We encountered Mount Hood from a variety of spots on our trip.  Initially we spotted it on our inbound flight.  Then as we went out to Bend from Portland we stopped at Trillium Lake where it stands tall in the background.  As you see in the pictures from Trillium Lake, my only disappointment was the presence of the clouds covering the peak.  On our way back to Portland from Bend we ended up deciding at the last moment to drive right up onto Mount Hood to the Timberline Lodge area which is at about 6,000 feet.  We climbed up and up and up – I’m glad we took this short detour.  I enjoyed looking around from up on the mountain.

Some interesting facts about Mount Hood:

• 11,249 feet high
• Potentially active stratovolcano. Considered Oregon’s mountain most likely to erupt with a 3%-7% chance in the next 30 years!
• Oregon’s highest mountain
• Hosts 12 named glaciers