View source for Mount Hood

{{Short description|Stratovolcano in Oregon, United States}}
{{About|the highest mountain in Oregon|the nearby community |Mount Hood, Oregon|other uses|Mount Hood (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Hood
| language = 
| photo = Oregon Mount Hood from Trillium Lake 2024.jpg
| photo_caption = Mount Hood reflected in Trillium Lake, 2024
| elevation_ft = 11249
| elevation_ref = {{NAVD88}}<ref name="ngs"/>
| prominence_ft = 7706
| prominence_ref = <ref name="peakbagger">{{cite peakbagger |pid=2382 |name=Mount Hood, Oregon |access-date=2011-06-04}}</ref>
| listing = {{bulleted list
 |[[List of the most prominent summits of North America|North America prominent peak]] 49th
 |[[List of the most prominent summits of the United States|US most prominent peaks]] 28th
 |[[List of U.S. states by elevation|US state high point]] 13th
 |[[List of highest points in Oregon by county|Oregon county high points]] }}
| location = [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas]] / [[Hood River County, Oregon|Hood River]] counties, [[Oregon]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| range = [[Cascade Range]]
| map_image = Oregon volcanoes map.gif
| map_caption = Location relative to other Oregon volcanoes
| label_position = right
| coordinates = {{coord|45|22|25|N|121|41|45|W|type:mountain_region:US-OR_scale:100000_source:NGS|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates = 
| coordinates_ref = <ref name="ngs" />
| topo = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] Mount Hood South
| formed_by = [[Cascadia subduction zone|Subduction zone]] [[volcanism]]
| type = [[Stratovolcano]]
| age = More than 500,000 years<ref name="usgspubs">{{cite web |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs060-00/ |title=Mount Hood–History and Hazards of Oregon's Most Recently Active Volcano |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Forest Service |work=U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 060-00 |date=2005-06-13 |access-date=2007-01-16 |archive-date=2018-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822140329/https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs060-00/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
| volcanic_arc = [[Cascade Volcanoes|Cascade Volcanic Arc]]
| last_eruption = 21 September 1865 to January 1866<ref>{{cite gvp |vn=322010 |name=Hood |access-date=2009-06-01}}</ref>
| first_ascent = July 11, 1857, by [[Henry Pittock]], W. Lymen Chittenden, Wilbur Cornell, and the Rev. T. A. Wood<ref>{{cite web |url=http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/Glaciers-Oregon#fun_facts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003215525/http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/Glaciers-Oregon#fun_facts |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-10-03 |title=Glaciers of Oregon |publisher=Glaciers of the American West |access-date=2007-02-24}} quoting {{cite book |last=McNeil |first=Fred H. |year=1937 |title=Wy'east the Mountain, A Chronicle of Mount Hood |publisher=[[Binford & Mort|Metropolitan Press]] |location=Hillsboro, Oregon |oclc=191334118}}</ref>
| easiest_route = Rock and glacier climb
}}

'''Mount Hood''', also known as '''Wy'east''', is an active [[stratovolcano]] in the [[Cascade Range]] and is a member of the [[Cascade Volcanic Arc]]. It was formed by a [[subduction]] zone on the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific Coast]] and rests in the [[Pacific Northwest]] region of the [[United States]]. It is located about {{convert|50|mi|km}} east-east-southeast of [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], on the border between [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas]] and [[Hood River County, Oregon|Hood River]] counties, and forms part of the [[Mount Hood National Forest]]. Much of the mountain outside the ski areas is part of the [[Mount Hood Wilderness]]. With a summit elevation of {{convert|11,249|ft|m}},<ref name="ngs">{{cite ngs |id=RC2244 |designation=Mount Hood Highest Point |access-date=2008-03-31}}</ref> it is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of [[Oregon]] and is the fourth highest in the [[Cascade Range]].<ref name="Swanson">{{cite web |url=https://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/PacificNW/AGU-T106/hood.html |author=Swanson, D.A. |year=1989 |work=Cenozoic Volcanism in the Cascade Range and Columbia Plateau, Southern Washington and Northernmost Oregon: AGU Field Trip Guidebook T106, July 3–8, 1989 |title=Mount Hood, Oregon |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=2013-07-18 |display-authors=etal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990203012926/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/PacificNW/AGU-T106/hood.html |archive-date=1999-02-03 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Ski areas on the mountain include [[Timberline Lodge ski area]] which offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America, [[Mount Hood Meadows]], [[Mount Hood Skibowl]], [[Summit Ski Area]], and [[Cooper Spur ski area]]. Mt. Hood attracts an estimated 10,000 climbers a year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Climbing Mt. Hood |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mthood/recreation/?cid=FSEPRD1018659 |publisher=United States Forest Service |access-date=5 October 2024}}</ref>

The peak is home to 12 named [[List of Mount Hood glaciers|glacier]]s and [[snowfield]]s. Mount Hood is considered the Oregon [[volcano]] most likely to erupt.<ref>Most likely to erupt based on history; see {{cite web |title=Volcanism of the Cascade Mountains |work=GO 326/ES 767 |url=http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/tectonic/cascade/cascade.htm |author=James S. Aber |publisher=Emporia State University |access-date=2007-07-11 |archive-date=2011-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927072956/http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/tectonic/cascade/cascade.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7%, so the [[U.S. Geological Survey]] (USGS) characterizes it as "potentially active", but the mountain is informally considered [[Dormant volcano|dormant]].<ref name="USGS Hazards">{{cite web |url=https://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Hood/Hazards/OFR97-89/framework.html |title=Volcano Hazards in the Mount Hood Region, Oregon |last1=Scott |first1=W.E. |author2=Pierson, T.C. |author3=Schilling, S.P. |author4=Costa, J.E. |author5=Gardner, C.A. |author6=Vallance, J.W. |author7=Major, J.J. |work=Open-File Report 97-89 |year=1997 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202053511/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Hood/Hazards/OFR97-89/framework.html |archive-date=2008-12-02}}</ref>

==Establishments==
[[File:Mount Hood, Oregon by William Keith, c1881-83.jpg|thumb|left|240px|William Keith (American, 1838–1911). ''Mount Hood, Oregon'', {{circa|1881}}–1883. [[Brooklyn Museum]].]]

