Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Any hiking-mountaineering near Bend, Oregon?

My management/family has informed that we will spend the first week of June of 2008 in Bend, Oregon. I was told to bring my gear so that I could squeeze in a hike. I was wondering if anyone on the board knows about some nice hikes or peaks near that area? It will be my first time in Oregon, I'm looking forward to it. It will also be my first time north of Valejo, CA. I look forward to seeing Lassen and Shasta on the drive up. They are both on my future to-do list.

Rafael...

Look up the Sisters Wilderness. There are a number of peaks that offer great views of other volcanos.

Rafael, take a quick drive up to Bend's Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint--near the center point on Bend's east side. The road entrance is near NE Greenwood (Hwy 20) and NE 12th Street. You'll get a great view of the mountains.

Bring your compass to ID the mountains I list below. All the compass readings are Magnetic North (MN).

The tallest appearing peak is the South Sister (10,358') at 261 degrees--24 miles away. To its right, at 268 degrees MN, is the Middle Sister (10,047') at 26 miles; and a little to its right at 271 degrees is the North Sister (10,085') at 25 miles.

See if you can see Oregon's highest mountain, Mount Hood (11,239'), at 331 degrees, 93 miles north. South of your view point is another volcano. Check out North Paulina Peak (7,720') at 159 degrees, 22 miles away.

The famous Mount Shasta (14,162') is at 178 compass degrees, 189 miles away, but it is blocked by Finley Butte, 29 miles away...just in case you might be interested.

Enjoy the great view, and it is right there in town.

Lassen is an easy, and pretty short hike that I would recommend you do on your way up. I would also highly recommend climbing Mt. Hood, though you would want to do it with a guide if you don't have experience in snow/ice climbing. Hood is only about a 6 hour climb round trip (less if you ski down).

Hi Rafael,
I was up in the Bend and Sisters area last July. I would recommend the book "Best easy day hikes Bend and Central Oregon" by Lizann Dunegan. I picked it up off of Amazon for around $5.00. Very up to date info and tells you about required permits and where to get them.
My wife and I hiked the Green Lakes trail, which is a few miles west of Mt Bachelor. There were self issue permits at the trail head with a drop box for the $5.oo fee. You can see my Pics
here. If I did the coding wrong, try here http://www.flickr.com/photos/14933160@N04/sets/72157602739245860/
There is an REI store in the refurbished Old Mill District
in Bend and great dining as well. Hope you have great trip. The area is beautiful!

Gary

South Sister is a beautiful hike, but avoid weekends as it tends to get really crowded. When we hiked it in late August, on a Saturday, there were at least 100 hikers at the top.

If you have time to drive a couple of hours north of Bend, check out Mount Adams in Washington State. Goat Rocks Wilderness is also a popular area.

Hello Rafael,
There are tons of hiking options all around Bend. From the Deschutes river trail to Smith Rock or the Oregon Badlands Desert and then again there are the numerous peaks all around. All less than a 30 minute drive to the trailhead. Though Mt Hood is a great climb, it is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Bend. The previously mentioned Green Lakes trail is great and close to town.

There are too many options to choose from for hiking to mention here. My advice would be to pick up the book "Bend Overall" very informative about the hiking options and funny. For mountaineering I would search the site "Cascade Mountaineers", they are the local mountaineering club and could turn you on to your best options. I was previously in So Cal myself but recently moved to Bend just to be closer to the hiking biking and kayaking activities that I enjoy.

Cheers, Gary