My uncle told me to skip the Timberline Trail in July and he was dead right

Troy Morgan · 2026-10-23T12:00:05.107057+00:00

My uncle has hiked around Mount Hood for like 20 years, and when I told him I was planning the full 40 mile loop in mid July, he told me to wait until August or I would be walking on snow most of the day. I nodded and mostly ignored him because I wanted the early season bragging rights. Sure enough, around mile 12 near the Eliot Creek crossing there were still big snow fields and I lost the trail twice in an hour. I burned almost three hours that first day just finding the path again, and my knees paid for it. Later at camp a ranger confirmed the snow typically sticks around past the second week of August on that section. Point is, I finished the loop in 4 days instead of 3, and I owe my uncle an apology and a six pack. Has anyone else gotten solid route timing advice from an old timer and ignored it anyway?

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My uncle told me to skip the Timberline Trail in July and he was dead right | Backpacking Routes - The Community Guide