Wildflowers, tumbling brooks, and craggy mountain vistas lend alpine splendor to this ridge on Mt. Hood’s northwest shoulder. An easy loop circles Bald Mountain to a picture-postcard view of Mt. Hood. But for real alpine drama, climb the Timberline Trail to a pond reflecting massive McNeil Point—or better yet, continue up a new route to McNeil Point itself, where you’ll find a stone shelter on a ridge.

Turn north off Highway . . .

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon