Blooms in the meadow at the Grassy Knoll trailhead always demand attention before we even start hiking.

This time we were amazed by the thousands of Farewell-to-Spring (Clarkia amoena) in bloom across the meadow. This species also is known as Herald-of-Summer since it blooms around the Summer Solstice.

About a mile up the trail, we entered the blooming Beargrass zone where it lined the trail. At Grassy Knoll itself, most flowers already had faded.

We stopped at the cliff-top viewpoint at 1.2 miles to enjoy the expansive views and the flowers, primarily blooming Fine-tooth Penstemon and Cascade Penstemon.

We hiked on to Grassy Knoll, the former fire lookout site, and to the meadows beyond it along the trail, but we did not go all the way to Big Huckleberry Mountain. It was a warm day, with a high temperature in the mid-70s, and we were thankful for a steady breeze that provided cooling and lots of deep shade along the trail.

The Forest Service trail crew has logged out the trail so there was only one small fallen tree to step over, but the trail really needs brushing, particularly through thick stands of thimbleberry and huckleberry.

The descent from Grassy Knoll on the return hike was particularly treacherous due to all the rolling little pebbles under foot on the steepest pitches. One member of our group slipped and fell but she was not injured.

We enjoyed view of Mount Adams, Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, and surrounding lesser peaks at various viewpoints. 

There were only two other cars at the trailhead when we arrived, but six others when we returned. (The parking area holds about 5 cars.) I have seen trip reports of 24 cars at this trailhead on a recent weekend, so it is best to do this hike on a weekday if possible.

FS Road # 6808 was in great condition.  The boulders that blocked the road in early April have been cleared making for an easy drive to the trailhead.  The parking lot was at full capacity on this sunny Sunday afternoon.   Wildflowers were blooming from the beginning of trail #146 and continued all the way to the top of Grassy knoll.  The initial portion of the trail is a steady climb through a beautiful Doug Fir and Western hemlock forest.  After about a mile, you will reach a rocky outcrop leaving one with magnificent views of Mt Adams.  At this point, the trail mellows out crossing through meadows and partial forest clearings.  The final push is a short switchback up the slope to grassy knoll the site of an old fire tower lookout first built in 1934.   The tower was rebuilt in 1954 after winds destroyed the original. Now only the foundation piers, glass, and rusty nails along with scattered daffodils can be found at the top. If the sky cooperates, you will have a fantastic view of Mt Hood and the Columbia River to the south. In total, the trail is just over 4 miles with about 1200’ of elevation gain.

NF6808 is impassable due to 2 boulders about a quarter mile in. Attempted to enter from the east but snowy roads made it impossible unless you have all wheel drive.

Spent the night at Cold Springs Camp, hiked up to Big Huckleberry Mountain and some of the PCT before coming back to the Cold Springs Camp for the night. Overall, the tread is in great shape, the trail is somewhat brushy in places but not at all impassable. My original intention was to pick berries--unfortunately the huckleberries are all gone by now. If you intend on hiking all the way to Big Huckleberry, extend your trip just a quarter mile north on the PCT and there's a great view of Mt. Adams. Additionally, the Cold Springs can be found on a .1 mile or less trail taking off north from the campsite. Even this late in the season, it had water that was both cold and delicious. 

I drove into Grassy Knoll trailhead from Willard (from the east) on NF68. The gravel road is in fantastic shape after the maintenance done in conjunction with the timber sale in the area. 

There are a lot of folks on trails out right now, and mask use while passing Is pretty good but maybe 75%. On this 11+ mile hike I saw a total of TWO people, so come get your isolation on. Overall a great hike with some beautiful views over a forested valley and into the gorge. You get a northern profile of Mt. Hood which is way more pointy than from other angles.

Some things I will note:

1. I think the elevation total is incorrect on some websites, I think. I have seen it noted as 2900+ft on some sites and considerably less than 2000 on others. My total elevation gain from the TH to Big Huckleberry Mountain and back according to my iphone was about 2000 (recording with Strava & Gaia GPS). I went for a conditioning hike, and still got a pretty good workout even if it was not as much gain as I expected. It's a nice mix of ups, downs, and flats over the length of the route in both directions.

2. There is a lot of underbrush encroaching on the trail. Not enough to make it hard to find the trail at all, but enough that I wished I had brought lightweight long pants instead of shorts. Silver lining: a fair number of the bushes scratching up your legs are huckleberry bushes. There are a few logs down but nothing major. It looks like we are past peak wildflower time. 

3. As some have noted, all the really great views are on the initial 1/3 from the TH to Grassy Knoll. I did the long hike because I am trying to get myself back in shape. After grassy knoll you spend some time on exposed hillsides and then duck into a pleasant forest for a long time. There is a flattened campspot at Cold Spring (I could not see a spring there but I didn't look hard) and a smaller informal camp site a little further along. There were a couple muddy trickle streams but otherwise no water source on the trail. 

4. I have seen old reports that the roads require high clearance vehicles. I went in my 2001 Honda Accord with no issues. Lots of gravel and minimal potholes, very even roads overall.  No facilities at trailhead.