Forest Trails and Highways of the Mount Hood Region 
On the mountain roads near the summit of the Cascades 
Automobile Highways Through the Scenic Mountain Regions of Northwestern Oregon. 
N the Mount Hood region, a few miles from 
Portland, the traveler finds himself in outdoor 
surroundings of that primitive and youthful 
freshness which inspired Bryant to write of 
“*k * * the continuous woods, where rolls the 
Oregon and hears no sound save his own dash- 
ings.”’ The wild natural beauty of the Columbia 
River Gorge, so largely untouched, brings to 
mind the spirit of the days when the great river 
indeed knew no sound save the shouts of Indians 
and the songs of the voyageurs. Not so very 
many years ago this entire region was a vast and 
unbroken wilderness; and to-day the autoist 
speeds past rapids and portages as picturesque 
now as in the days when they were toilsomely 
negotiated by the pioneers. 
The two principal routes of automobile travel 
in the Mount Hood region are the Columbia River 
highway and the Mount Hood loop road. The 
Columbia River highway follows the south bank 
of the river through the famous Columbia River 
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Gorge, which has made the highway one of the 
most beautiful mountain drives in the world. In 
addition, the highway is one of the best hard- 
surfaced automobile roads ever built, extending 
eastward from Portland toward Hood River for 
66 miles. The hard-surfaced portion is practi- 
cally completed now as far as Hood River and is 
being pushed steadily eastward. 
Leaving Portland over the Mount Hood loop 
road, the tourist soon passes the outskirts of the 
city and the valley farm lands to climb over 
mountain roads to the summit of the Cascade 
Range, a few miles south of the pinnacle of Mount 
Hood. Until 1846 the only entry into the Oregon 
country was by sea or through the Columbia 
River Gorge. In 1846 what is now called the old 
Barlow road was opened across the Cascade 
Mountains, and the general route of this old road 
is followed by the Mount Hood loop road. The 
Barlow road was originally a toll road, but since 
1919 it has been open for travel without toll. 
