Mount Defiance - NF 2821000

Trail Overview

Mount Defiance road scrambles 1600'+ out of the hills West of Hood River, Oregon to the summit of Mount Defiance and the edge of the Mark O Hatfield Wilderness. The summit tops out at just under 5,000'. Once the gravel forest service road passes 4,000', the road bed quickly turns to a loose shale and the ascent gets steep. Use of 4Lo is recommended to control traction on the climb and control speed on the descent. The views of Mount Hood, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Rainier from the summit are spectacular. The summit can be busy with hikers in the summer months. This road is snowbound and not maintained in the winter months.

Difficulty

steep climb / descent on loose rock

Technical Rating