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Tom Dick and Harry Mountain

Government Camp, Oregon

5.0/5
based on 4 reviews

Details

Distance

8.28 miles

Elevation Gain

1726 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Dan Moe

Pass majestic Mirror Lake before ascending to Tom Dick and Harry, which offers a face-to-face view of Mt Hood, as well as far off St Helens, Rainier, Adams, and Jefferson. A highway accessible trailhead. Ease of this trail make it a great place to enjoy a sunset. In the winter, this trail is also doable as a snowshoe. Numerous campsites around Mirror Lake make this a great candidate for a kid's first backpacking trip, or a last minute campout in the woods!

Looking to score those iconic photos of Mt. Hood? Climb the well-graded trail to Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, one of the most accessible summit hikes to Portlanders, and see where they were all taken.

Starting from the busy Mirror Lake Trailhead, climb roughly 900 feet and 1.5 miles to Mirror Lake along one of the most popular and easily accessible trails in Oregon. There will be families, kids, dogs, old folks, and tourists from Omaha in their tennis shoes, but don't lose heart. There's a reason this hike is so popular. After 9 quick switchbacks, you'll hear the outlet stream from the lake just before walking along it. Don't stop. At the 1.5 mile mark, continue straight at a signed junction toward Tom Dick and Harry. The trail then climbs west away from Mirror Lake for a mile before reaching an enormous rock cairn and an arrow pointing to your hard left turn. Another half mile and a couple hundred feet of climbing and the trail open up into a talus summit, full of great slab stones to lay upon and enjoy the view. Return the way you came, making sure to circle Mirror Lake and enjoy the reflective views.

To get to the trailhead, head east out of Portland drive East on I-84 about 13 miles until you reach Exit 16 and take that towards US 26 East. Drive about 40 miles on the 26 and look for a turnout parking lot on the right hand side of the road. If you reach Government Camp, you've gone to far - go back about 1.5 miles and look for the turnout on the left side of the road.

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Features

Camping
Photography
Running
Backpacking
Hiking
Beach
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Forest
Lake
Picnic Area
Romantic
Scenic
Waterfall
Wildflowers
Swimming Hole

Tom Dick and Harry Mountain Reviews

With this trailhead becoming more popular the limited amount of parking fills up quickly each morning, so the sooner you arrive the better, or you have to extend your trek to Skibowl. Hiking early also grants you with crisp views before the heat of the day causes a haze to occur. There's a great viewpoint at the top just a stone throw east of the true summit where you can see Mirror Lake before the face of Hood. Always a great hike!

Just 60 minutes from Portland, the trailhead was quite busy. However, most of these people seemed to be doing just the Mirror Lake trail. The hike to the summit is straightforward w/ a nice break at Mirror Lake about 1/2 way up. Once at the summit I was amazed at the Mt Hood view. Absolutely nothing between me and the mountain. It was a crystal clear day so I could see peak after peak (Mt Jefferson, Mt Washington, and possibly Mt Bachelor) across the horizon as well. Staying until Sunset made for a doozy of a hike down in the dark, but it was well worth it.

The view of Mt. Hood from Tom Dick and Harry is unparalleled! I did this as a sunset hike and brought a picnic. There are many places to lounge at the summit and I stayed until after sunset and watched the clouds turn pink around Mt. Hood. Don't forget to look behind you because the view in every direction is phenomenal. Also, don't forget a jacket as it can get windy up there!

Amazing views from a well graded, well maintained path. This was a nice short hike on our way back to Portland after a weekend camping on the mountain. Trail is heavily populated by both humans and their canines. The campsites around Mirror lake were nice, though daytime at the lake is quite loud due to the crowd.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Mirror Lake Trail

Snowshoe Tom, Dick, and Harry

Hike to Little Zig Zag Falls

Camp at Trillium Lake

Snowshoe or Cross-Country Ski to Trillium Lake

Trillium Lake