Tin Can Trail

Dogs Leashed

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Although this trail is "blazed" with fairly frequent old tin can lids nailed to trees you should be comfortable with some route navigation skills, especially in brushier areas that can get overgrown in summer. That said, the trail follows a ridge the whole way and it gets occasional maintenance from volunteers.

Just getting to this trail is a challenge: you'll have to either climb ~3,000 ft on Cook Hill, climb ~4,000 from Dog via Augspurger, or climb ~1,300 from the north end of Augspurger Trail #4407. The most logical/common way to use this trail is in combination with Cook Hill Loop which results in around 4,500 ft of gain and 13 miles round trip. You'll be rewarded with near-solitude and excellent views of Adams, Hood, the Gorge, and okay views of Helens. Rainier largely remains hidden behind Lemei Peak.

To get to the the primary start of this route, climb Cook Hill Loop to it's northern point under the electrical lines. Look for the large transmission tower surrounded by a black chain-link fence to the northwest (the higher/right-hand of two short service drives). The trail follows the southwest/left-hand edge of the chain-link fence and then passes through some young pines before entering the forest. From here the trail should be easier to follow: keep an eye on the dirt singletrack and an eye on the trees ahead for the next tin can lid.

In about half a mile you'll come to a knob along the ridge that offers wonderful unobstructed views of Mount Adams. After this knob the trail descends slightly and stays a little to the southwest/left of the ridge top. In another quarter of a mile you'll enter a small meadow with Hood views, reenter the forest and emerge onto an open ridge-top meadow again at just over a mile form the start. This ridge offers outstanding views of Mount Hood.

You'll go back in the woods and begin a gradual ascent up the eastern face of Augspurger. Parts of this section are likely to be overgrown and difficult to follow in summer. Finally at about 1.5 miles you'll enter another meadow with okay views. look for the protruding knob on the north side of the ridge. It offers nice views of Adams and Indian Heaven. The trail drops a little before quickly getting steep as you make the push up Augspurger. You'll be in the forest for the remainder of the trail which eventually ends at Augspurger Trail #4407. Look for a wooden sign on a tree that denotes the actual summit. There are no views from the summit, alas.