A dozen great hiking trails await you,
perfect for late-spring and summer exploring.

Story and Photos by Scott Staats

Few places in the country offer such a variety of hiking opportunities as Oregon. Whether you prefer hiking the coast, through thick forests, along canyons and gorges, above timberline, or high desert, there’s a trail out there waiting to be discovered.

Be prepared before taking on any of these hikes. Oregon weather varies from hour to hour and from mild to wild. Check road, trail, and weather reports before traveling.

Dress appropriately and in layers. Let people know where you are going and when you’ll be back. Sign in at way stations when required, and be prepared to pay park fees. Leave rocks, plants, animals, and artifacts where you find them and intact.

Here are more than a dozen trails to choose among.

Paradise Park > > >

Distance: 12 miles round trip
Difficulty: Moderate to difficult
Getting There: At Government Camp on Hwy 26 east of Portland, take the road to Timberline Lodge. The trailhead begins at the lodge and heads west from the ski lifts.

The hike, part of the Pacific Crest Trail, leads to fantastic views of Mount Hood and meadows full of wildflowers. The trail skirts the base of the mountain and a few U-shaped glaciated canyons until it reaches Paradise Park Loop Trail and the open meadows of Paradise Park on the southwest side of Mount Hood.

From here, there are outstanding 360-degree views of the mountain and the surrounding forests. Bring along at least 2 quarts of water and some high-energy food for this hike because there are lots of elevation gains and losses as you cross ravines. Bring a warm jacket and rain gear because the weather can change extremely fast on the slopes of Oregon’s highest peak.

< < < Silver Falls State Park

Distance: 5- or 7-mile loops
Difficulty: Moderate
Getting There: Take Hwy 214 east of Salem to the South Falls parking complex; follow signs to Picnic Area C and park at the far end of the lot.

In Silver Falls State Park, hikers have several options to view 10 waterfalls and the park’s lush forest. A 7-mile loop leads to most of the falls and several are accessible from the park road. A 5-mile loop omits three of the falls. Hikers can walk behind four of the cool, thundering falls. Five of the falls are more than 100 feet high; South Falls has the longest single drop of 177 feet; Double Falls drops twice in 178 feet. Hemlock, Douglas fir, and cedar trees are seen along the park’s 22 miles of trails.

A highlight for me was 136-foot North Falls, a mystical place where American Indians once held vision quests. You can see casts of ancient trees in the lava rock behind the falls.

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Tam-a-lau Trail

Distance: 7-mile loop
Difficulty: Moderate
Getting There: The trailhead is at the south end of the campground at Cove Palisades State Park, about 10 miles southwest of Madras. Park at the Upper Deschutes Day Use Area a half-mile farther down the road.

If I had to choose one trail that best represents Central Oregon, it would be Tam-a-lau. This trail is one of the state’s newest, constructed after the trail to The Island was closed to protect its fragile ecology. Hikers experience open views of high desert, junipers and sagebrush, glacier-clad Cascade peaks rising to the west, deep canyons of the Deschutes and Crooked rivers, and the overall volcanic geology of the area. There are also bits of ruins of old homesteads along the trail.

Perhaps the best view can be had from the point of The Peninsula looking north toward The Island. Formed almost a million years ago, The Island is a remnant of a 60-mile lava flow. The lava entered Crooked River near Smith Rock and followed the canyon until it reached the area of present-day Round Butte Dam where it backed up and filled the Metolius, Deschutes, and Crooked rivers’ canyons to within 200 feet of their rims.

Moraine Lake/
South Sister > > >

Distance: 5 miles to Moraine Lake; 11-mile round trip to summit of South Sister.
Difficulty: Difficult
Getting There: From Bend, take Cascade Lakes Highway for 27 miles to Devils Lake Campground and the trailhead.

A few years ago, I stood on the summit of South Sister and stared wide-eyed at the volcanic landscape, looking north to Middle and North Sisters. The climb is more of a trudge up through red and black volcanic cinders, but the view is worth it.

