McNeil Point
Top Spur and Timberline Trail to McNeil Point Shelter
The Route
The Top Spur approach crosses Bald Mountain's ridge, alpine meadows and creek drainages to the McNeil Point stone shelter.
- Top SpurA half-mile forest trail reaches the PCT/Timberline network.
- Bald MountainThe scenic approach traverses its southern slopes.
- McGee RidgeForest gives way to meadows, stream crossings and ponds.
- McNeil Point TrailThe signed branch climbs through stunted forest and talus.
- Stone ShelterThe route ends at the historic shelter below Mount Hood.
Top Spur & Bald Mountain
Top Spur climbs half a mile through noble-fir forest to the PCT and Timberline junctions. The published scenic itinerary traverses Bald Mountain's south-facing meadows before rejoining the northern Timberline Trail branch; the shorter branch changes the trip distance.
McGee Ridge, Creeks & Ponds
The route passes the McGee Creek Trail junction, follows the wooded ridge into meadows, and crosses tributaries before reaching talus and paired ponds. These are landmarks on the Timberline approach, not the McNeil Point shelter itself.
Mazama Junction & Signed Branch
Beyond the ponds is the Mazama Trail junction. The approach continues to the signed McNeil Point Trail, which climbs through stunted mountain hemlock and subalpine fir. The steep scramble shortcut below this section is a different line.
Upper Traverses & Shelter
The final approach crosses scree slopes and McGee Creek headwaters before traversing onto McNeil Ridge. The lower fork reaches the stone shelter. Ho Rock and higher ridge extensions continue beyond the shelter and are not part of this endpoint.
Published reference figures for the named itinerary. Source dates and access notices are separate from current terrain observations. Reference Set: 2026-10-23.
Weather
Current forecasts open at the providers below. NWS forecasts describe a terrain grid cell, not an exact summit.
Access
Top Spur, Oregon · Mount Hood
Road Approach
Lolo Pass Road connects to Forest Roads 1825, 1828 and the gravel 1828-118 spur.
Source information checked 2026-10-23. Road snapshots are dated separately.
Reports
McNeil Point Reference & Dated Reports
The guide covers the scenic Bald Mountain approach and links to separate trip reports. Higher ridge extensions have different endpoints.
Top Spur Trailhead Access
Official road directions, parking capacity, seasonal restroom and permit information.
Links open the publishers’ report pages. Reports are not automatically imported or filtered to a forecast date.