[[Timberline Lodge]] is a [[National Historic Landmark]] located on the southern flank of Mount Hood just below [[Palmer Glacier]], with an elevation of about {{convert|6000|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceID=1364&resourceType=Building |title=National Historic Landmarks Program—Timberline Lodge |publisher=National Park Service |work=National Historic Register |date=1977-12-22 |access-date=2008-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216121832/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceID=1364&resourceType=Building |archive-date=2008-12-16 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The mountain has four [[ski area]]s: [[Timberline Lodge ski area|Timberline]], [[Mount Hood Meadows]], [[Mount Hood Skibowl|Ski Bowl]], and [[Cooper Spur ski area|Cooper Spur]]. They total over {{convert|4600|acre|sqmi km2}} of skiable terrain; Timberline, with one lift having a base at nearly {{convert|6940|ft|m|-1}}, offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America.<ref name="summerski">{{cite web |url=http://www.firsttracksonline.com/2006/07/17/beat-the-heat-summer-skiing-on-oregons-mount-hood/ |title=Beat the Heat: Summer Skiing on Oregon's Mount Hood |publisher=FastTracks Online Ski Magazine |date=2006-07-17 |first=Marc |last=Guido |access-date=2013-07-13 |archive-date=2021-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131052400/http://www.firsttracksonline.com/2006/07/17/beat-the-heat-summer-skiing-on-oregons-mount-hood/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

There are a few remaining shelters on Mount Hood still in use today. Those include the Coopers Spur, Cairn Basin, and McNeil Point shelters as well as the Tilly Jane A-frame cabin. The summit was home to a fire lookout in the early 1900s; however, the lookout did not withstand the weather and no longer remains today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=July 2020 |url=https://wyeastblog.org/2020/07/ |access-date=2021-06-06 |website=WyEast Blog |date=July 30, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

Mount Hood is within the [[Mount Hood National Forest]], which comprises {{convert|1067043|acre|sqmi km2|0}} of land, including four designated [[National Wilderness Preservation System|wilderness areas]] that total {{convert|314078|acre|sqmi km2|0}}, and more than {{convert|1200|mi}} of hiking trails.<ref name="hoodfacts1">{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mthood |title=About the Forest |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |access-date=2013-07-17 |archive-date=2013-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725114011/http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mthood/about-forest |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mthood |title=Trail Stewardship |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |access-date=2014-06-13 |archive-date=2014-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104011946/http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mthood/workingtogether/volunteering/?cid=fsbdev3_036682 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The most northwestern pass around the mountain is called Lolo Pass. Native Americans crossed the pass while traveling between the [[Willamette Valley]] and [[Celilo Falls]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=3154 |title=Lolo in Trade Jargon |page=12 |work=Discovering Lewis & Clark |publisher=The Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation |author=Mussulman, Joseph |date=September 2011 |access-date=2014-10-01 |archive-date=2014-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006134054/http://lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=3154 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Naming==
===Indigenous names===
It has been difficult to establish place names for Mount Hood that are of indigenous etymology, or to reconstruct names that may have been used prior to European contact.[[File:Mount Hood 2619s.jpg|thumb|left|View of Mount Hood from the west]]

==== Wy'east ====
The name Wy'east has been associated with Mount Hood for more than a century, but no evidence suggests that it is a genuine name for the mountain in any indigenous language. The name was possibly inspired by an 1890 work of author [[Frederic Balch]], although Balch does not use it himself.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Columbian |first=Andy |last=Matarrese |date=June 11, 2017 |url=https://www.columbian.com/news/2017/jun/11/anthropologist-dispelling-myths-with-plankhouse-talk/ |title=Anthropologist dispelling myths with plankhouse talk |access-date=2020-06-01 |archive-date=2020-10-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005105437/https://www.columbian.com/news/2017/jun/11/anthropologist-dispelling-myths-with-plankhouse-talk/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |journal=Quartux |first=David G. |last=Lewis |url=https://ndnhistoryresearch.com/tribal-history-themes/native-place-names/ |title=Native Place Names |date=13 May 2018 |access-date=2020-06-01 |archive-date=2020-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924053735/https://ndnhistoryresearch.com/tribal-history-themes/native-place-names/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Balch |first1=Frederic Homer |title=The Bridge of the Gods |url=https://archive.org/details/bridgeofgodsroma00balcuoft/page/x/mode/2up |website=Internet Archive |year=1890 |publisher=A.C.McClurg and Company |access-date=12 December 2020}}</ref> The name may have been popularized by his story being combined with a play around 1911 at Pacific College. It is also possible it was 'invented' by scholars in the 20th century or even a minister hearing it second-hand around the same time the play was happening.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Native Place Names – The Quartux Journal |url=https://ndnhistoryresearch.com/tribal-history-themes/native-place-names/ |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=ndnhistoryresearch.com|date=May 13, 2018 }}</ref>

In one version of Balch's story, the two sons of the Great Spirit Sahale fell in love with the beautiful maiden Loowit, who could not decide which to choose. The two braves, Wy'east and Pahto (unnamed in his novel, but appearing in a later adaptation), burned forests and villages in their battle over her. Sahale became enraged and smote the three lovers. Seeing what he had done, he erected three mountain peaks to mark where each fell. He made beautiful [[Mount St. Helens]] for Loowit, proud and erect Mount Hood for Wy'east, and the somber [[Mount Adams (Washington)|Mount Adams]] for the mourning Pahto.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/cvo/Historical/naming_mount_adams.shtml |first=Lyn |last=Topinka |work=Volcanoes and History |publisher=Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) |date=2008-05-21 |title=Naming the Cascade Range Volcanoes: Mount Adams, Washington |access-date=2015-06-14 |archive-date=2015-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403055751/http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/cvo/Historical/naming_mount_adams.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref>

There are other versions of the legend. In another telling, Wy'east (Hood) battles Pahto (Adams) for the fair La-wa-la-clough (St. Helens). Or again Wy'east, the chief of the [[Multnomah people|Multnomah tribe]], competed with the chief of the [[Klickitat (tribe)|Klickitat tribe]]. Their great anger led to their transformation into volcanoes. Their battle is said to have destroyed the [[Bridge of the Gods (land bridge)|Bridge of the Gods]] and thus created the great [[Cascades Rapids]] of the [[Columbia River]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest |url=https://archive.org/details/indianlegendsofp00clar |url-access=registration |last=Clark |first=Ella E. |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California |year=1953 |isbn=0-520-23926-1 |oclc=51779712}}</ref>

==== Other names ====
The mountain sits partly inside the reservation of the [[Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs]], which comprises multiple languages including [[Sahaptin language|Sahaptin]], [[Upper Chinook language|Upper Chinook/Kiksht (Wasco)]] and [[Northern Paiute language|Numu (Paiute)]]. However, it has been difficult to determine names originating from these or other indigenous languages specifically referring to Mount Hood. [[Eugene S. Hunn|Eugene Hunn]] suggests that the mountain may have lacked a specific name:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hunn |first=Eugene |url=https://diglib.amphilsoc.org/islandora/object/hunn-eugene-plateau-indian-place-names |title=Plateau Indian Place Names |date=1988 |publisher=Phillips Fund for Native American Research Collection |pages=3 |language=English}}</ref><blockquote>Learning a landscape is not simply a matter of naming all the rivers and mountains... The Native American perspective emphasizes by contrast places as focal points of activity, places where significant human-landscape interactions occur. Thus, while a few prominent peaks may be given Indian names, such as '''taxùma''' [təqʷuʔməʔ] for [[Mount Rainier|Mt. Rainier]] (in the [[Lushootseed|Puget Salish language]]) or '''lawilayt-łà''' [lawílatɬa], literally "the smoker," for Mt. St. Helens (in Sahaptin), other prominent peaks, e.g. Mts. Adams and Hood, are known simply as '''pàtu''', a general term for snow-capped summit.</blockquote>

