Mount Hood: Illumination Saddle Routes

getting there

Drive I-5 to approximately 15 mi north of the Oregon state line to I-205 bypass around Portland to US 26. Travel east on US 26 for about 50 mi. Just past Government Camp turn left at Timberline Lodge turnoff. Drive 8 mi and park in lodge parking lot.

Illumination saddle

Approach & ascent

snow scramble, snowshoe, 6.0 miles round trip, 3,300 feet of elevation gain, 9,300 ft high point

From Timberline Lodge, proceed up the ski slope to the top of the Palmer Chairlift (8,600 ft). Stay off the groomed ski surface. Use the climber's tracks on the right boundary of the groomed runs and to the right of the chairlift. At the top of the chairlift, make a west-northwest rising traverse towards Illumination Rock. Illumination Saddle (9,300 ft) is a good camp.

mount hood/leuthold couloir

Ascent route

grade III, intermediate ice climb

Ascend to Illumination Saddle. Descend onto the Reid Glacier and traverse toward Yokum Ridge. Turn right at the steep wall on Yokum ridge and enter Leuthold couloir. Ascend the couloir to its end. Then climb easy, open slopes to the summit ridge. Climb the ridge to the summit.

Mount hood/reid glacier headwall

ASCENT ROUTE

intermediate ice climb

Ascend to Illumination Saddle. Descend onto the Reid Glacier. The Reid Headwall lies directly above the glacier. There isn’t one specific route up the headwall but a "choose your adventure" array of options. All of the variations start out on moderate slopes that steepen, narrow, and thread through snow and ice-covered arêtes. The left-most lines eventually reach the gentle slopes above the Queens Chair that lead to the summit ridge. The center and right lines top out onto the upper West Crater Rim, which can be taken to the summit.

TRIP PROFILE

EQUIPMENT

Glacier travel gear, avalanche gear (transceiver, probe, and shovel), helmet, pickets, ice screws, second ice tool.

Mount hood/sandy glacier headwall

ascent route

intermediate ice climb, Grade III, class 3-4, AI 1-2

Ascend to Illumination Saddle. Descend northwest onto the Reid Glacier. This descent can be simple or technical depending on the snowpack; it may need to be protected with pickets. Make a descending traverse of the Reid Glacier, cross over the toe of Yocum Ridge at 8,600 ft and descend onto Sandy Glacier. Make a rising traverse (north) toward the center of the glacier, then climb moderate slopes (45°) up the center of the headwall, through a narrowing gully (the “Hourglass”) and up to the top of the Headwall and Yocum Ridge, the Queen’s Chair. Climb upper Yocum and Cathedral Ridges to the summit ridge.

descent

illumination saddle

Descend the route.

Leuthold couloir, reid headwall, sandy glacier headwall

Descend the Mount Hood/South Side route.

notes

• The climbing routes can be done in one or two days. Illumination Saddle is a good place to camp for two-day climbs.
• Climbing parties are required to pick up a self-issued wilderness permit from the climber’s registration area on the lower level of the Wy’east Day Lodge. There is no fee.
• To reduce the dangers from avalanche, rock fall, and ice fall, climbers should plan to summit in the morning, well before the sun reaches the western slopes.
• Guidebook: Mt Hood: Climber’s Guide by Bill Mullee (Sharp End Publishing 2014).
• Guidebook: Best Climbs: Cascade Volcanoes by Jeff Smoot (Globe Pequot Press 2012).

• Suitable Activities: Climbing, Scrambling, Snowshoeing
• Climbing Category: Intermediate Alpine
• Snowshoeing Category: Intermediate
• Seasons: Year-round
• Weather: View weather forecast
• View avalanche forecast.

• Difficulty: Snow Scramble, Strenuous 3, Technical 2, Intermediate Ice Climb
• Length: 6.0 mi
• Elevation Gain: 5,235 ft
• High Point: 11,235 ft

• Land Manager: Mount Hood National Forest
  Mount Hood Wilderness, Zigzag Ranger District (MHNF)
• Parking Permit Required: Northwest Forest Pass
• Recommended Party Size: 12
• Maximum Party Size: 12
• Maximum Route/Place Capacity: 12