Mt. Hood Views from the Zigzag Overlook

Mt. Hood from the Zigzag Overlook, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Mt. Hood from the Zigzag Overlook

If you’re looking for a hike on the side of Mt. Hood that poses only minor challenges and you want a big reward at the end, I highly recommend the trail to the Zigzag Overlook.  While views are limited on the trail to the overlook, you can get some pretty good vistas toward Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters to the south as you hike, and you’ll forget about all of those trees the moment your crest the ridgeline and look up Zigzag Canyon.  Plus the road to the trailhead is paved.  How great is that in a land where it seems most of the roads are unpaved in one capacity or another?

Quick Stats

Round Trip Length: 5.0 miles Trail Type: Out & back Elevation Gain: 1,248ft. Pets: Leashed Fees: None
The beginning of the PCT and the trail to Zigzag Overlook at the Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
The beginning of the PCT and the trail to Zigzag Overlook at the Timberline Lodge

To get to the Zigzag Overlook, you’ll start at the Timberline Lodge and follow the Pacific Crest Trail, which at this point is also part of the Timberline Trail.  I saw several people thru-hiking the Timberline and maybe one or two thru-hiking the PCT.  The number of long-distance hikers you see will depend on the time of year, though the Timberline Trail is fairly popular year-round.

Views of Mt. Jefferson over the Timberline Lodge en route to the Zigzag Overlook, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Views of Mt. Jefferson over the Timberline Lodge

The trailhead is the PCT trailhead to the right of the Timberline Lodge.  It’s not overtly advertised, but it’s also hard to miss.  Head up the stairs, then don’t turn right, but instead continue straight up the path and then up the road.  When the PCT leaves the road, it’s at a well-signed junction on the left.  Breathe a sigh of relief – this is one of the most difficult areas to navigate simply due to the number of trails, roads, etc. that are very confusing.

One of the chair lifts over the trail to the Zigzag Overlook, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
One of the chair lifts over the trail

The path winds its way through stands of trees and alpine slopes, passing under two separate chair lifts.  After this, the small gullies and deep forest can harbor snow late into the summer season – in mid-July, the snow this year was easily navigable in the few places where it still touched the trail.  In heavy snow years, it’s not uncommon for the trail to still have snow in August.  Pass by the Mountaineering Trail (No. 798) on the right and left at mile 0.8 (an old foundation is near here), drop down into Little Zigzag Canyon at mile 1.25, and then pass the Hidden Lake Trail on the left at mile 1.7.  Be sure to sign in at the kiosk, too, for your free-but-required wilderness permit.

Hiking through meadows (I think into Little Zigzag Canyon, but it might be a different ravine along the way), Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Hiking through meadows (I think into Little Zigzag Canyon, but it might be a different ravine along the way)

After this, the trail breaks out into a meadow where the trail is a ribbon along the hillside.  It then rises up to the ridgeline that is the Zigzag Overlook at mile 2.5.  The overlook is not marked, but it’s also pretty obvious, since the trail seems to split three ways – one goes right up the ridgeline (not the one you want), the other goes left and splits in two: the right path goes up a short distance to a small viewpoint (the views were better from below IMO), and left begins descending toward Zigzag Creek – if the trail begins to switchback steeply down the hillside in a thick forest, you know you’ve gone too far.

Zigzag Canyon in the morning from the Zigzag Overlook, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Zigzag Canyon in the morning

The views from the Zigzag Overlook are spectacular.  I saw it in the (fairly) early morning and the (very) late afternoon (ok, it was undeniably evening even if we hadn’t eaten supper yet), and both hours had great lighting.  So this is pretty much a fantastic place to visit no matter the time of day!

Evening at the Zigzag Overlook... I'm standing on the trail that would take you down into Zigzag Canyon, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Evening at the Zigzag Overlook… I’m standing on the trail that would take you down into Zigzag Canyon

From this vantage point, you’re looking up Zigzag Canyon to the southwestern slopes of Mt. Hood.  Different faces of Mt. Hood are more or less spectacular, and this was one of the best (though McNeil Point’s face is also quite nice).  Before the… Oh, I think it was the 1960s… Zigzag Canyon had many more zigzags.  Then a flood came through and washed out the canyon, making it much straighter than before.

Views toward Mt. Jefferson from near the Zigzag Overlook, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Views toward Mt. Jefferson from near the Zigzag Overlook

When you’ve finished looking at the views, retrace your steps to the trailhead… or continue down the steep descent (and steep ascent) to Zigzag Creek or even all of the way to Paradise Park!

Evening views of the peak of Mt. Hood from the Paradise Park Trail, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Evening views of the peak of Mt. Hood

Round Trip Trail Length: 5.0 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,248ft. (5,408ft. to 6,090ft.)

Facilities: Restrooms in the ski lodge (it was open in the morning but not by the time we returned that evening).  The ski lodge also has a snack bar and other amenities.

Fees: None

Little Zigzag Canyon in the evening, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Little Zigzag Canyon in the evening

Trail Notes: Early in the season, be prepared for snow on the trail.  The drop into Little Zigzag Canyon makes the path much more difficult than it would be otherwise.  If I had to pick the “best” time of day, I’d say late afternoon or evening.  Besides the western sun on Mt. Hood, the views south to Mt. Jefferson are amazing in the sunset.  The Timberline Lodge parking area is quite large; be sure to follow any signs about hiker parking that might appear, especially if you’re parking overnight (camping in the parking lot – even in your vehicle – is not permitted).

The trail approaching the Zigzag Overlook, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
The trail approaching the Zigzag Overlook

Trail ★★★☆☆

Road ★★★★★

Signs ★★★★☆

Scenery ★★★★★

Would I go 100 miles out of my way for this? ★★★★☆

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆

Mt. Hood in the morning from the Zigzag Overlook, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Mt. Hood in the morning from the Zigzag Overlook

GPS Coordinates for the Zigzag Overlook

TH: 45.3307610°, -121.7095770° (45°19.84566′, -121°42.57462′ / 45°19’50.7396″, -121°42’34.4772″) (5,905ft.) (0.0)

PCT: 45.3328520°, -121.7112740° (45°19.97112′, -121°42.67644′ / 45°19’58.2672″, -121°42’40.5864″) (6,043ft.) (0.22)

Mountaineering Trail: 45.3361590°, -121.7218830° (45°20.16954′, -121°43.31298′ / 45°20’10.1724″, -121°43’18.7788″) (5,984ft.) (0.86)

Hidden Lake Trail: 45.3386700°, -121.7338390° (45°20.32020′, -121°44.03034′ / 45°20’19.2120″, -121°44’01.8204″) (5,716ft.) (1.72)

Zigzag Canyon Overlook: 45.3422740°, -121.7411140° (45°20.53644′, -121°44.46684′ / 45°20’32.1864″, -121°44’28.0104″) (5,455ft.) (2.53)

Sunset on Mt. Jefferson from the PCT near the Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Sunset on Mt. Jefferson

The gpx file for the Zigzag Overlook can be downloaded – please note that this and the GPS Coordinates are for reference only and should not be used as a sole resource when hiking this trail.

Download GPX File size: 30.6 KB Downloaded 6 times

(Note: I do my best to ensure that all downloads, the webpage, etc. are virus-free and accurate; however, I cannot be held responsible for any damage that might result, including but not limited to loss of data, damages to hardware, harm to users, from use of files, information, etc. from this website.  Thanks!)

A communications tower and the moon along the PCT near Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
A communications tower and the moon along the PCT

Getting to the Zigzag Overlook Trailhead

From Government Camp, Oregon, head east on US-26.  Take the first left after the rest area toward the Timberline Lodge.  The road is steep but paved as it winds 4.9 miles up into the mountains.  Near the lodge, turn left into the large parking area.

The trail map at the wilderness kiosk along the PCT near the Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
The trail map at the wilderness kiosk

From the east, the turn right toward Timberline Lodge is 2.5 miles from where OR-35 merges with US-26 and/or 40.6 miles south and west (via OR-35 and US-26) of Hood River (I-84 Exit 64).

Visual trail map from the Timberline Lodge (right) to the Zigzag Overlook and back via the Pacific Crest Trail, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington
Visual trail map from the Timberline Lodge (right) to the Zigzag Overlook and back via the Pacific Crest Trail

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