Mazamas — For the Love of Mountains
Elk Mountain and Kings Mountain are two popular hiking destinations in the Oregon Coast range. The trails are a little more rugged than typical Columbia River Gorge or Mount Hood trails. They are lower elevation than Mount Hood hikes so they are possible in the winter when Mount Hood trails are snowed in. This hike is done with a car shuttle. We'll drop a car at Kings, and then shuttle over to the Elk Creek Trailhead and start from that location.
Activity Notes
The hike begins at the Elk Mountain trailhead. Turn right heading in a northeasterly direction. At the intersection with the East Ridge Trail turn left and continue in a northwesterly direction to the next trail junction. At the Elk West Ridge Trail junction turn right and head in a easterly direction up the steep ridge to the summit. From the summit of Elk Mountain follow the trail to the north along the Elk-King Traverse Trail to King Mountain. From the summit of King Mountain follow the south ridge down to the third trail junction where you turn right to return to the parking lot. We will make a team decision on Wednesday if we want to shuttle hikers from King Mountain trailhead to Elk Mountain trailhead or take the trail junction at the Wilson River Trail and complete the loop.
| Other Information | |
|---|---|
| Driving Distance from Portland | 60 miles |
| Distance - Round Trip | 8 miles |
| Expected Duration | Car to car in one day |
| Relevant Maps | OC-I |
| Awards Qualified | Awesome Ridges Award |
| Useful Links | GPS Coordinates Map |
