Saddle Mountain Five Stars for the Adventure…read more
Five stars for Saddle Mountain! If you're leaving Portland and heading toward Seaside on Highway 26, just before you get there, you'll turn off onto a nice little curvy road that takes you toward the trailhead. And right from the parking lot, Saddle Mountain starts messing with your mind.
You look up and see this little mountain that seems pretty close. You can see one bump, but the actual big bump the saddle part of the mountain is hiding behind the trees. It's almost ominous. You think, Oh, that's not too bad. Then you start hiking and realize the mountain has other plans.
The trail zigzags along the side of the mountain, taking you way farther than it looks from the parking lot. By the time you even make it to that first rocky section, you've already put in some serious work.
Then you reach the saddle and that part is no joke. You've climbed all that way only to go back down this sketchy little track along the edge, between rocks that seem to hang over an abyss. Mentally, it throws you for a loop. There are sections where the trail feels like a cliffhanger almost like you're walking on a two-foot-wide path with nowhere to go if you lose your footing.
Some people may say it's an easy hike, but I think a lot of Saddle Mountain is mental. Knowing how high you are, dealing with loose gravel, steep sections, and those little metal railings definitely adds a fear factor. I've slipped before and usually don't think much of it, but up there, it only takes one slip where you don't catch yourself. You're not walking around thinking you're imminently going to die, but you definitely realize this mountain deserves respect.
And then comes the payoff.
Once you cross the saddle, the second part is basically straight uphill. You can't always tell how steep it is going up, but coming back down? Your body knows. You're sliding, your feet are working, and your body feels like it wants to take you for a roll downhill.
But man, is it beautiful.
From the top, you get these sweeping, commanding views in every direction. You can see Seaside, Gearhart, Fort Stevens, Warrenton, and across the Columbia Bar. You can pick out Astoria and the iconic Astoria-Megler Bridge stretching toward Longview, along with Tongue Point.
Then you start panning to the right and there's Big Daddy, Mount Rainier, standing out in the distance. Keep looking and the Cascades start popping up: Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and more. As you're getting ready to leave, Mount Hood is lurking way off in the distance, with Mount Jefferson just below it.
Looking back across the valleys, ridges, clouds, and all the surrounding mountains, it's an incredibly unique perspective. I highly recommend doing Saddle Mountain on a clear day. The views are absolutely worth it.
What a workout. Every inch of pain and suffering was well worth it.
I even managed a little trip and fall on the way down. Didn't really get hurt just shook my ego a little bit!
I couldn't have asked for a better day.
And to finish it off, I headed back to the parking lot and enjoyed a Buffalo Mac, some hot cocoa, and a caramel macchiato coffee sitting next to the cooler while sitting outside in some chairs.
What a beautiful day.
Five stars. Sweeping views. Serious workout. A little adventure, a little fear, and a whole lot of reward. Saddle Mountain definitely deserves the respect and the trip.
