Cooper Spur

Cooper Spur and Eliot Glacier

Moderate (to shelter)

3-mile loop

1000 feet elevation gain

Open mid-July to mid-October


Difficult (to Tie-In Rock)

8.2-mile loop

2800 feet elevation gain

The highest hiking trail on Mt. Hood switchbacks up Cooper Spur’s cindery shoulder to Tie-In Rock, where mountain climbers traditionally rope up. From this vertiginous perch, peaks from Mt. Rainier to the Three Sisters dot the horizon. The massive Eliot Glacier writhes below, a splintered river of ice. And if the thought of a 2800-foot ascent leaves you winded, Cooper Spur has a much easier hiking option: a 3-mile loop to a historic stone shelter at timberline.

Drive Highway …

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington.

Shelter at Cooper Spur

Shelter at Cooper Spur