When the Hood River orchards blossom beneath snowy Mt. Hood, there’s no better place to enjoy the springtime panorama than from the wildflower fields on Bald Butte’s summit. Just don’t tackle the long climb to this former fire lookout site in August, when heat shimmers from the exposed slope where the route passes beneath giant, crackling powerlines.

From Interstate 84 at Hood River . . .

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon