Mt Hood north side access??

[godskid5]

I couldn't find any info here about access to the north side, eliot glacier area.

So, has anyone been up there recently? Is the road open to the trail head by cloud cap, or is it still closed? How close can you get before you have to ski/snow shoe in?

Thanks!

Dave

[nwoutdoornews]

Dave,

 

The road to Cloudcap usually isn't open until June or July. Most of us park at the gate near Cooper Spur and skin up.

 

Good luck!

[godskid5]

doesn't that add about 10 miles??

it's a little out of my league right now. going in early may to see a surgeon about knee issues! maybe i'll wait till june!

 

In the meantime, I'll head somewhere else this weekend.

 

Thanks!

[eldiente]

The skin up is 3 miles on the trail, very easy walk and you can stay at the TJ hut and spend the night. With a heavy pack plan for a two hour hike to Cloud Cap.

 

 

 

 

[godskid5]

Where does the trail start? I figured it would just follow the road from the bottom, which seems forever in a car!

Might be able to make that one.

I got a pair of randonee skis with skins, need to get some alpine boots and give it a shot! Thinking I might take skiing lessons first though, been snowboarding a bit, but never put on skis other than to try these on!

[Mtguide]

The large format Mt.Hood Wilderness Map published by Geo-Graphics in 7.5 minute/1:24,000 scale (most of the climbing shops will have it) gives you an excellent layout of the Tilly Jane trail (they've labeled it "Cooper spur Ski Tr.") starting just west of the turnoff into the Cooper Spur Winter Sports Area, and continuing up to the shelter at the Tilly Jane campground. The Cloud Cap Road USFS#3512 is also very clearly shown, you'll see the difference. Like eldiente says, the trail's only about 3 mi., whereas it's about 11 miles up the road.

 

If you have serious knee problems,and have never really skied, then then this trail's not for you just yet. It's quite steep and narrow in places, not that hard for a novice to get up on skins, but if you don't know how to ski at all, you don't want to try to ski down it, especially with a bad knee. I can just about guarantee that you'd wreck your knee real good that way. You'd be better off to carry your skis and just boot it on the way down, which is certainly doable now that the snow's beginning to settle and firm up. If you do that, please just stay to one side of the trail so you don't put boot holes in the ski run.

 

Skinning up the road and skiing back down it would be a far more easy, gentle slope for a beginner, but if your knee's that bad, then all that distance with a full pack might not be the best thing for it either. Might want to talk to the Doc first, maybe wear a brace. Use your good judgement, and heed the very wise closing words of the late writer Kurt Vonnegut's commencement adress last June, I think it was at Boston: "And folks, take care of your knees; you have a long ways to go."

[gslater]

RIP Kurt Vonnegut, April 2007.

[Frikadeller]

What Mtn.Guide said, but you can also consider this: Many XC skiers go up the tilly jane ski trail, and then just ski the mellower road back down to the car from the hut. This might be a viable option if you're not a strong downhill skier. just snowplow all the way down the road, if you need to slow down. In warmer weather you might actually have to pole or skate a bit...