The Federal Highway Administration and the Forest Service will be hosting an Open House to discuss a new Mirror Lake parking area and trailhead off Hwy. 26 on Mount Hood.

Mirror Lake is one of the most popular trails in the Mt. Hood National Forest, with the closest backcountry skiing and snowboarding lines to Portland. About 65,000 people hike, bike, ski, snowboard and snowshoe there every year.  The area can become dangerous in the winter, when traffic up to the resorts is heaviest, driving conditions are often hazardous, and snowshoers and skiers sometimes venture too close to passing traffic. The situation could get even dicier as a result of the big Mt. Hood Safety Project for Hwy. 26, which will build a large concrete barrier in the middle of Hwy. 26 that will make it impossible to enter the Mirror Lake parking lot when driving West.

Plans are being considered for a new parking lot, a new park-and-ride and a pedestrian bridge over Hwy. 26. Mt. Hood skier Emilio Trampuz is also making a strong case to preserve the Old Mt. Hood Highway as a trail and create two pedestrian bridges for access.

To learn more about the Mirror Lake plans, and to contribute your ideas, click here.

The Mirror Lake Open House meeting will be held on Thursday, October 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Zigzag Ranger District Office, 70220 E. Highway 26, Zigzag, Oregon, 97049.

Last modified: October 23, 2015