To start the route, park in the large trailhead lot east of Timberline Lodge. The up-track may be marked during the regular resort season, but don’t count on signage early or late season. The beginning of the route goes around a somewhat steep knoll, but then the gradient lessens beyond a patch of trees. Proceeding up the mountain, it roughly follows the ski runs Otto Lang and Bean’s Run, but stays to climbers’ right of them both. Timberline’s uphill policy states that climbers should stay off of these maintained runs.

The climbers’ trail goes all the way past Silcox Hut and continues up the Palmer snowfield, to the upper boundary of the resort above Palmer Express lift. Continuing out of bounds is possible, but from there you enter backcountry terrain where additional hazards exist, and the terrain gets steeper. You should also have a wilderness permit from the Forest Service if you plan to exit the resort.

Sources: https://www.timberlinelodge.com/mountain/safety http://mountainlessons.com/mthoodskiguide/routes/palmerzigzag