Rigorous. Raw. Remote. Challenging. Dynamic. Gunsight Butte is all these and more. This spectacular stretch of rocky, rooty ridgeline runs north-south through subalpine forest, windswept meadow, and cascading scree to link Bennett Pass with Gumjuwac saddle through the rugged heart of Mount Hood’s 44 high country. One caveat: it’s not particularly easy to get to. You’ll have to work for it.
Gunsight Butte Trail #685
Gunsight Butte is our favorite kind of trail – the type that exist wholly unto themselves. Backcountry corridors which start and finish deep in the good stuff without much fanfare, infrastructure, or trailheads. Just a path leading off into the woods. This uncut gem dips in and out of subalpine forest and open meadow, gaining 820 feet over 5 miles. Its tread alternates between rich chocolate cake, basaltic shale, and velvety needled duff, peppered with pitchy climbs with embedded root and rock features. The trail is punctuated by several craggy outcrops and fields of open scree – isolated slides of tumbling rock bearing a faint impressionistic through-line. If you listen carefully, the sound of rubber over loose andesite creates a hollow, percussive clink like a woozy marimba.
Gunsight three ways
Because Gunsight Butte is a short, point-to-point backcountry trail, it makes the most sense built into a larger ride. Some folks like to shuttle from Bennett Pass to popular descents like Dog River or Surveyor’s Ridge. My preference is generally to loop it into a bigger backcountry mountain bike day via one of three configurations presented below. Each has its own distinct flavor and flow. One starts by climbing Dog River for a gradual ascent into the 44. Another drops Cooks Meadows to ZigZag to climb the highly underrated East Fork trail. The third traverses Lookout Mountain, Cedar Creek, and Fifteenmile. Make no mistake, these are all fairly hefty, full-spectrum mountain bike days over steep and challenging terrain. This is not tailored for underbiking. Respect the terrain. They will take longer than the numbers suggest, so budget your nutrition, energy, and daylight accordingly.
Gunsight Butte: dog river to east fork
A couple things about this clockwise orientation: the climb is an absolute stunner. If you like long, sustained 5800 foot cross-country climbs, Dog River is a fantastic escalator into the 44 high country. Bear in mind, this is not everyone’s cup of tea. A lot of riders prefer the downward direction. This version leans into the up, so it’s something to consider. Dog River meanders hillsides of garry oak and evergreen with isolated bits of rocky tech before connecting to Surveyor’s and Cooks Meadows. It’s gentle enough, but all that elevation does add up. Over the hump of Lookout Mountain, the southernmost stretch employs the wild and wonderful 3550, a rowdy primitive Jeep track paralleling Gunsight Butte, which returns north to Gumjuwac saddle for a steep, angular thrillride into the valley below.
east fork TRAIL #650
The fun doesn’t stop here. Across Hwy 35, we enter an enchanted world. Welcome to the East Fork. You will encounter the roadbed-meets-watercourse of 3520, an access road whose conjoined path with Robin Hood creek traverses 2 miles of rocky washouts, bogs, and brushy creekbed. It is easy to miss the drop into East Fork #650 at mile 31.6 so keep alert. East Fork trail is second only to Gunsight itself as the highlight of the day. 4 miles of undulant buffed-out bliss skirts the highline above the Hood River’s east fork. The shady bench cut rolls, dips, dodges, twists, and turns ever downward but is not without a handful of punchy climbs. The final 4 miles along 35’s generous shoulder gently returns riders back to the Dog River trailhead.
39.7 MILES
6295 FEET
ROUTE FORMAT: LOOP
SURFACE: 60% singletrack, 30% Primitive jeep track, 10% paved
TIRES: 2.3” knobbies minimum. TUBELESS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
BIKE: mountain bike/HARDTAIL/XC/trail bike
SERVICES: nope
FULL RIDE WITH GPS ROUTE
Gunsight Butte: Zigzag to east fork
This counterclockwise edition tends to be the favorite, offering some distinct advantages. The first being an ample warm up through the hallowed Gates of Chunder, a regional rite of passage for the seasoned aventurier de l'arrière-pays. Additionally this orientation puts Gunsight front and center on fresh legs for maximal satisfaction. The Jeep trail to Lookout Mountain trots out all the superlatives: most badass mountain views and roughest-yet-most-satisfying-road-climb among them. This drops into 10 miles of sinuous descending via Cooks Meadows to Surveyor’s Ridge to Zig Zag to 35. This is easily one of the best lines in the area, showcasing the breadth and bombast of the 44 system.
Now the hard part. Take a look at the elevation profile and you’ll notice a V-shape. That means whatever goes down has to climb back up again. It is a steady 3000 feet back to Bennett Pass, but much of that is buffered by the sumptuous enchantment of the East Fork. The smooth, serpentine bench cut rolls ever-upward beneath dense evergreen, tracing the east fork of the Hood River to connect with 3520, a washed-out utility corridor leading to 35 and the Pocket Creek sno-park. The final push closes the loop by climbing above Pocket Creek. Expect moderate but escalating gradients near the top before rejoining 3550 for a 3-mile gravel cooldown back to Bennett Pass. Rejoice!
37.2 MILES
5446 FEET
ROUTE FORMAT: LOOP
SURFACE: 70% singletrack, 30% Primitive jeep track
TIRES: 2.3” knobbies minimum. TUBELESS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
BIKE: mountain bike/HARDTAIL/XC/trail bike
SERVICES: nope
FULL RIDE WITH GPS ROUTE
GUNSIGHT BUTTE: cedar creek to fifteenmile
This is the big one. I mean they’re all big – but this one is a bona fide epic. Looping in four of the most rugged and dynamic trails in the 44 (Gunsight, Lookout Mountain, Cedar Creek, and Fifteenmile), this plucky brawler puts your backcountry chops on notice. This variant also starts at Bennett Pass like the previous loop but veers east to Fifteenmile for a ride of a different flavor. Highlights here include the rich, rooty chocolate cake of Lookout Mountain, the rocky pulpit of Eightmile Point, and arid, grassy ridges, meadows and forested lowlands of the Fifteenmile.
42.9 MILES
6618 FEET
ROUTE FORMAT: LOOP
SURFACE: 60% SINGLETRACK, 40% PRIMITIVE JEEP TRACK
TIRES: 2.3” KNOBBIES MINIMUM. TUBELESS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
BIKE: MOUNTAIN BIKE/XC/TRAIL BIKE
SERVICES: NOPE
FULL RIDE WITH GPS ROUTE
cedar creek // fifteenmile #456
This loop is the stuff of legend. Upper Fifteenmile drops riders into Cedar Creek to traverse satisfying lines of oak and pine forest, open grassy meadows, complex, craggy switchbacks and exposed ridgelines with steep, technical drops. Several open sections provide expansive views across the drainage to the north, dropping into densely-forested lowlands along Fifteenmile Creek. As you may have noticed, this route also has a pronounced V shape, the lowest point of which climbs out of Fifteenmile. It is long, slow, steep, hard, and absolutely beautiful. Pro-tip: refill your water by filtering at the Fifteenmile campground, it will be one of your last opportunities to do so.
The remainder of this route climbs primitive, rutted Jeep trail back over Lookout Mountain to roll 3550 all the way back to Bennett Pass. Keep available daylight and overall energy expenditure in mind if you’re planning to take this on. Start early and keep moving. The climb out will be harder and take longer than you expect. V-shaped routes become exceedingly difficult to get yourself out of should you crack, run low on food/water, or end up racing nightfall.
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