Redmond, La Pine, Prineville and Sisters All Showing Strong Single Family Home Sales

We have been focusing a lot on Bend real estate trends over the past year, but it is important to look at what has been happening in other cities in Central Oregon. We often look upon Redmond, La Pine and Prineville as wonderful towns in which home prices are more affordable and can be great options for buyers for whom Bend is too expensive. Sisters' home prices have been more comparable to those in Bend, but its unique lifestyle, size and location closer to the Willamette Valley make it a small town that may be a destination location for very specific buyers.

The real estate trends for

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Redmond, La Pine, Prineville and Sisters All Showing Strong Single Family Home Sales

We have been focusing a lot on Bend real estate trends over the past year, but it is important to look at what has been happening in other cities in Central Oregon. We often look upon Redmond, La Pine and Prineville as wonderful towns in which home prices are more affordable and can be great options for buyers for whom Bend is too expensive. Sisters' home prices have been more comparable to those in Bend, but its unique lifestyle, size and location closer to the Willamette Valley make it a small town that may be a destination location for very specific buyers.

The real estate trends for Redmond, La Pine,

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 Very Few People But Amazing Views Over Every Hill

We hiked the Obsidian Trail for the first time last year and really enjoyed the beauty of this trail which starts in the Willamette National Forest and traverses through the Three Sisters Wilderness. The photos do not replicate the interesting experience of sunlight reflecting off the sharp obsidian pebbles and larger stones seen in portions of the hike.

Our hike on August 7, 2021 started with smoke filled air blowing in from the Willamette Valley and Washington State. During the course of the hike we had varying degrees of smoke impacting our views and breathing, but the air quality got progressively better as the day wore on. We repeated the hike from last year, but once we reached the Glacial Way trail which loops back to the Obsidian Trail close to White Branch Creek, we elected to continue on north on the Pacific Crest Trail to Collier Cone from which, we had read, wonderful views of Collier Glacier on North Sister would be visible. But once we reached the cut off for the glacier, we elected instead to continue on to Scott Trail traveling north on PCT.  This stretch of the PCT traverses through fascinating volcanic areas to the west and north of Middle and North Sister and then eventually drops into a lovely meadow in which Scott Trail intersects.  Scott Trail has a branch off to Four in One Cone which we didn't take (but hope to sometime soon) and eventually brings hikers back to Hwy 242 (trail maps show a direct path from Scott Trail to the Obsidian Trailhead, but it was closed for restoration). We hiked on the shoulder of the highway 1/2 mile back to the parking lot by the Obsidian Trailhead.  All in all, we estimate we did in excess of 17 miles and roughly 3400 feet of elevation gain, but it was through such an amazing area of Central Oregon that we had never experienced. The few people we met along the way, mostly on the PCT, were backpackers and once we started on Scott Trail, we saw no one else. People looking for a shorter trip can do the Obsidian Trail loop we did last year (under 12 miles) or travel Scott Trail to Four in One Cone (just under 9 miles round trip). 

We hope to come back soon to this beautiful section of the Three Sisters and Mt. Washington Wildernesses to experience additional hikes. There is still much to explore.

The Destination is Far Better Than the Hike There

To reach Camp Lake, part of the Chambers Lakes in the Three Sisters Wilderness, hikers starting at the Pole Creek Trailhead have to trek trough 4 miles of dead trees, the result of 2012's Pole Creek Fire. We did this hike July 24, 2021 and it was a warm day. Despite the heat and the dry conditions, we saw some interesting things along the way, among them what we believe was a young Red Tailed Hawk sitting in one of the burned trees as it scouted the area for rodents. We also had fun crossing the North Fork of Whychus Creek as it flows out of Diller Glacier on Middle Sister.

The remaining 3 mile trek to Camp Lake is in alpine wooded areas with fabulous views of Middle and North Sister. Just before reaching Camp Lake, the views open and South Sister becomes the main mountain visible, towering over Camp Lake.  When we arrived midday, we were the only people at the lake. We enjoyed the solitude, soaking our feet in the lake, having lunch and relaxing before starting the 7 mile hike back to the Pole Creek Trailhead. Most people who hike this trail will spend the night in the area, perhaps hiking an additional mile to the more distant Chambers Lakes. For us, it was a full day with 14 miles round trip, 2700 feet elevation gain, and warm weather.  If you plan on taking this hike in the summer, be sure to bring plenty of water.

Green Lakes is a Stunning Destination

The Green Lakes trail, off Century Drive in the Central Oregon Cascades, has historically been one of the most popular hikes in Oregon.  It has been used by families, trail runners, day hikers and backpackers for years as a beautiful and fairly easy hike to accomplish with the 4.5 miles and 1500 feet of gradual elevation change pretty doable for most. Over the years, we have hiked to Green Lakes many times, usually traveling on the east shore to the northern most lake, but enjoying the views and wildflowers and waterfalls of Fall Creek along the way. We have seen a huge increase of hikers traveling to Green Lakes over the years, but 2021 is the first year access to Green Lakes Trail is subject to the Central Oregon Wilderness Permit system. According to published articles, the Green Lakes/Soda Creek trails allow 120 day use permits during the 2021 hiking season. 

When we arrived at the trailhead at 7 am, we saw that all permits had been sold out.  During the initial part of the hike, we saw just a small handful of people, mostly runners who were coming down from the lakes. The wildflowers were out and the waterfalls on Fall Creek were full and beautiful. Despite the mosquitoes, the experience was wonderful and our hike up to the lakes went very quick. 

Once we arrived at Green Lakes, we looked around for the normal campers we were used to seeing at the 22 campsites around the lake.  We only spotted 2, although there may have been others located on the west side of the main lake which we didn't see as we followed the trail north to the smallest lake.

 Last year was the first time we had hiked deeper into the Three Sisters Wilderness, following the trail past the northern most Green Lake up to the pass between South Sister and Broken Top, gaining 500 more feet of elevation. The views back toward Green Lakes were beautiful, as were the closer views of South Sister.

The trail in this part of the Three Sisters Wilderness is much less traveled. The few people we passed were all backpackers who were traveling multiple days with overnight stops at various campsites in the area. But the views of North and Middle Sister plus Broken Top from a different perspective make for a unique setting few people see . The trail towards Golden Lake is not marked, but if you are looking for it, it is obviously well traveled. It is about a half a mile from the main trail before the lake is seen. Golden Lake is called what it is due to the wildflowers which were past their prime when we arrived, but the basin was beautifully green and the waterfall across the lake its own special oasis.

All in all we hiked over 16 miles, a very full day, but enjoyed many beautiful views and new experiences. There is a reason why we believe the Central Oregon Cascades are among the most special places in the world and we look forward every year to seeing new sights in our local area.