Mount Jefferson - 5,712'
Hike Statistics
Total Distance: 21.9 miles (as part of a Presi Traverse)
Elevation Gain: 9,100 feet (as part of a Presi Traverse)
Hiking Time: 3 days (as part of a Presi Traverse)
Difficulty: Difficult
Season: Summer
Hiking this peak in winter? Click here!
Hike date: 06/08/2019
Description: Mount Jefferson has an astounding 360 degree view down the Great Gulf with the Carter Range in the distance. When we summited Mount Jefferson, it was during our 3 day Presi Traverse backpacking trip. We will update this page with more info once we have done Mount Jefferson from a more common route, such as the Caps Ridge Trail!
Trails Used: Since we were coming from Mount Adams, we took the Gulfside Trail and then the Mount Jefferson Loop over the summit before continuing on towards Mount Washington.
Trail Summary: As mentioned, we checked off Mount Jefferson during our Presidential Traverse. In case you are unfamiliar with this traverse, you summit all of the Presidential peaks in one trip. We spent the night at The Perch campsite on the side of Mount Adams. We woke up early to get to the ridge before sunrise, but unfortunately it was very cloudy. Navigating via cairns was essential today due to the low visibility and we had to make sure we were following the trails correctly! We took the Gulfside Trail to the Mount Jefferson Loop which goes over the summit. The Gulfside Trail ascends steeply over rough rocks before coming to the Loop. The Loop climbs a quick 300 feet of elevation and leads to the summit in 0.4 miles. The summit is supposed to have fantastic views, but with our luck it was completely socked in and very windy. We then descended down the Loop back onto the Gulfside Trail and continued on towards Mount Washington.
Heading along the Gulfside Trail, we entered a patch of shrubs to get a break from the elements
Heading up the steep and rough section of the Gulfside Trail
The junction with the Mount Jefferson Loop, which takes you to the summit
A flat section on the Loop as we near the summit
Looking up towards the rocky summit of Mount Jefferson
A quick selfie with the summit cairn. No views today!
Alternative routes:
We have not yet done any alternative routes to the summit of Mount Jefferson. This page will be updated once we have!
Hiking Mount Jefferson in the winter
We have not yet climbed Mount Jefferson in the winter, but once we do, we will update this page with our full report!
Questions? Comments? Want to share your take on this hike? Get in touch with us using the contact page!
As experienced hikers, we always make sure that we are hiking with The Ten Essentials which include navigation, a headlamp, sun protection, first aid, a knife, shelter, extra food, water and clothes. Overtime, we have discovered some items that we always bring on our hikes and consider them to be our personal, expanded ten essentials.