===Current name===
[[File:Northcote, Samuel Hood.jpg|alt=Oil painting of a British admiral|thumb|Admiral Hood, the mountain's namesake]]
The mountain was given its present name on October&nbsp;29, 1792, by [[William Robert Broughton|Lt. William Broughton]], a member of Captain [[George Vancouver]]'s exploration expedition. Lt. Broughton observed its peak while at Belle Vue Point of what is now called [[Sauvie Island]] during his travels up the Columbia River, writing, "A very high, snowy mountain now appeared rising beautifully conspicuous in the midst of an extensive tract of low or moderately elevated land [location of today's [[Vancouver, Washington]]] lying S 67 E., and seemed to announce a termination to the river." Lt. Broughton named the mountain after [[Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood]], a British admiral.<ref name="Swanson"/>
[[File:Albert_Bierstadt_-_Mount_Hood.jpg|alt=Landscape painting with a lake in the foreground and snow capped Mount Hood in the distance|left|thumb|[[Albert Bierstadt]], ''Mount Hood'', 1869]]
[[Lewis and Clark]] spotted the mountain on October&nbsp;18, 1805. A few days later at what would become [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]], Clark wrote, "The pinnacle of the round topped mountain, which we saw a short distance below the banks of the river, is South 43-degrees West of us and about {{cvt|37|mi|km}}. It is at this time topped with snow. We called this the Falls Mountain, or Timm Mountain." Timm was the native name for Celilo Falls. Clark later noted that it was also Vancouver's Mount Hood.<ref name="firsttouch">Grauer, p. 9</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/Historical/LewisClark/volcanoes_lewis_clark.html |title=The Volcanoes of Lewis and Clark – October 1805 to June 1806: Introduction |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |first=Lyn |last=Topinka |date=2004-06-29 |access-date=2013-07-17 |archive-date=2013-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224231349/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/Historical/LewisClark/volcanoes_lewis_clark.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Two French explorers from the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] may have traveled into the [[Dog River (Oregon)|Dog River]] area east of Mount Hood in 1818. They reported climbing to a glacier on "Montagne de Neige" (''Mountain of Snow''), probably Eliot Glacier.<ref name="firsttouch"/>

===Namesakes===
[[File:USS Mount Hood (AE-29), crop.jpg|thumb|right|[[USS Mount Hood (AE-29)|USS ''Mount Hood'' (AE-29)]]]]

There have been two [[United States Navy]] ammunition ships named for Mount Hood. [[USS Mount Hood (AE-11)|USS ''Mount Hood'' (AE-11)]] was commissioned in July 1944 and was destroyed in November 1944 while at anchor in Manus Naval Base, [[Admiralty Islands]]. Her explosive cargo ignited, resulting in 45 confirmed dead, 327 missing and 371 injured.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/ae11.htm |title=USS Mount Hood (AE-11), 1944–1944 |publisher=Department of the Navy&nbsp;– Naval Historical Center| access-date=2008-04-20| archive-date=2008-03-04| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304225921/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/ae11.htm| url-status=dead}}</ref> A second ammunition ship, [[USS Mount Hood (AE-29)|AE-29]], was commissioned in May 1971 and decommissioned in August 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |url={{Naval Vessel Register URL |id=AE29}}|title=Mount Hood (AE 29)|work=Naval Vessel Register |publisher=U.S. Navy |access-date=2013-07-11}}</ref>

==Volcanic activity==
[[File:Mount Hood, Oregon.jpg|thumb|[[Satellite imagery|Satellite image]] of Mount Hood]]
The glacially eroded summit area consists of several [[andesitic]] or [[dacitic]] [[lava dome]]s; [[Pleistocene]] collapses produced avalanches and [[lahar]]s (rapidly moving mudflows) that traveled across the [[Columbia River]] to the north. The eroded volcano has had at least four major eruptive periods during the past 15,000 years.<ref name=volcanoinformation>{{cite web |url=https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/volcanoes/cascades/mounthood.php |title=Volcano Information: Mount Hood |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |date=2008-06-02 |access-date=2013-07-18 |archive-date=2013-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222191000/http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/volcanoes/cascades/mounthood.php |url-status=live}}<br> {{PD-notice}}</ref>

The last three eruptions at Mount Hood occurred within the past 1,800 years from vents high on the southwest flank and produced deposits that were distributed primarily to the south and west along the [[Sandy River (Oregon)|Sandy]] and [[Zigzag River|Zigzag]] rivers. The volcano has had a [[VEI]] of 2 at least three times before.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=322010|title=Global Volcanism Program &#124; Hood|website=Smithsonian Institution &#124; Global Volcanism Program|access-date=2024-09-18}}</ref> The last eruptive period took place around 220 to 170 years ago, when dacitic lava domes, pyroclastic flows and mudflows were produced without major explosive eruptions. The prominent Crater Rock just below the summit is hypothesized to be the remains of one of these now-eroded domes. This period includes the last major eruption of 1781 to 1782 with a slightly more recent episode ending shortly before the arrival of the explorers [[Lewis and Clark Expedition|Lewis and Clark]] in 1805. The latest minor eruptive event was thought to have occurred in August 1907,<ref name=volcanoinformation/><ref name="vulcan_hood">{{cite journal |title=Recent Eruptive History of Mount Hood, Oregon, and Potential Hazards from Future Eruptions |first=Dwight R. |last=Crandell |journal=Geological Survey Bulletin |issue=1492 |url=https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/b1492 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |year=1980 |pages=1, 7–8, 43–45 |doi=10.3133/b1492| access-date=2013-07-13| archive-date=2012-09-22| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922065002/http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/b1492| url-status=live|doi-access=free }}</ref> but has been discredited as "an observation of non-eruptive fumarolic activity."
<ref name="eruptive_history">{{cite journal |journal=Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Global Volcanism Program |title=Mount Hood: Eruptive History |url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=322010}}</ref>