To get some great views without having to reach the summit, consider going to Moraine Lake or just part way up the mountain. The elevation gain to Moraine Lake is about 2000 feet; the elevation gain to South Sister is almost 5000 feet. The trail starts out steeply through mountain hemlock to the plateau and lake. The area around Moraine Lake is covered with pumice from past eruptions of the mountain.

Lookout Mountain/
Round Mountain >>>

Distance: 6 to 7.5 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Getting There: Take Hwy 26 east from Prineville for 15 miles. Turn right on County Road 123; watch for signs to Ochoco Ranger Station and Walton Lake.

Round Mountain Trail

The trail has two trailheads, and the best way to hike the entire trail is to have a vehicle at each end. Drive 6.5 miles past the Ochoco Ranger Station on Forest Service Road 42 and leave one vehicle in the parking lot. This site is also one of the trailheads for Lookout Mountain. To start the Round Mountain hike, drive back down FS Road 42 and turn right on FS Road 22 to Walton Lake. Just past Walton Lake, look for a sign to the trailhead on the right (FS Road 22-148). The trailhead is a short distance up this gravel road.

This 7.5-mile trail connects with Lookout Mountain Trail. Starting in a conifer forest of fir and tamarack, the

trail skirts a rocky ridge within a mile with views of the Cascades.

Just before the gentle ascent of Round Mountain, the trail passes through large stands of ponderosa pine separated by grassy meadows and springs. Small stands of aspen are tucked within the pines. As the trail heads back down the south side of Round Mountain, hikers catch excellent views of Big Summit Prairie.

Lookout Mountain Trail

Since the trail is in the heart of
the Ochoco National Forest, a trip up Lookout Mountain allows sweeping views of the Ochoco Mountains, the

Cascades, meadows filled with wildflowers, an old mine, an old lookout, and a shelter at the summit.

Ponderosa pine and fir line the trail where I begin my hike up the ridge toward the summit of Lookout Mountain. Less than a mile up the trail, a deer quietly feeds in an aspen stand and wanders off as I pass. Deer tracks outnumber hiker tracks on the trail.

From its north point to its south point, Lookout Mountain is about 2 miles long. To the east are great views of Big Summit Prairie. To the west stretches the Cascade Range with a glimpse of Mount Adams, Washington.

Hikers have many options to reach the 6926-foot summit. Lookout Mountain Trail, beginning near the Ochoco Ranger Station, is about 14 miles round trip and is rated a difficult hike.

An easier route is Independent Mine Trail beginning 6.5 miles farther up from the ranger station on FS Road 42. From the trailhead a mile up FS Road 4205, three trails loop the summit.

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Deschutes River Trail

Distance: 8.5 miles with options for shorter hikes.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Getting There: From Bend, drive 7.5 miles west on Cascade Lakes Highway, Hwy 46, to Forest Service Road 41. Turn left and follow signs to Lava Island Falls.

Deschutes River Trail is one of the best year-round trails in Central Oregon. It’s a wild, rugged, natural, and peaceful place that is different in every season. The trail offers hikers, mountain bikers, runners, and horseback riders a variety of terrain that includes churning rapids, waterfalls, open meadows, lava boulders, ponderosa pines, and aspens, plus plenty of opportunities to fish.

You can see the results of a huge
lava flow from nearby Lava Butte that happened 6200 years ago, pushing the entire river westward. Great lava dams backed up water and created lakes. The dams eventually breached, leaving behind a series of rapids and falls. Highlights along this section of river are Lava Island Falls, Big Eddy, Dillon Falls, and Benham Falls.

Cape Perpetua >>>

Distance: Three trails (1.8 to 3 miles)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Getting There: Drive 3 miles south of Yachats on Hwy 101 to Cape Perpetua Visitor Center.

Each of the trails at Cape Perpetua has interesting features: tide pools, Devils Churn, spouting horn, Giant Spruce, and the summit of the cape. On some days from the top of the cape, you can see 100 miles south to Cape Blanco. A trail to the tide pools passes shell middens left by American Indians 6000 years ago.

