Central Oregon

When visiting Central Oregon, it’s always a pleasure to enjoy a good hike to the top of a mountain. North of SIsters, and near Black Butte Ranch, is a perfect example.  The climb to the summit of 6,436-foot Black Butte makes a very nice outing.

It’s an extinct stratovolcano, providing views of all the close-by glaciated volcanic peaks. Some of the notable ones are Sisters, Broken Top, Mt. Washington and Mt. Jefferson. And, even though it’s a relatively short two-mile hike, it has 1,600 feet of elevation gain to cause one to work up a good sweat. 

Fire Lookout Tower

The last few miles to the trailhead are on a dirt road that gets progressively rougher as the 4,900-foot parking area is approached. Initially the trail climbs through large Ponderosa pines before breaking out into an open alpine area with scattered white-bark pines. Upon reaching the summit, there are a 62-foot fire lookout tower and a white cupola cabin. 

There are several golden-mantleds at the summit that have clearly had much practice at begging for handouts. All in all, a very pleasant hike indeed.