Mirror Lake Trail

I was out doing the Ramona Falls hike, and I decided that I needed to find a lake that provided me with a great view of Mt Hood. My first stop was Trillium Lake, but with that being a “drive up” lake, there were tons of people. Tons of people only means one thing…turbulent waters! As I was driving to Trillium, I remember passing the Mirror Lake trailhead, and decided that I’d head back there to see what it was all about. As I was getting ready to head up, I saw a couple exiting the trailhead, and I asked them how it was. They said that the waters were very calm, and the view was amazing…they even gave me some good spots for pics. I love friendly people.

This Hike is is only about a 4 mile round trip, but you gain about 700’ elevation in that one mile of uphill…so it can be a bugger if your legs aren’t quite up to it. The first part of the hike is quite mild, just a gradual uphill. Almost the entire trail has dense tree cover, so it’s pretty dark with a lot of spotty light popping through the trees. About half way up, it’s switchback after switchback. At one point in the switchbacks, the trees clear out, and you get a really good valley view…Great for sunsets! Alright…soon after the switchbacks, you’ll see a sign that says “campgrounds —> Loop <—“ The campground direction will get you to the good viewpoints, sooner, but they will both end up in the same place. I highly recommend you do the loop. One of my favorite things, other than the amazing view of Mt Hood, is the little boardwalk. To me, it just looks really cool sitting in nature, and…it will lead you to the good photo spots.