It was also nice to have waterproof bags to keep all our stuff clean and dry.
- Other things. If I did it again I'd start at Mt. Hood Meadows or Trillium Lake area and would have started earlier to make the last day a little shorter and mellower. We only rode for 2 hours on the first day so we could have done it in 2 days. But it's really fun to sleep out in the wild for an extra night.
Gear Used
Aeroe Front and Rear Rack Systems with 3 Spider Cradles and 2 Aeroe dry bags
Kokopelli Frame packs, seat post dry bag, and feed bags.
Other items: Helmets, 20 degree sleeping bags, sleeping pads, pillows, backpacking tents, reflective vest for highway riding, bike lights and head lamps, shirts, pants, fleece layers, puffy jacket, rain/wind shell, face mask/neck gaiter, gloves, beanies, 2 pairs of socks, 3 water bottles each (2 for electrolyte mixes and 1 plain water), squeeze water filter, battery pack with a charging cord, gopros, camp stove, cup, spork, map, first aid kit. Bike repair tools like extra tubes, patch kit, pump, multi tool and tire levers.