The glaciers on the mountain's upper slopes may be a source of potentially dangerous lahars when the mountain next erupts. There are vents near the summit that are known for emitting gases such as [[carbon dioxide]] and [[sulfur dioxide]].<ref name=lavadomes>{{cite web |url=https://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Hood/Publications/EV24-6/dome_collapse_hood.html |title=The Danger of Collapsing Lava Domes: Lessons for Mount Hood, Oregon |work=Earthquakes & Volcanoes, v. 24, n. 6, pp. 244–269 |first1=Steven R. |last1=Brantley |first2=William E. |last2=Scott |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=2013-07-18 |archive-date=2013-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622132813/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Hood/Publications/EV24-6/dome_collapse_hood.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Prior to the [[1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens]], the only known fatality related to volcanic activity in the Cascades occurred in 1934, when a climber suffocated in oxygen-poor air while exploring ice caves melted by [[fumarole]]s in [[Coalman Glacier]] on Mount Hood.<ref name="Swanson"/>

Since 1950, there have been several [[earthquake swarm]]s each year at Mount Hood, most notably in July 1980 and June 2002.<ref>{{cite gvp |vn=322010 |vtab=Latest |title=Hood: Latest Activity Reports| access-date=2007-06-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/CurrentActivity/2002/current_updates_20020629.html |title=Cascade Range Current Update for June 29, 2002 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |date=2002-06-29| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904065938/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/CurrentActivity/2002/current_updates_20020629.html| archive-date=2013-09-04}}</ref>
Seismic activity is monitored by the USGS [[Cascades Volcano Observatory]] in [[Vancouver, Washington]], which issues weekly updates (and daily updates if significant eruptive activity is occurring at a Cascades volcano).<ref>{{cite web |title=Current Alerts for U.S. Volcanoes: Cascade Range Volcanoes |url=https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/status.php#cvo |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey| access-date=2013-07-13| archive-date=2013-07-28| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728161134/http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/status.php#cvo| url-status=live}}</ref>

The most recent evidence of volcanic activity at Mount Hood consists of fumaroles near Crater Rock and [[hot springs]] on the flanks of the volcano.<ref name="DONF">{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/geology/info/volcanoes/hood.shtml| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512011355/http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/geology/info/volcanoes/hood.shtml| archive-date=2011-05-12 |title=Oregon Volcanoes: Mt. Hood Volcano |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |date=2003-12-24}}</ref>

===Monitoring controversy===
[[File:Mount Hood monitoring station.jpg|thumb|New seismic/GPS station (LSON) installed at Mount Hood]]
[[File:Installation-gps-mast-station-brsp-mount-hood.jpg|thumb|Installation of GPS mast at station BRSP on Mount Hood]]
[[File:Mount Hood air delivery.jpg|thumb|A helicopter delivers equipment to station BRSP on Mount Hood.]]
A conflict exists between protecting public safety and protecting the environment. In 2014, a [[USGS]] employee, Dr. Seth Moran, proposed installing new instruments on Mount Hood to warn of volcanic activity. The instruments were installed at four different locations on the mountain, including:
*three seismometers to measure earthquakes
*three [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) instruments to measure ground movement
*one instrument to measure gas emissions
The proposed locations were in a protected wilderness area, tightly controlled by the [[United States Forest Service]]. The project was opposed by Wilderness Watch, a conservation group.<ref>{{cite news |title=We're Barely Listening to the U.S.'s Most Dangerous Volcanoes—A thicket of red tape and regulations have made it difficult for volcanologists to build monitoring stations along Mount Hood and other active volcanoes.  |author=Shannon Hall |date=September 9, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/09/science/volcanoes-cascades-monitoring.html |access-date=January 2, 2023}}</ref>

Three monitoring stations were eventually installed on Mount Hood in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=Three new monitoring stations installed at Mount Hood |date=November 13, 2020 |url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/three-new-monitoring-stations-installed-mount-hood |access-date=January 2, 2023}}</ref>

==Elevation==
Mount Hood was first seen by European explorers in 1792 and is believed to have maintained a consistent summit elevation, varying by no more than a few feet due to mild seismic activity. Elevation changes since the 1950s are predominantly due to improved survey methods and model refinements of the shape of the Earth (see [[datum (geodesy)|vertical reference datum]]). Despite the physical consistency, the estimated elevation of Mount Hood has varied substantially over the years, as seen in the following table:
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" margin:0em 0em 0em 1em;"
! Date !! Stated Elevation !! Source
|-
| 1854 || {{cvt|18361|ft}} || Thomas J. Dryer<ref name="grauer">{{cite book |title=Mount Hood: A Complete History |author=Grauer, Jack |publisher=self-published |date=July 1975 |pages=199, 291–292 |oclc=1849244}}</ref>
|-
| 1854 || {{cvt|19400|ft}} || Belden<ref name="grauer"/>
|-
| 1857 || {{cvt|14000|ft}} || Mitchell's School Atlas<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/download/mitchellsschoola00mitcrich/mitchellsschoola00mitcrich.pdf |title=Mitchell's School atlas: comprising the maps and tables designed to accompany Mitchell's School and family geography |year=1857 |first=Samuel Augustus |last=Mitchell |publisher=H. Cowperthwait & Company |location=Philadelphia |id=nrlf_ucb:GLAD-83976101 |page=8| access-date=2009-03-13}}</ref>
|-
| 1866 || {{cvt|17600|ft}} || Rev. Atkinson<ref name="grauer"/>
|-
| 1867 || {{cvt|11225|ft}} || Col. Williamson<ref name="grauer"/>
|-
| 1916 || {{cvt|11253|ft}} || Adm. Colbert<ref name="grauer"/>
|-
| 1939 || {{cvt|11245|ft}} || Adm. Colbert<ref name="grauer"/>
|-
| 1980 || {{cvt|11239|ft}} || USGS using [[Sea Level Datum of 1929|NGVD 29]]<ref name="vulcan_hood"/>
|-
| 1991 || {{cvt|11249|ft}} || U.S. National Geodetic Survey, 1986 measurement adjusted using [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988|NAVD 88]]<ref name="ngs"/>
|-
| 1993 || {{cvt|11240|ft|sigfig=4}} || Scientific expedition<ref name="Register" /> and {{cvt|11239|ft|0}}<ref name="Trafford" /> of slightly older origin
|-
| 2008? || {{cvt|11235|ft}} || ''Encyclopedia Britannica''<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/394655/Mount-Hood-National-Forest |title=Mount Hood National Forest |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica| access-date=2008-09-07| archive-date=2008-12-16| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216121832/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/394655/Mount-Hood-National-Forest| url-status=live}}</ref>
|}
[[File:Mt Hood Aerial View.webm|thumb|right|Mt. Hood glaciers in late July]]

