Gifford Pinchot National Forest Little Mt Adams Hike Hike 81
Length: 7 Mile Round Trip Elevation Change: 2200' Elevation Cumulative gain Season: Mid-Summer thru Fall Difficulty: Difficult Permit: Yakima Nation Pass Required Features:
PLEASE NOTE: This is an unmaintained trail with
scrambles.... much of the way with no trail at all.
DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS HIKE UNLESS YOU ARE ENTIRELY
EQUIPPED AND EXPERIENCED FOR SUCH AN ADVENTURE.
Here is another fantastic gem located with the Yakima
Indian Reservation. Remember, a pass is required and
can be purchased along the road to Bench Lake.
At about 1/4 mile the trail drops steeply and crosses
Hellroaring Creek on a newly constructed bridge. The
trail begins to climb, but junctions shortly after the
bridge. Bear left and begin the steep climb to the
crest of the ridge.
At about 1.3 miles the trail passes a clearly visible
trail marker and it is at this point that I recommend
a cross-country scramble following the ridge line above
you.
Little Mt Adams is in sight almost all the time, so
it is not difficult to scramble your way below the
ridge you are following to the base of the mountain.
When you reach the base on the north side you will
see a trail that others have used to reach the summit.
Be sure to drop down into the crater itself and look
around for great vistas of Bench Lake, Heart Lake,
and of course Hellroaring Canyon and the gorgeous
Mt Adams which looms over you.
A challenging return option is to descend into
Hellroaring canyon to the west of Little Mt Adams,
and cross the swampy meadows to Heart Lake. Finding
Heart Lake is a bit of a challenge, but just
remember, to keep from getting lost, there is an
excellent trail along the south side of Hellroaring
Meadow, so if you can't find the lake, just walk
south across the meadow until to intersect the
trail that you can follow east back to the road which
you took to Bench Lake.
A Virtual Hike in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest
