Tomlike Mountain Trail

Approach

From I-84 at Hood River go south though the upper part of town on 12th then 13th St. eventually taking Tucker road which turns into the Dee Hwy. At Dee, cross the railroad tracks passing by the abandoned sawmill, cross the river and turn left at Lost Lake Road. 4 ¾ miles up this road take the right fork marked "Wahtum Lake". After another 4.4 miles take the right fork again. At 14.5 miles from Dee, park in the trailhead parking lot to the right. The road is paved in it's entirety but narrow with turnouts past the second fork.

Route Description

The start of the trail is not currently marked, but is easily found: From the parking area, go uphill bearing to the NE to the right of the outhouse. This section is known as the "Anthill Trail".

The trail crosses a gravel road after 1.31 miles then continues for another .50 miles to the Herman Creek Trail. Turn to the right and after about 100 feet, at the right hand switchback, take the trail to the left into the forest. 25 years ago this was marked as the Tomlike Mountain Trail but the sign is now long gone and it's not on any map I'm aware of. In a short distance the "trail" splits: Take the path to the right and follow it along the escarpment heading more-or-less due north. This section is about .3 miles to the clearing.

After leaving the forest find the cairns marking passageways through the three bands of elfin forest that cross the ridge. The third band of forest is Whitebark Pine and is particularly dense so this is not a place you would want to have to bushwhack through. After emerging out into the open again, scramble up to the summit and enjoy the view!

Round trip distance is 5.9 miles with total elevation gain of 1,270'.

Essential Gear

Once you've left the Herman Creek Trail the next 3/10 mile is more a bushwhack than a trail so good boots and long pants will be useful. After that, there's some scrambling but nothing too serious. No technical gear required.

Miscellaneous Info

If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.