It's early fall and the weather is great for a hike up to the Summit of Mt. Bachelor with a forecast of mostly sunny skies and temperatures reaching near 60 degrees.
We will start from the West Village parking area at Mt Bachelor and hike up the Evergreen trail to the Pine Marten Lodge (4.43 miles, 1,349' elevation gain.) From there we'll head up the Rope Tow trail (0.37 miles, 469' elevation gain), and then continue on the West Ridge trail (1.19 miles, 854' elevation gain). Total uphill mileage: ~ 6 miles, total elevation gain: 2672'.
The trail is well traveled with mostly good footing with a relatively easy grade (meaning a lot of switchbacks across ski trails and through trees), gaining about ~1400 feet to the lodge. Above the lodge, the trail is again well traveled through open rock and scree slopes.
This is the last weekend of summer operations at Mt. Bachelor with the Pine Marten chairlift operating from noon to 6 PM and the Pine Marten Lodge open. Bring a lunch as Pine Marten lodge may have limited hours and food offerings. We'll plan to take the chairlift down after summitting. Riding the chairlift down is free!
Distance: 12 miles total (7.5 if you take the chairlift down). Plan on spending 6-7 hours including drive time to/from the trailhead.
Elevation gain/loss: 2672 feet gain from West Village to Summit.
What to bring: Ten essentials, water, snack/lunch (or you can purchase lunch at the lodge), and proper footwear (no sandals). Dogs are not allowed on this hike.
Difficulty level: Advanced, Difficult
Number of hikers: 8
Carpooling: Carpooling can be arranged at the meeting place. If you ride with someone, please donate to their gas fund.
Meeting place: We’ll near Thump Coffee in the Grove and plan to leave promptly at 8:30, so please arrive early enough to sign up and participate in carpool arrangements. If you plan to meet us at West Village instead, please let me know.
Contact: Charlie Cornish, 206-391-4352
