Oregon · Hiking

Hawk Mountain Lookout

1.2 mi
round trip
388 ft
climb
5,223 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Hawk Mountain Lookout open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Clackamas River Ranger District. It doesn't name Hawk Mountain Lookout, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Clackamas River Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Hawk Mountain Lookout is an easy out-and-back hike in the Clackamas River Ranger District of Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon, about 1.2 miles long. The route gains about 280 feet of elevation one way, with the high point at 5,223 feet and the low point at 4,926 feet. The climb is rolling, with the steepest stretch at about 0.46 miles in, where the grade reaches 15 percent. The Forest Service manages the land. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Santiam Junction show July and August highs around 76°F with lows near 42°F. That station sits well below the lookout, so temperatures up high run cooler. The trip takes about half an hour. Round Lake is about 1.7 miles away, and the East Fork Collawash River offers canoeing about 1.9 miles off. Elk Lake Creek Trail #559 lies about 3.7 miles away. For camping, Breitenbush Campground is about 5.7 miles from the lookout.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Hawk Mountain Lookout

    Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      38° / 24°

    2. Feb

      41° / 24°

    3. Mar

      44° / 26°

    4. Apr

      49° / 29°

    5. May

      58° / 35°

    6. Jun

      65° / 38°

    7. Jul

      76° / 42°

    8. Aug

      76° / 42°

    9. Sep

      69° / 39°

    10. Oct

      56° / 33°

    11. Nov

      42° / 28°

    12. Dec

      36° / 23°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santiam Junction, OR, 29.2 mi away at 3,750 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

RapidanPhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Rapidan

~7 min drive

1.60-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 214 ft gain.

South Breitenbush GorgePhoto: oregondave, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

South Breitenbush Gorge

~10 min drive

3.00-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 769 ft gain.

Red Lake Trail #719Photo: Infinite Dust, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Red Lake Trail #719

~13 min drive

5.32-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,512 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Elk Lake Creek Trail #559

~6 min drive

17.3-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 3,751 ft elevation gain.

Ann Arbor Hot Springs​ trailPhoto: oregondave, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Ann Arbor Hot Springs​ trail

~10 min drive

0.96-mile out-and-back hike to Ann Arbor Hot Springs in Oregon with 408 ft gain.

Devil's Peak TrailPhoto: oregondave, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Devil's Peak Trail

~11 min drive

2.92-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 1,996 ft elevation gain.

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Rhododendron Ridge Trail #564

~7 min drive

6.36-mile out-and-back trail on a ridge in Oregon with 1,178 ft of gain

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ELK LAKE CREEK

~6 min drive

16.72-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 3,762 ft elevation gain/loss

Double PeaksPhoto: BHunsaker, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Double Peaks

~13 min drive

0.70-mile out-and-back trail at Double Peaks in Oregon with 338 ft of elevation gain.

Gold Butte LookoutPhoto: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Gold Butte Lookout

~12 min drive

2.50-mile out-and-back trail to Gold Butte Lookout in Oregon with 1,145 ft gain.

Route details

Distance
1.2 mi round trip
Climbing
About 388 ft
Summit
5,259 ft
Difficulty
Easy
Time
About 0.5 hours

Questions about this route

How long is the Hawk Mountain Lookout on Hawk Mountain?

About 1.2 mi round trip.

How much elevation gain is on the Hawk Mountain Lookout?

About 388 ft of climbing round trip.

How hard is the Hawk Mountain Lookout?

It is rated easy.

How long does the Hawk Mountain Lookout take?

About 0.5 hours round trip.

Conditions and forecast on Hawk Mountain

Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.