Elk Cove Trail #631(edit)

based on 86 tracks & routes | |

MODERATE

#9 hike out of 129 in Mount Hood National Forest |

MODERATE

4.6 mi

Distance

2 hrs 8 min

Time

2,172 ft

Elev Gain

Overview

This Mount Hood National Forest Wilderness trail is an out-and-back route (with Gaia GPS mileage calculated for one way) leading to Elk Cove at the Timberline Trail. Alternatively, you can loop back via the Pinnacle Ridge Trail, connected by a short but challenging bushwhack or a 1.8-mile road walk.

There are several excellent side hikes to explore, including Dollar Lake, Barrett Spur, and Cairn Basin. While there are many campsites at Elk Cove, be prepared for crowded conditions during the summer, especially on weekends.

As you hike, you’ll traverse the 2011 Dollar Lake fire area, which has transformed into vibrant fields of wildflowers in summer and a haven for juicy huckleberries in early fall. Views of Mt Hood and its glaciers are breathtaking. There is also very little shade. As of 2024 the trail is in good shape, recently maintained and logged out.

Getting Started

The Elk Cove Trailhead is along Laurance Lake Road, NF-2840, 1.1 miles from the turnoff at Laurance Lake. The road crossing at Eliot Branch can be washed out and might require AWD and/or high clearance. You will pass a fee kiosk by Laurance Lake, but there are no fees for parking at the Elk Cove Trailhead.

The hike starts by crossing Pinnacle Creek and then following an old road bed for ~1 mile.

Forest Service trail description and directions

Taking Children

Not appropriate for young children due to distance and elevation gain.

Rate this Hike

★★★★★

Public Tracks

Wyatt 1 year, 2 months ago

Elk Cove TH to Timberline Trail

This was an extremely pleasant hike, one of my favorites so far around Mount Hood. After a short wooded section, you emerge into an area that was burned and is recovering. There's intermittent tree cover, but a lot of the route is exposed. The views are stunning. You can see the peak of Mount Hood and Coe Glacier ahead along with the Eliot Moraine on one side and Barrett Spur on the other. There are tons of huckleberry bushes and other vegetation as well as new fir growth, a lot of which encroaches on the trail (pants recommended). There weren't many bugs other than grasshoppers. I only encountered a few flies. When you reach Timberline Trail, there are meadows, which are magical. The views are breathtaking. For regular hikers, I would say this route is easy to moderately challenging. The trail is easy to follow—it would be difficult to get off track. The trail surface is mostly packed dirt. There are no major rocky or sandy sections. There are a couple of steep sections, but most of the way is gradual. There are two small stream crossings. Nearly all of the fallen trees have been cleared (there was only one big one across the trail, but you can step or easily climb right over it). I was surprised no one else was on this trail. It could be because of outdated reports about trees across the path or needing a high-clearance vehicle to access the trailhead. As mentioned above, the trail is 99% clear and easy to follow, and nearly any passenger vehicle could make it to the trailhead (in the summer anyway). You should go!