Early explorers on the Columbia River estimated the elevation to be {{convert|10000|to|12000|ft}}. Two people in Thomas J. Dryer's 1854 expedition calculated the elevation to be {{convert|18361|ft}} and the [[tree line]] to be at {{convert|11250|ft}}. Two months later, a Mr. Belden claimed to have climbed the mountain during a hunting trip and determined it to be {{convert|19400|ft}} upon which "pores oozed blood, eyes bled, and blood rushed from their ears." Sometime by 1866, Reverend G. H. Atkinson determined it to be {{convert|17600|ft}}. A Portland engineer used surveying methods from a Portland baseline and calculated a height of between {{convert|18000|and|19000|ft}}. Many maps distributed in the late 19th&nbsp;century cited {{convert|18361|ft}}, though [[Mitchell's School Atlas]] gave {{convert|14000|ft}} as the correct value. For some time, many references assumed Mount Hood to be the highest point in North America.<ref name="grauer"/>

Modern height surveys also vary, but not by the huge margins seen in the past. A 1993 survey by a scientific party that arrived at the peak's summit with {{convert|16|lb|kg}} of electronic equipment reported a height of {{convert|11240|ft|m|sigfig=4}}, claimed to be accurate to within {{convert|1.25|in|mm}}.<ref name="Register">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19930914&id=bm4VAAAAIBAJ&pg=1592,2999111 |title=How High is Hood |date=1993-09-14 |newspaper=The Register-Guard |location=Eugene, Oregon |format=editorial |page=A8 |access-date=2009-10-29 |archive-date=2021-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131052326/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19930914&id=bm4VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=duoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1592%2C2999111 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many modern sources likewise list {{convert|11240|ft|m|sigfig=4}} as the height.<ref>{{cite book |last=Morris |first=Mark |title=Moon Oregon |publisher=Avalon Travel |year=2007 |edition=Seventh |page=107 |chapter=Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood |isbn=978-1-56691-930-2|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-xEA_1nkxcAC&pg=PA107 |location=Emeryville, California |oclc=74524856 |access-date=2009-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Gutman |first1=Bill |first2=Shawn |last2=Frederick |title=Being Extreme: Thrills and Dangers in the World of High-risk Sports |publisher=Citadel Press |location=New York, New York |year=2003 |edition=Illustrated |page=234 |isbn=978-0-8065-2354-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YGKfVxFDXOUC&pg=PA234 |oclc=54525467 |access-date=2009-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Palmerlee |first=Danny |title=Pacific Northwest Trips |publisher=Lonely Planet |location=Oakland, California |oclc=244420587 |year=2009 |edition=Illustrated |page=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetregi00palm/page/262 262] |isbn=978-1-74179-732-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetregi00palm |url-access=registration |access-date=2009-10-29}}</ref> However, numerous others place the peak's height one foot lower, at {{convert|11239|ft|m}}.<ref name="Trafford">{{cite book |last=Helman |first=Adam |title=The Finest Peaks: Prominence and Other Mountain Measures |publisher=Trafford Publishing |location=Victoria, British Columbia |year=2005 |page=114 |chapter=Table of United States Peaks by Spire Measure |isbn=9781412059947 |oclc=71147989|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dl9tJFsvYvYC&pg=PA114}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Marbach |first1=Peter |last2=Cook |first2=Janet |title=Mount Hood: The Heart of Oregon |publisher=Graphic Arts Center Publishing |location=Portland, Oregon |year=2005 |edition=Illustrated |page=18 |isbn=978-1-55868-923-7 |oclc=60839414 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MdB0mpVvktAC&pg=PA18 |access-date=2009-10-29 |archive-date=2017-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207094227/https://books.google.com/books?id=MdB0mpVvktAC&pg=PA18 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=DeBenedetti |first=Christian |date=March 2005 |title=Cliff Hanger |journal=Popular Mechanics |publisher=Hearst Magazines |volume=182 |issue=3 |page=136 |issn=0032-4558 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vc8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA136 |access-date=2009-10-29 |archive-date=2017-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207175421/https://books.google.com/books?id=Vc8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA136 |url-status=live}}</ref> Finally, a height of {{convert|11249|ft|m}} has also been reported.<ref name="ngs" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Bernstein |first=Art |title=Oregon Byways: 75 Scenic Drives in the Cascades and Siskiyous, Canyons and Coast |publisher=Wilderness Press |location=Berkeley, California |year=2003 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oregonbywaystony00artb/page/12 12] |oclc=53021936 |isbn=978-0-89997-277-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/oregonbywaystony00artb |url-access=registration |access-date=2009-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |series=Let's Go |title=Roadtripping USA: The Complete Coast-to-Coast Guide to America |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York, New York |year=2009 |edition=Third |page=340 |isbn=978-0-312-38583-5 |oclc=243544813 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=69z1qsLK_qkC&pg=PA340 |access-date=2009-10-29 |archive-date=2014-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628025452/http://books.google.com/books?id=69z1qsLK_qkC&pg=PA340 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.climbing.com/news/climbers-stranded-on-mount-hood/ |title=Climbers Stranded on Mount Hood |last=Pluth |first=Tanya |year=2009 |publisher=climbing.com (Skram Media) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308195505/http://www.climbing.com/news/climbers-stranded-on-mount-hood/ |archive-date=2014-03-08}}</ref>

==Glaciers==
[[File:Usgs mount hood glaciers.png|thumb|right|alt=Mount Hood glaciers|Mount Hood glaciers]]{{GeoGroup}}Mount Hood is host to 12<ref>{{cite web |url=http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/glaciers-oregon#Glaciated_Regions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003215525/http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/Glaciers-Oregon#Glaciated_Regions |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-10-03 |title=Glaciers of Oregon: Glaciated Regions |work=Glaciers of the American West |publisher=Portland State University |access-date=2013-07-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=45.37345&lon=-121.69661&datum=nad27&zoom=16 |title=USGS Mount Hood North (OR) Topo |publisher=[[TopoQuest]] |access-date=2008-05-16 |archive-date=2008-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216122348/http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=45.37345&lon=-121.69661&datum=nad27&zoom=16 |url-status=live}}</ref> named glaciers or [[snow field]]s, the most visited of which is Palmer Glacier, partially within the [[Timberline Lodge ski area]] and on the most popular climbing route. The glaciers are almost exclusively above the {{convert|6000|ft|m|adj=on}} level, which also is about the average [[tree line]] elevation on Mount Hood.<ref name="tree line">{{cite book |title=Our Oregon |first=George |last=Ostertag |year=2007 |publisher=Voyageur Press |location=St. Paul, Minnesota |editor=Levanthal, Josh |isbn=978-0-7603-2921-4 |oclc=74459023}}</ref> More than 80&nbsp;percent of the glacial surface area is above {{convert|7000|ft|m}}.<ref name="gspp1365">{{cite web |url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/geology/publications/pp/1365/sec3a.htm |title=Ice Volumes on Cascade Volcanoes: Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, Three Sisters and Mount Shasta |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |work=Geological Survey Professional Paper |issue=1365 |first1=Carolyn L. |last1=Driedger |first2=Paul M. |last2=Kennard |year=1986 |access-date=2007-02-26 |archive-date=2007-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316135842/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/geology/publications/pp/1365/sec3a.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The glaciers and permanent snow fields have an area of {{convert|3331|acre|ha}} and contain a volume of about {{convert|282000|acre.ft|km3}}. [[Eliot Glacier]] is the largest glacier by volume at {{convert|73000|acre.ft|km3|2}}, and has the thickest depth measured by ice radar at {{convert|361|ft|m}}. The largest glacier by surface area is the Coe-Ladd Glacier system at {{convert|531|acres|ha}}.<ref name="gspp1365" />

