Cook Traverse - Uncharted
Uncharted is a challenge series created by Mack Robertson for the Greater Portland area that aims to get you out exploring new areas with pre-planned routes. While each area we highlight may not be new to you, we hope it inspires you to explore some lesser-known areas.
You can join the Uncharted Strava Group here.
COOK HILL BACKGROUND
There are few places more iconic in the Gorge than Dog Mountain. And if you've ever battled the weekend crowds to catch the balsamroot bloom up top, you might assume the best trails end there. But Dog is just the front porch to a lesser-known ridgeline that stretches east across two more peaks, offering solitude, history, and some surprisingly runnable terrain, at least when the trail is cooperating.
This month’s Uncharted route links Cook Hill, Augspurger Mountain, and Dog Mountain in one long, unfolding point-to-point. It starts near the small pullout on Cook-Underwood Road just past Jackson Road and works its way up through oak groves, open meadows, scrappy summit ridges, utility corridors, overgrown trail segments, and finally drops you on the western edge of Dog, where the crowds suddenly reappear and the finish becomes familiar.
It’s a traverse that feels like a journey, rugged in places, fast in others, with just enough character to keep things interesting. To do the full traverse, you will need two cars, one staged at the finish at Dog Mountain Trailhead, and one for the start near Cook-Underwood Road.
Cook Hill tops out at 3,015 feet, technically taller than its more famous neighbor, though it’s rarely treated with the same reverence. Once heavily grazed, the broad summit meadows now erupt with wildflowers in spring: grass widows, larkspur, prairie violet, balsamroot, and more, depending on elevation. The hill and the unincorporated community below are named for Charles A. Cook, a 19th-century homesteader in the area.
The trails here are unofficial, often unsigned, and not always easy to follow. The route begins on old logging roads, climbs through oak woodland and scrubby firs, then works its way through vine maple thickets and open slopes before reaching the summit. Grazing stopped in the upper meadow around 2000, and the land has been gradually returning to a wilder state. From the summit, a rough path marked by soup can lids nailed to trees leads westward to Augspurger Mountain, where it merges into the formal trail network connecting to Dog via the Dog-Augspurger Tie Trail.
Much of the midsection is quiet and obscure, especially near the saddle below Cook Hill where radio towers mark a wide powerline clearing. Some call this Cook Saddle, others refer to it as Augspurger Saddle. Either way, it's a transitional space, part ridge, part roadbed, part utility corridor.
Despite its low profile, this traverse passes through a surprisingly rich range of environments, from oak savanna to alpine meadows to quiet second-growth corridors. While it isn't always smooth or straightforward, it rewards the persistent with long ridgeline running, well-earned views, and the rare experience of arriving at Dog Mountain from the back door.
THE ROUTE
14.5 Mile Route GPX File
This is a point-to-point route that begins on the Washington side of the Gorge, just east of Dog Mountain, at a small pullout on the right side of Cook-Underwood Road, just past Jackson Road. For this traverse you will want to drop a second car at your end point, the Dog Mountain Trailhead, or consider doing an out and back variation. From the pullout, carefully cross the road and begin by running up Jackson Road. After a short distance, you’ll reach a gate marked with a “Cook Trailhead” sign. Pass through the gate to begin climbing on an old logging road.
The climb is steady but well-graded, rising through oak and mixed woodland with occasional views of the Columbia River below. Early on, be mindful of poison oak, especially in the lower elevations where it lines the edges of the road bed. The trail switchbacks through gentle grades, gradually gaining elevation as you move into shadier terrain.
At approximately 2.5 miles, you’ll reach a junction. Stay right here to head toward the true summit of Cook Hill.
The next stretch passes through two open meadows. In spring and early summer, wildflowers are abundant. You’ll see balsamroot, lupine, and paintbrush in the lower meadow, with prairie star, larkspur, and calypso orchids appearing higher up. The trail weaves through open grass, then climbs into a grove of wind-stunted Douglas-fir at the summit. The top itself is forested and subtle, but the approach offers wide views back toward the Gorge.
From the summit, descend steeply into the forest along a faint but followable track. You will pass a fenced utility facility with large propane tanks. We will pass on its left flank along the fence line. After a short while longer, you’ll reach a junction with an old road bed. Take a right, then an immediate left. Stay to the right of the utility building. Do not take the faint trail to the left, which leads into a powerline corridor that does not connect.
Past the towers, the route rejoins singletrack. This next section, sometimes called the Soup Can Trail, is marked with tin lids nailed to trees and continues west along the ridge toward Augspurger. The trail is occasionally brushy but generally easy to follow if you stay close to the ridgeline.
You’ll eventually reach a signed junction with the official Augspurger Trail. Take a left here and begin the climb to the summit of Augspurger Mountain. There is a short dip before the final rise. The summit is forested, but just beyond it you’ll arrive at an open ridge with expansive views. On a clear day, Mount Adams, Mount Saint Helens, and Rainier are visible to the north, while Mount Hood and Mount Defiance appear across the river to the south.
From here, descend to the Dog-Augspurger Tie Trail. Follow this connector as it switchbacks to the summit of Dog Mountain. This is where you’ll rejoin the main trail system and begin to see other hikers. After miles of quiet ridgeline, the shift is immediate.
To finish, descend Dog Mountain via the main trail, staying left at the loop split for the more direct route to the trailhead.
