Posts with tag 'Hiking Central Oregon'

Lots of Sun and Exposure on Little Belknap Crater Hike

Wear a hat and have good shoes if you decide to hike to Little Belknap Crater. With little shade, summertime temperatures can be high, so a fall hike is recommended. This was the second time we hiked to Little Belknap, so we knew what to expect.  We took this hike on October 15, 2022, the last day for the required 2022 Central Cascades Wilderness Permits and we saw a total of 10 other people the entire time. It was a beautiful fall day with temperatures reaching the 60's, and despite some haze from the Cedar Creek fire which has been burning in the Willamette National Forest since early August, the views were good.  After taking in the sights from the top of Little Belknap, we elected to continue on the Pacific Crest Trail to see if we could reach George Lake near Mt. Washington, a place we have never been.

As we hiked past Little Belknap and the end of the acres of lava rock, we entered the forest and enjoyed the trees and fall foliage before, to our surprise, we were back trekking through lava rock interspersed with dead trees, the result of the 2017 Milli Fire. However, there were signs of new life with young trees and plants and even chipmunks and ground squirrels.  Once we reached the end of the lava, the PCT turned left and the trail continued around the flanks of Mt. Washington. However, we had already hiked over 5 miles. Knowing we still had to hike out, we turned around and returned the way we came; we will have to find George Lake another day. All in all we traveled over 10.5 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain mostly over difficult hiking conditions with the loose rock. 

Canyon Meadow Loop and Three Fingered Jack is a Beautiful Summer Hike

Hiking to Three Fingered Jack via Jack Lake and Canyon Meadow Loop is an annual event for us. Located in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, access to the trailhead is outside of Camp Sherman off Hwy 20 via several paved and dirt roads. But once hikers arrive at the trailhead, the path is obvious. 

The trail starts next to Jack Lake, which reflects the burned trees of the 2003 B&B Complex Fire, but also the new growth that has come back since. It is evident that the new Wilderness Permits are required to take this hike.

 The trail opens at Canyon Meadow, which survived the 2003 fire unscathed. Canyon Creek runs through the meadow and during the summer, the blooming wildflowers, the sound of the creek and the beauty of towering Three Fingered Jack create an unparalleled Wilderness experience.

 Once hikers reach the base of the mountain, there is a moraine which can be climbed (a scramble up loose rocks) which provides a perspective of the glacial lake and, if you are lucky, a view of the mountain goats which are known to live in the area. 

For hikers who make it up to the saddle above the lake, the views of the Three Sisters and Mount Jefferson are amazing as are the close up views of the jagged rocks of Three Fingered Jack (the eroded core of an extinct 100,000 year old volcano). Hikers should be careful coming down from the saddle as the rock is loose and the grade exceeds 30 degrees in some areas. Overall, the hike gains 1600 feet in a little over 3 miles and the entire loop is under 8 miles.

The hardest tickets to get in Bend are not to the great acts at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater,  but rather the trail pass required to hike the Green Lakes trail. These tickets literally sell out in 60 seconds once posted on the Forest Service website.

The trail largely runs alongside Fall Creek, which you will cross three times.

And there is simply no shortage of beautiful waterfalls, wildlife, wildflowers, and amazing views along the way.

This trail is considered moderate due to it's length of 9.1 miles round trip and 1200 feet elevation gain, but it is pretty gradual almost the entire way and a very enjoyable adventure.  For the adventurous, taking the path past the last lake deeper into the Three Sisters Wilderness will result in views few experience, including the Northeastern flank of South Sister and Northwest sections of Broken Top, and vistas including Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, North and Middle Sister and Black Butte. A look back toward Green Lakes, if you can avoid looking the towering figures of South Sister, Mt. Bachelor and Broken Top, may make you think you are seeing the Great Smoky or Blue Ridge Mountains. If you opt to take this additional path, you will add a minimum of 500 feet of elevation gain plus 4 miles in and back. If you want to go even further in you can reach Golden Lake, which is an experience in itself.

Fabulous Cascade Views Await Those Who Climb the Cones

We climbed Four in One Cone for the first time in the middle of October, 2021. A moderate in and out hike with just over 1400 feet of elevation gain in 9 miles from the Scott Trailhead in the Three Sisters Wilderness, we looked forward to revisiting the area during the summer.  The early spring snow we had in 2022 delayed access to the higher reaches of the Cascades with patches of snow evident above 6200 feet. But the trip up to the cones was fairly straight forward with little snow along the trail. Mosquitos were the worst thing we had to deal with - along with over 30 fallen trees to get around or over. But once we reached the lava flows, the mosquitos mostly disappeared and our hike to the top of the cones was great. The views of North and Middle Sister, along with Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson, Black Crater and Belknap Crater are outstanding from the top of the cones.

Four in One Cone has this name due to the fact there are four distinct cinder cones adjacent to each other which all erupted at different times, but which create the unique geological feature it is.  The path at the top of the first cone traverses all the cones at the ridge line; it is roughly .4 miles to reach the end of the fourth cone and the drop off on each side of the path varies in steepness.  When we first hiked to the top of the cones in October, the wind made us a little uncertain and we did not reach the far cone. This summer hike had much less wind and we made it to the furthest point. 

After enjoying the views, we climbed back down the cones and decided to continue the hike to the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail, which was another mile past the cones. There is a large meadow at this junction and we were hoping to see wildflowers along with the view of North Sister. The wildflowers were sparse, but the view of North Sister was spectacular. 

Our return trip was much easier than the hike up due to the volunteer efforts of six amazing people who were clearing all the fallen trees from the path. These six plus one more hiking party of three, and one person we saw hiking the PCT were the only people we saw during the entire hike. Amazing solitude and a wonderful day.

Black Crater is a Challenging Hike

We have hiked Black Crater yearly since 2020 and although not the longest hike, it is challenging. The full hike is 7.5 miles up and back, but each hiker gains 2322 feet in the 3.75 miles up. And hiking through the burned forest from the 2017 Millie Fire can be hot and dusty during summer months.  On July 15, 2022 sufficient snow had melted from the higher elevations to allow hikers to avoid slippery snow patches and reach the summit. When we arrived, we were alone at the top until we began our trip down. The Cascade views from the summit of Black Crater were fabulous from Broken Top to Mt. Hood. And the cold wind we have felt in earlier visits was not blowing, keeping us comfortable and able to fully enjoy the views.

It is interesting to see how certain plants have begun to reclaim the burned forest, with manzanita, fescue grass, and various wildflowers becoming more abundant each year. Young trees are beginning to grow, although it will take many decades for them to reach the heights of the trees that were killed in the fire. Ferns have regrown in some more sheltered and wetter areas of the hike; there is a certain beauty in the burned, dead trees, especially as we begin to see green undergrowth reclaiming the land.

We recommend that people planning on hiking Black Crater start early in the day before it gets warm and before crowds arrive.  Allow 4.5 hours on your trip, which will provide time at the top to enjoy a snack and the views prior to returning to your car. Use your national forest parking pass and don't forget to complete and file the the free wilderness pass available at the trailhead.