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Mount Adams Car Camp -- Logout

Backcountry Response Team

Thu Aug 20, 2026 8:30 AM — Sun Aug 23, 2026 3:30 PM

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Region

South Cascades — Mount Adams Area

Features: Earn Northwest Forest Pass

Crew Leader: James Alexander

Beargrass surrounding the Shorthorn Trail on a clear day. Photo by Susan Saul

Overview

This is a "backcountry" trip where you don't need to hike all your camping gear in! You will stay at a central car camp, then venture forth on several trails by day to clear them of fallen logs and fix the walking surface.

About the Area

This work party is based on the Southwestern corner of Mount Adams. Trails you work on may include Stagman Ridge, Crofton Ridge, Shorthorn, or Salt Creek trails, and if you get excited about treadwork you may end up on upper Gotchen Creek trail. What these all have in common is that they are in an area burned by the Cascade Creek Fire way back in 2012. It's a delightful area to see fire recovery in process, as well as magnificent views of Mt. Adams as you work.

What to Expect

We'll have fun, work hard and make a difference!

Project Description

Depending on your crew makeup, you may split into multiple crews to tackle several trails within a half-hour drive of your camp. Our main objective is to clear fallen logs, but there is also a lot of treadwork that needs to be done if anyone gets tired of sawing and wants to dig in the dirt. About half of your work is inside the Mt Adams Wilderness and half outside, which means that you should be prepared to potentially use both chainsaws and crosscut saws.

Camping and Hiking Information

  • Type: Car Camp
  • Location: Morrison Campground
  • Weather: Be prepared for variable conditions including heat, cold, wind and rain


  • Expected daily hike to project: up to 3.0 miles roundtrip with up to 1000 feet of elevation gain.

Schedule

  • Day 1: Meet the crew rain or shine, then hike in, begin work on the project and set up camp
  • Day 2+: Make breakfast and pack a lunch before heading out on trail with the crew by 8:00 AM. Work at your own pace, take plenty of breaks and enjoy lunch on the trail. Arrive back in camp by 4:00 or 5:00 PM for a relaxing evening. Prepare your own dinner and swap stories with the crew. 
  • Final Day: Break down camp, finish trail project, hike out and say goodbye to the crew at the trailhead

For safety reasons, arriving late or leaving early is not allowed.

Planning Information

Get ready for a challenging backcountry adventure!

What it Takes to Do This Work Party

  • A great attitude for working with a team! WTA provides the training and tools you need for the project
  • Backpacking gear and food for multiple nights on the trail
  • Good physical condition to hike with a fully-loaded backpack and be physically active for about 8-9 hours daily on uneven terrain 
  • Backpacking experience including ability to run your own camp following Leave No Trace principles
  • Day work party experience recommended
  • Flexibility to adapt to changes due to unpredictable weather or land manager requests
  • Minimum age: 18

What to Bring

Required

  • Sturdy work or hiking boots. Review our Logout Boot Guide for more details.
  • Work gloves
  • Eye protection (glasses, sunglasses, safety glasses, or mesh “bug eyes”. Glasses should have wrapping side shields. ANSI Z87.1+)
  • Long pants
  • Long sleeve shirt

Required for Chainsaw Use

  • Sturdy work or hiking boots that are “cut resistant” or leather, laced boots that provide ankle support and nonskid soles.

A hard hat will be provided by WTA if you do not already have a WTA provided hard hat. For chainsaw use, volunteers will be provided with additional PPE (eye protection, ear pro, gloves, and chainsaw chaps). For safety reasons, volunteers who do not have required gear will not be able to participate in the work party.

Backpacking gear

  • Backpack to carry all of your gear
  • Tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad
  • Cooking gear and enough food (plus a little extra) for the entire trip
  • At least two 1-liter water bottles and a way to purify your water
  • Rain jacket and rain pants
  • Extra warm clothing
  • Camp clothing such as shorts, shirt and sandals
  • Sun and bug protection
  • Headlamp and extra batteries
  • Personal items such as medication, hand sanitizer and toiletries
  • ​First aid kit
  • A sense of fun and adventure for learning new skills and meeting great people!

Trail work gear

  • Boots
  • Long pants 
  • Work gloves
  • Long-sleeved shirt recommended
  • Eye protection recommended such as safety glasses
  • WTA hard hat (provided, unless you have one)

For safety reasons, shorts and sneakers are not allowed while working. Firearms and weapons are not allowed.

More Information

From the Hiking Guide

See what WTA's hiking guide and trip reports say about this area.

This is a preview. Registration will open soon.

Partners

Directions

From Vancouver, head east towards White Salmon, Wa. If you are on Highway 14, take a left onto Highway 141. Follow WA 141 north for 21 miles until you get to the city of Trout Lake. Before you fully enter Trout Lake, veer right on Mt Adams Rd. After 1.3 miles, you will stay right to stay on Mt Adams Rd. After a short 0.6mi, take a left onto NF Road 80, also called Morrison Rd on some mapping apps. Stay on NF 80 for 3.7 miles until an intersection where it splits: left is NF Road 8031; you want to go RIGHT on NF 8040. Stay on NF 8040 for 5.4 miles: you will go past several trailheads but the campground is ultimately on your left. If you get to Shorthorn Trailhead, you have gone slightly too far, just turn around and the campground will quickly be on your right.

Note: Please follow the written directions above instead of using a GPS device. This will ensure that you get to the correct meeting location for this work party. The location of the pinpoint below is only approximate.

Getting to WTA work parties can involve travel on rough, unpaved roads in areas without cellular service and without street addresses that can be accurately used by navigation devices. Unless specifically noted otherwise, routes can generally be traveled by all types of vehicles. Volunteers with limited experience driving on unpaved mountain roads may want to allow extra time, beyond what is recommended in the directions above, to get to the meeting location.

Required Documentation

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Carpool

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