Trip Report: Castle Canyon Trail - Rhododendron, Oregon
When: 10/20/2018
Location: Castle Canyon Trail - Rhododendron, Oregon
Conditions: Perfect fall day!
Duration: 2 hours
Difficulty: Nothing crazy but it is pretty steep…
Kid Friendly: Depends on age and fitness level
Pet Friendly: Yes
The Full Report:
I recently hiked the Castle Canyon Trail near Rhododendron, Oregon. This trail was absolutely gorgeous and right off and the main road on your way up Mount Hood. There is plenty of parking available if you drive a little bit past the trailhead on your way in.
We went in late October and the leaves were all changing colors, it was beautiful. The trail is a 1.8 mile there and back hike with a fairly steep hike on the way up. The main trail is pretty obvious to follow but there are some other small trails shooting of the main stem that leads to nowhere. I suggest you really try and keep your eye on the path that looks the most traveled.
Once we started getting towards the top of the trail, we were excited to see these large stone columns with beautiful moss growing all over them. There were many different places that if you had the guts you could climb up and use it as an outlook. Please be safe though!
We continued to hike farther and there was a top lookout that was more accessible and was a bit wider than some of the very narrow rock columns. We sat and hung out there for a bit and gazed into the horizon. It was quite a peaceful trail and we only saw one other person on it, so I don't think it's that popular of a trail. There were also some other options at the parking lot of other small hikes to do if you want to do more on that day! I would highly recommend this trail!
The Full Report:
I recently hiked the Castle Canyon Trail near Rhododendron, Oregon. This trail was absolutely gorgeous and right off and the main road on your way up Mount Hood. There is plenty of parking available if you drive a little bit past the trailhead on your way in.
We went in late October and the leaves were all changing colors, it was beautiful. The trail is a 1.8 mile there and back hike with a fairly steep hike on the way up. The main trail is pretty obvious to follow but there are some other small trails shooting of the main stem that leads to nowhere. I suggest you really try and keep your eye on the path that looks the most traveled.
Once we started getting towards the top of the trail, we were excited to see these large stone columns with beautiful moss growing all over them. There were many different places that if you had the guts you could climb up and use it as an outlook. Please be safe though!
We continued to hike farther and there was a top lookout that was more accessible and was a bit wider than some of the very narrow rock columns. We sat and hung out there for a bit and gazed into the horizon. It was quite a peaceful trail and we only saw one other person on it, so I don't think it's that popular of a trail. There were also some other options at the parking lot of other small hikes to do if you want to do more on that day! I would highly recommend this trail!