Glaciers and snowfields cover about 80&nbsp;percent of the mountain above the {{convert|6900|ft|m|adj=on}} level. The glaciers declined by an average of 34&nbsp;percent <!-- of surface area? volume? mass? clarify --> from 1907 to 2004. Glaciers on Mount Hood retreated through the first half of the 20th&nbsp;century, advanced or at least slowed their retreat in the 1960s and 1970s, and have since returned to a pattern of retreat.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jackson |first1=Keith M. |last2=Fountain |first2=Andrew G. |year=2007 |title=Spatial and morphologic change on Eliot Glacier, Mount Hood, Oregon, USA |journal=Annals of Glaciology |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=222–226 |bibcode=2007AnGla..46..222J |doi=10.3189/172756407782871152 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The neo-glacial maximum extents formed in the early 18th&nbsp;century.<ref name="Swanson" />

During the last major glacial event between 29,000 and 10,000 years ago, glaciers reached down to the {{convert|2600|to|2300|ft|m|adj=on}} level, a distance of {{convert|9.3|mi|km}} from the summit. The retreat released considerable outwash, some of which filled and flattened the upper [[Hood River Valley]] near [[Parkdale, Oregon|Parkdale]] and formed [[Dee, Oregon|Dee Flat]].<ref name="Swanson"/>

Older glaciation produced moraines near [[Brightwood, Oregon|Brightwood]] and distinctive cuts on the southeast side; they may date to 140,000 years ago.<ref name="Swanson"/>
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! Glacier name 
!colspan=2| Area<ref name="gspp1365b">
  {{cite web
 |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1365/report.pdf
 |title=Ice Volumes on Cascade Volcanoes: Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, Three Sisters and Mount Shasta
 |publisher=[[USGS]]
 |work=Geological Survey Professional Paper 1365
 |first1=Carolyn L.|last1=Driedger|first2=Paul M.|last2=Kennard
 |year=1986
 |access-date=2007-02-26
}}</ref>
!colspan=2| Volume<ref name="gspp1365" /> 
!Notes
!Coordinates<ref>
  {{cite web
  | url = https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:2:531331087257812::NO::P1_CLASS,P1_COUNTY,P1_STATE:Glacier,Hood%20River,Oregon
  | title = Glaciers in Hood River County
  | publisher = [[Geographic Names Information System]]. [[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]]
  | access-date = 2010-08-09 }}</ref><ref>
  {{cite web
  | url = https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:2:531331087257812::NO::P1_CLASS,P1_COUNTY,P1_STATE:Glacier,Clackamas,Oregon
  | title = Glaciers in Clackamas County
  | publisher = [[Geographic Names Information System]]. [[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]]
  | access-date = 2010-08-09 }}</ref>
|-
!
!(acres)
!(km<sup>2</sup>)
!(acre-feet)
!(km<sup>3</sup>)
!
!
|-
| [[Palmer Glacier|Palmer]] 
| {{convert|32|acres|km2|disp=table}} 
| {{convert|1600|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| headwaters of the [[Salmon River (Clackamas County, Oregon)|Salmon River]]
| {{coord|45.3526180|-121.7075764|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Palmer Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Coalman Glacier|Coalman]]
| {{convert|20|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|900|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}} <!-- sum of entries in White River and Zigzag River watersheds --> 
| located between Crater Rock and the summit
| {{coord|45.3720623|-121.6984094|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Coalman Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[White River Glacier (Oregon)|White River]] 
| {{convert|133|acres|km2|disp=table}} 
| {{convert|7000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| feeds the [[White River (Oregon)|White River]]
| {{coord|45.3573401|-121.6986873|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=White River Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Newton Clark Glacier|Newton Clark]] 
| {{convert|491|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|32000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| source of the [[East Fork Hood River]]
| {{coord|45.3667845|-121.6867426|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Newton Clark Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Eliot Glacier|Eliot]] 
| {{convert|415|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|73000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| source of Tilly Jane Creek and Eliot Branch, tributaries of [[Middle Fork Hood River]]
| {{coord|45.3812289|-121.6803536|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Eliot Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Langille Glacier|Langille]]
| {{convert|99|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|7000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| in [[Hood River (Oregon)|Hood River]] watershed 
| {{coord|45.3923399|-121.6800758|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Langille Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Coe Glacier|Coe]] 
| {{convert|308|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|44000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| source of Coe Branch, a tributary of [[Middle Fork Hood River]]
| {{coord|45.3834511|-121.6945204|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Coe Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Ladd Glacier|Ladd]] 
| {{convert|223|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|20000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| source of McGee Creek, a tributary of [[West Fork Hood River]]
| {{coord|45.3923400|-121.7061873|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Ladd Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Glisan Glacier|Glisan]]
|
|
|
|
|
| {{coord|45.3909512|-121.7195208|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Glisan Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Sandy Glacier|Sandy]]
| {{convert|294|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|2000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| feeds Muddy Fork, a [[tributary]] of the [[Sandy River (Oregon)|Sandy River]]
| {{coord|45.3798401|-121.7167431|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Sandy Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Reid Glacier (Oregon)|Reid]] 
| {{convert|195|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|10000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| feeds the [[Sandy River (Oregon)|Sandy River]]
| {{coord|45.3709512|-121.7189654|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Reid Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| [[Zigzag Glacier|Zigzag]] 
| {{convert|190|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|10000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
| feeds the [[Zigzag River]] 
| {{coord|45.3634513|-121.7122986|region:US-OR_type:glacier_scale:10000_source:GNIS|name=Zigzag Glacier|display=inline|format=dms}}
|-
| '''Total, including snow patches'''
| {{convert|3331|acres|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|282000|acre.ft|km3|disp=table}}
|
|
|}

==Hiking==
[[File:Portland, Vancouver, and Mount Hood.jpg|thumb|upright|An aerial view of the Portland–Vancouver metro area, with Mount Hood in the background]]

[[Mt. Hood National Forest]] is home to approximately {{convert|1,000|mi|km}} of trails.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mt Hood National Forest |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mthood/recreation/opportunities |website=USDA Forest Service}}</ref> Cooper Spur Trail leads to {{convert|8,510|ft|m}} in elevation, the highest reachable point one can gain on the mountain without requiring mountaineering gear.

