Mt. Hood National Forest
Mt. Hood National Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than sixty miles of forested mountains, lakes and streams to Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mt. Jefferson.
Located twenty miles east of Portland, Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley, the Mt. Hood National Forest encompasses roughly 1,067,043 acres.
This forest is a mecca for outdoor recreation. Visitors come to fish, camp, boat and hike. In fall, you can hunt and in winter, when the snow comes - and it really comes! - you can ski or participate in other snow sports, such as snow shoeing or snowmobiling.
Throughout the warner months, berry picking and mushroom collecting are popular. When December hits, bring the family to cut a Christmas tree.
There are 311,448 acres of designated wilderness on the Forest. The largest is the Mt. Hood Wilderness, which includes the mountain's peak and upper slopes. Others are Badger Creek, Salmon-Huckleberry, Hatfield, and Bull-of-the-Woods. Olallie Scenic Area is a lightly-roaded lake basin that provides a primitive recreational experience.
Some history
The Cascade Range Forest Reserve was established in 1893, and divided into several National Forests in 1908, when the northern portion was merged with the Bull Run Reserve (city watershed) and named Oregon National Forest. The name was changed again to Mt. Hood National Forest in 1924.