Fun day hike

Went with some friends and did an overnight backpacking trip to Lookout mountain.  As others have reported the first 2.5 miles are fairly easy going with some minor difficulty in water crossings.  After the third water crossing the trail continues with increasing difficulty as you go.  It gets steeper and steeper the further you go up and the trail gets narrower.  Some parts are bordering dangerous as it can be hard to find purchase leading to slips and falls.  Recommend waiting until it gets serviced next before attempting.

On the positive side from Lookout Mountain and Little Lookout Mountain the views of Mt. Hood are amazing.

Worked on a volunteer crew widening and re-benching from the top down. Can't wait to come back and start at the bottom to see the other half. 

This is forever one of my favorite trails. Be prepared for a bit of a trudge the last couple miles, but occasionally the trees open up and you get stunning views of the mountain range.

There are two significant river crossings within the first two miles, but they’re easily rock-skippable in the late summer; otherwise, be prepared to get your feet a little wet. We tried it earlier this year and decided to nope out on the first one, but it can be easily crossed right now. Between the two rivers, the trail cuts clearly through old forest, and can be easily distinguished through the ferns. Lots of spider webs, but no ticks or mosquitoes noted this trip. After the second river you’ll start a steady climb upward. We were near scramble at some points, and the way back down can get a bit tricky. This isn’t helped by the narrow path and loose dirt and at times gravel. For the future, I would definitely recommend bringing some trekking poles along for this one.

It’s a tough climb, but the views are well worth it. Take some time to breathe along the way and just look out at the mountains!

It should also be noted that the road out there is very riddled with potholes. I made it in a Jetta earlier this year going slow and careful, and still scraped a few times. My Crosstrek handled it like a champ. Be careful, take it slow, they can sneak up on you. The trail is also unmarked at this time, just the remains of a sign that at one point had its name on it. Look for a small turn out about 1/2 mile from the bridge crossing.

tl;dr a little rough around the edges, steep but manageable, stunning!

This was my first trip on this trail. I've been riding the roads around this area for years. I'm sure this isn't usually a trail completed by bike, but we did it by bike. Aside from the steep climb along the last parts of trail where it connects to FR41, there was no snow until the last 1/4 mile in spots. Plenty of trees down in spots that we moved. Great day in the woods on FR42,Trail #139, FR41, FR42. We did a loop starting at Sunset Falls and completed the loop by bike. 24 miles, 3800 feet. Tread was great! The 2 smaller creek crossing were easy to navigate as were the deep crossings that were not too bad. Knee deep on the first one, second one was shin deep.