The [[Timberline Trail]], which circumnavigates the entire mountain and rises as high as {{convert|7,300|ft|m}}, was built in the 1930s by the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]]. Typically, the {{convert|40.7|mi|km|adj=on}} hike is snow-free from late July until the autumn snows begin. The trail includes over {{convert|10,000|ft|m}} of elevation gain and loss and can vary in distance year to year depending on river crossings. There are many access points, the shortest being a small walk from the Timberline Lodge. A portion of the [[Pacific Crest Trail]] is coincident with the Timberline Trail on the west side of Mount Hood.<ref name="timberlinetrail">{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mthood/recreation |title=Timberline National Historic Trail #600 |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |access-date=2013-09-15 |archive-date=2015-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103035648/http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mthood/recarea/?recid=53506 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="gorp">{{cite web |url=http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-mount-hood-wilderness-area-portland-hiking-sidwcmdev_054748.html |title=Weekend Backpacker: Portland |page=2 |first=Greg |last=Cook |publisher=GORP |access-date=2013-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728090836/http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-mount-hood-wilderness-area-portland-hiking-sidwcmdev_054748.html |archive-date=2014-07-28 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The predecessor of the Pacific Crest Trail was the [[Oregon Skyline Trail]], established in 1920, which connected Mount Hood to [[Crater Lake]].<ref name=FS1921>{{cite book |author=USDA Forest Service |title=Oregon Skyline Trail |location=Portland |publisher=The Oregon Tourist and Information Bureau |year=1921}}</ref>

==Climbing==
Mount Hood is Oregon's highest point and a prominent landmark visible up to {{convert|100|mi|km}} away. About 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Hood each year.<ref name="goesright">{{cite news |url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/02/everything_goes_right_in_mount.html |title=Everything goes right in Mount Hood search |last1=Green |first1=Aimee |last2=Larabee |first2=Mark |last3=Muldoon |first3=Katy |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |location=Portland, Oregon |date=2007-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223093250/http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/02/everything_goes_right_in_mount.html |archive-date=2007-12-23 |access-date=2008-12-19}}</ref> It has convenient access, though it presents some technical climbing challenges. There are no trails to the summit, with even the "easier" southside climbing route constituting a technical climb with crevasses, falling rocks, and often inclement weather. Ropes, [[ice axes]], [[crampons]] and other technical [[mountaineering]] gear are necessary.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://gethighonaltitude.com/2019/01/15/mt-hood-pearly-gates-winter-ascent/ |title="Mount Hood Pearly Gates" GetHighOnAltitude.com |newspaper=Get High on Altitude |date=16 January 2019 |access-date=2019-04-12 |archive-date=2019-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412175816/https://gethighonaltitude.com/2019/01/15/mt-hood-pearly-gates-winter-ascent/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Peak climbing season is generally from April to mid-June.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mthood/recreation |title=Mount Hood Summit |publisher=USDA Forest Service |access-date=2014-02-18 |archive-date=2014-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227111701/http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mthood/recarea/?recid=80001 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Mount Hood Landmarks.jpg|thumb|right|Landmarks along the southern climbing route of Mount Hood]]
There are six main routes to approach the mountain, with about 30 total variations for summiting. The climbs range in difficulty from [[Yosemite Decimal System#YDS class|class]] 2 to class 5.9+ (for ''Arachnophobia'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.summitpost.org/mount-hood/150189#chapter_2 |title=Mount Hood |publisher=SummitPost |date=2010-06-09 |access-date=2011-11-27 |archive-date=2012-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107084951/http://www.summitpost.org/mount-hood/150189#chapter_2 |url-status=live}}</ref> The most popular route, dubbed the south route, begins at Timberline Lodge and proceeds up Palmer Glacier to Crater Rock, the large prominence at the head of the glacier. The route goes east around Crater Rock and crosses the Coalman Glacier on the Hogsback, a ridge spanning from Crater Rock to the approach to the summit. The Hogsback terminates at a [[bergschrund]] where the Coalman Glacier separates from the summit rock [[headwall]]. The route continues to the Pearly Gates, a gap in the summit rock formation, then right onto the summit plateau and the summit proper.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/54445 |title=Portland, OR: Mount Hood via the South Side Route |work=Backpacker Magazine |publisher=Trimble Outdoors |date=2008-05-12 |access-date=2011-11-27 |archive-date=2012-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406172352/http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/54445 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Technical ice axes, fall protection, and experience are now recommended in order to attempt the left chute variation or Pearly Gates ice chute. The Forest Service recommends several other route options due to these changes in conditions (e.g. "Old Chute," West Crater Rim, etc.).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/recreation/climbing/conditions.shtml |title=Climbing Mount Hood: Southside Climbing Conditions – June 9, 2007 |publisher=[[United States Forest Service]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614102410/http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/recreation/climbing/conditions.shtml |archive-date=2007-06-14}}</ref>

===Climbing accidents===
{{main|Mount Hood climbing accidents}}

As of May 2002, more than 130 people had died in climbing-related accidents since records have been kept on Mount Hood, the first in 1896.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/last-body-recovered-from-mt-hood/ |title=Last Body Recovered From Mount Hood |author=Holguin, Jaime |publisher=[[CBS News]] |date=2002-05-30 |access-date=2014-03-09 |archive-date=2014-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310073234/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/last-body-recovered-from-mt-hood/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Incidents in May 1986, December 2006, and December 2009 attracted intense national and international media interest. Though avalanches are a common hazard on other glaciated mountains, most Mount Hood climbing deaths are the result of falls and [[hypothermia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-mount-hood-national-forest-oregon-sidwcmdev_066522.html |title=Mount Hood National Forest Technical Climbing |publisher=GORP.com |access-date=2008-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513021549/http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-mount-hood-national-forest-oregon-sidwcmdev_066522.html |archive-date=2010-05-13 |url-status=dead}}
</ref> Around 50 people require rescue per year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Without A Trace |url=http://www.wweek.com/html/leada101399.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216122920/http://wweek.com/___ALL_OLD_HTML/leada101399.html |archive-date=2008-12-16 |first=Nigel |last=Jaquiss |work=Willamette Week |location=Portland, Oregon |date=1999-10-13 |access-date=2006-12-19}}</ref> 3.4&nbsp;percent of search and rescue missions in 2006 were for mountain climbers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/19/hood.rescue/index.html |title=Weighing the risks of climbing on Mount Hood |first=Kristi |last=Keck |publisher=CNN |date=2007-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302124925/http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/19/hood.rescue/index.html |archive-date=2007-03-02 |access-date=2008-12-19}}</ref>