The hike to the Giant Spruce, which is more than 10 feet in diameter, leads through old-growth forest. I especially enjoy exploring the tide pools at low tide. Check in at the visitor center for maps and information, and pick up tide tables before any beach-bound hike.

Mount Scott >>>

Distance: 5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Getting There: Mount Scott is in Crater Lake National Park, which is west of Hwy 97 and accessible from Hwys 138 and 62. The trail is 14 miles east of park headquarters, across East Rim Drive from the road to Cloudcap Overlook.

Mount Scott, the highest point in Crater Lake National Park, offers fantastic views of Crater Lake, Klamath Lake and its surrounding marshes, and the Cascades.

From the top of Mount Scott’s 8929-foot peak, I try to picture the violent eruption of ancient Mount Mazama 7700 years ago. The eruption was 42 times as powerful as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The caldera formed after the top 5000 feet of the volcano collapsed, then lava sealed the bottom. Rainfall and snowmelt created the lake.

Either stand and be amazed by the shockingly blue color of the lake or ponder the scientific explanation: As light strikes the surface of the lake, colors with long wavelengths—such as red, yellow, and orange—are absorbed within the first few feet of water. The shorter wavelengths, such as green and blue, reach deeper, blue penetrating deepest. Blue wavelengths are scattered and reradiate the light in all directions, giving the lake its deep blue color. Light penetrates the lake so deeply that green moss can be found at depths of 425 feet.

Bring your camera on this hike.

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Anthony Lakes

Distance: 3 loop hikes (1 to 8.2 miles)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Getting There: From Baker City take Hwy 30 north about 20 miles; look for signs to the Elkhorn Scenic Byway.

Located along the Elkhorn Scenic Byway in the Elkhorn Mountains near Baker City, Anthony Lakes spread over
a glacier-scoured granite basin surrounded by craggy mountains and meadows of wildflowers.

Hikers can take the easy 1-mile stroll around the lake or hike a short distance to other lakes. The more strenuous 8.2-mile loop around Dutch Flat Saddle circles a few of the Elkhorn peaks. Check out granite rocks smoothed during the last ice age 6000 to 20,000 years ago.

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Strawberry Lake

Distance: 4 miles round trip to Strawberry Lake; 6.6 miles round trip to Little Strawberry Lake
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Getting There: Drive 11 miles south from Prairie City (east of John Day) on County Road 60 and Forest Service Road 6001 to Strawberry Campground.

This trail in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness has views of alpine lakes, craggy mountains, and waterfalls. From the lake, which was formed about 1000 years ago after a landslide, the trail continues another 1.5 miles to Little Strawberry Lake in a high glaciated valley at 6900 feet (more than 1200-foot elevation gain from trailhead). Meadows of wildflowers surround the lake. Right off the trail, Strawberry Falls is worth stopping for. A 13-mile round trip takes you to Strawberry Mountain.

Northwest Travel Magazine May/June 2007

Steens Mountain >>>

Distance: Two short hikes at summit
(1 to 2.5 miles); longer hike (8.2 miles)
in Big Indian Gorge.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Getting There: From Burns, take Hwy 205 south about 60 miles to Frenchglen; turn left on the gravel loop road to Steens Mountain.

Standing on the 9773-foot-high summit of the mountain, I look out at an endless view of Eastern Oregon, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to the northwest and the Alvord Desert to the east. The 30-mile-long fault block mountain rises about a vertical mile above the surrounding desert floor. I look for bighorn sheep, which often can be seen on the steep sides of the mountain, but do not spot any that day.

From the Wildhorse Lake Overlook parking lot on Steens Mountain Loop Road, it’s a short walk to the summit (0.4 mile) via a jeep trail, but you can opt for the very steep 1.2-mile, high-elevation hike to Wildhorse Lake. An option for experienced hikers is Big Indian Gorge on the western flank of the mountain. The gorge is about 8 miles long and it’s possible to hike to the summit from there.