Mt. Hood National Forest Chinidere Mountain Hike Hike 05 Length: 4.6 miles round trip Elevation Change: 230' drop then 943' gain Season: Early summer thru Fall Difficulty:   Moderate Permit:   NW Forest Pass Required Features: A great family hike that begins at the Wahtum Lake trail head and quickly descends a couple hundred feet to the Pacific Crest Trail #2000. Turn right and follow this trail around the lake. The hike gently climbs through dense forest until you reach the junction of the trail that leads to the summit of Chinidere Mountain. This part of the hike is quite steep but only about .4 mile in length. The rewarding views from the top are more that worth the effort to get there. An alternate route back is to take the Wahtum Lake Cutoff Trail which descends dramatically to the lake and crosses the outlet stream and reconnects with the PCT #2000. Follow the trail back to where you first met it, and climb back uphill to the Wahtum Lake trail head. A Virtual Hike in the Mt Hood National Forest All for the love of hiking!