Park where FR68 crosses the Pacific Crest Trail
Road & Access (FR 68)
Access via Forest Road 68 is the most cited “downside.” FR68 is once again becoming notorious for deep potholes.
High-clearance vehicles are strongly recommended to avoid scraping. While some low-clearance cars have made it by driving very slowly, others have reported damage.
No bathrooms at the trailhead.
No permits needed to park.
There is a small parking area where the PCT crosses FR 68.
Trail Overview
Distance & Difficulty: The round-trip distance at approximately 9 miles.
Review: July 4, 2025
The trail starts in the forest and goes gently uphill on the PCT along the side of a ridge and crosses at the top of a slide area with views of Mt. Hood.
Climbing up to the next ridge brings you to the top of a narrow little ridge and a really nice views of Mt. Hood.
Continue up through the forest mostly uphill with a few descents to cross a couple of saddles.
The trail climbs alongside a rocky cliff to a viewpoint and dry campsite with views of Mt. Hood and Silver Star Mountain. Just past here are two huge anthills. One is right next to the trail and the other is about 150 feet upslope at the edge of the forest.
Continue to just past the junction for the Grassy Knoll Trail and in about 50 feet head to the right going fairly steeply uphill.
From the junction of the PCT and Trail 146, take a short steep trail #135 up to the top of Big Huckleberry Mountain. There was a fire lookout built here in the 1920’s and was used through the 1930’s. There are pieces of glass and other remnants about but not as much as at Grassy Knoll. There is a large open area with nice views of Mt. Hood and some limited views of Mt. Adams through the trees. There are some additional meadows to the east where you get another glimpse of Mt. Hood.
Peak bloom typically occurs in June and July, with sightings of bear grass, lupine, paintbrush, phlox, and balsamroot.
True to its name, huckleberries are abundant and ripe for picking in late summer.
Come back down on the side-trail and back to the junction of trail 146 and the PCT. Head west on the PCT, essentially continuing straight ahead from the Big Huckleberry Mountain Trail. This part of the trail goes back through the lovely forest and generally drops in elevation over a couple of miles. Go back down gentle switchbacks along the side of a ridge, then some fairly level travel changing to a gentle descent along the side of the ridge. The forest here is lovely, old second growth Douglas fir trees with a carpeting of perennial wildflowers and other plants along the forest floor.
Continue along the graceful bends of the forested trail dropping down to where you enter into the experimental forest. Gently climb along a ridge through the forest back towards where you parked.
The hike to Big Huckleberry Mountain from Forest Road 68 is a serene, moderately challenging trek through an open forest with rewarding southern views of Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. This section of the Pacific Crest Trail is known for its quiet and peaceful atmosphere, frequently seeing very few hikers even on weekends.
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