==Climate==
The summit of Mount Hood has a typical dry-summer [[alpine climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''ETs''), with temperatures below {{Convert|32|F}} eight months of the year and no month with an average temperature above {{Convert|50|F}}. Even in the hottest months, nightly average temperatures often dip below {{Convert|32|F}}, and [[Freezing air temperature|frost]] occurs almost every day, even in summer or the hottest time of year. Otherwise, all months have a [[dew point]] below {{Convert|32|F}}.
{{Weather box|width=60%
|single line = Y
|location = Mount Hood, 1991&ndash;2020 normals (3001m)
|Jan high F = 24.5
|Feb high F = 23.8
|Mar high F = 24.7
|Apr high F = 28.3
|May high F = 37.0
|Jun high F = 44.0
|Jul high F = 54.9
|Aug high F = 55.2
|Sep high F = 50.1
|Oct high F = 39.7
|Nov high F = 27.9
|Dec high F = 23.3
|year high F =    
|Jan mean F = 18.9
|Feb mean F = 16.9
|Mar mean F = 16.9
|Apr mean F = 19.4
|May mean F = 27.0
|Jun mean F = 33.2
|Jul mean F = 42.6
|Aug mean F = 43.0
|Sep mean F = 38.5
|Oct mean F = 30.2
|Nov mean F = 21.8
|Dec mean F = 17.9
|year mean F = 
|Jan low F = 13.3
|Feb low F = 10.0
|Mar low F = 9.0
|Apr low F = 10.5
|May low F = 16.9
|Jun low F = 22.4
|Jul low F = 30.3
|Aug low F = 30.7
|Sep low F = 26.9
|Oct low F = 20.8
|Nov low F = 15.7
|Dec low F = 12.5
|year low F = 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 17.99
|Feb precipitation inch = 13.55
|Mar precipitation inch = 14.29
|Apr precipitation inch = 11.40
|May precipitation inch = 7.67
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.84
|Jul precipitation inch = 1.37
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.82
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.57
|Oct precipitation inch = 10.86
|Nov precipitation inch = 17.45
|Dec precipitation inch = 18.83
|year precipitation inch = 
|Jan dew point F = 12.8
|Feb dew point F = 9.6
|Mar dew point F = 8.6
|Apr dew point F = 10.5
|May dew point F = 16.0
|Jun dew point F = 21.0
|Jul dew point F = 26.5
|Aug dew point F = 25.4
|Sep dew point F = 21.4
|Oct dew point F = 18.4
|Nov dew point F = 15.1
|Dec dew point F = 12.7
|year dew point F = 
|source 1 = PRISM Climate Group<ref name=prism>{{cite web|url=http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/|title=PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University|website=prism.oregonstate.edu|access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref>}}

{{Weather box|width=60%
|location = Mount Hood 45.3744 N, 121.6999 W, Elevation: {{cvt|10407|ft}} (1991–2020 normals)
|single line = y

|Jan high F = 22.8
|Feb high F = 22.1
|Mar high F = 23.0
|Apr high F = 26.6
|May high F = 35.3
|Jun high F = 42.4
|Jul high F = 53.2
|Aug high F = 53.5
|Sep high F = 48.4
|Oct high F = 38.1
|Nov high F = 26.3
|Dec high F = 21.7

|Jan mean F = 17.1
|Feb mean F = 15.1
|Mar mean F = 15.0
|Apr mean F = 17.6
|May mean F = 25.1
|Jun mean F = 31.4
|Jul mean F = 40.8
|Aug mean F = 41.1
|Sep mean F = 36.7
|Oct mean F = 28.5
|Nov mean F = 20.1
|Dec mean F = 16.2

|Jan low F = 11.4
|Feb low F = 8.0
|Mar low F = 7.1
|Apr low F = 8.5
|May low F = 14.9
|Jun low F = 20.5
|Jul low F = 28.3
|Aug low F = 28.7
|Sep low F = 25.0
|Oct low F = 19.0
|Nov low F = 13.9
|Dec low F = 10.7

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 17.24
|Feb precipitation inch = 13.05
|Mar precipitation inch = 13.90
|Apr precipitation inch = 10.94
|May precipitation inch = 7.40
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.60
|Jul precipitation inch = 1.34
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.77
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.52
|Oct precipitation inch = 10.64
|Nov precipitation inch = 16.74
|Dec precipitation inch = 18.63

|source=PRISM Climate Group<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
|title= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|publisher= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|access-date= September 28, 2023
|quote= To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking ''Coordinates'' (under ''Location''); copy ''Latitude'' and ''Longitude figures'' from top of table; click ''Zoom to location''; click ''Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp''; click ''30-year normals, 1991-2020''; click ''800m''; click ''Retrieve Time Series'' button.}}</ref>
}}

==See also==
{{portal|Mountains}}
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Gentlemen's Race]] (2008)
*[[List of Ultras of the United States]]
*[[Mount Hood climbing accidents]]
*[[Mount Hood Corridor]]
*[[Mount Hood Railroad]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|auto=1}}
*[http://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/mt_hood/#.U5vQWiiSOXs "Mount Hood"]. ''The Oregon Encyclopedia''
*{{cite web |url=http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/ |title=Mount Hood History |publisher=mounthoodhistory.com |access-date=2007-06-15 |archive-date=2007-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608044108/http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/ |url-status=dead }}
*[http://watch.opb.org/video/2217365691 "Mount Hood: Climbing Oregon's Highest Peak"]. ''[[Oregon Field Guide]]''.
*[http://watch.opb.org/video/2296117844 "Mt. Hood's Volcanic Past"]. ''Oregon Field Guide''.

{{US prominent}}
{{U.S. State Highest Points}}
{{Cascade volcanoes}}
{{Volcanoes of Oregon}}
{{Glaciers of Mount Hood}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Oregon|Pacific Northwest|Mountains|Volcanoes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hood, Mount}}
[[Category:Mount Hood| ]]
[[Category:Highest points of U.S. states]]
[[Category:Landforms of Hood River County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Mount Hood National Forest]]
[[Category:Mountains of Clackamas County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Mountains of Oregon]]
[[Category:Subduction volcanoes]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Clackamas County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Stratovolcanoes of Oregon]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Oregon]]
[[Category:Cascade Volcanoes]]
[[Category:Pleistocene stratovolcanoes]]
[[Category:Holocene stratovolcanoes]]
[[Category:Active volcanoes]]
[[Category:VEI-2 volcanoes]]
[[Category:Quaternary Oregon]]