Great trail with incredible views of the surrounding peaks, the Sisters, Washington, Jack, Jefferson. A big bang for your buck trail the numerous wildflowers are currently blooming & are so beautiful.
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Very rough road to get to Elk Lake. No low clearance vehicles. Not a well traveled hike as sections are near overgrown. Mosquitoes on the East side of Battle Ax Mountain. Pikas in the fallen rocks. Still snow around as well. As you approach the Battle Ax peak, the views turn tremendous. Not much level ground on this hike.
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Great spot that should not be attempted in June (or until later in July) without GPS, crampons or snowshoes (or at least Yaktrax). Water sources difficult to find under snow, and very easy to lose the trail. Great views and varied terrain make this a hike I’d love to repeat without the added challenge of 3-5+ feet of snow for 80% of the loop. Major mosquito activity at the trailhead and into the first few miles, bring deet.
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Hiked this trail mid June. The trail is in great condition with just a couple logs to get around/under, a couple muddy sections from snow melt nothing major to get through. The wildflowers are blooming now and are a beautiful site, you cannot go wrong hiking this trail with the meadows, the surrounding Mtn views and the views from atop Iron Mtn are all incredible.
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Hike date: June 17, 2020
It was sunny, in the mid 50s. There were some patches of snow on the trail but none lasted more than 50 feet, able to traverse easily. Belknap had a lot of snow cover on the western side which was impossible to get up safely without micro spikes or crampons. The eastern side had little snow and there was no direct trail on that side (trail to the summit is on the west side that’s covered by snow). I didn’t attempt it but I saw another hiker make their way up the eastern side, carving their own path up the scree and hopefully making it to the top. If you come to summit this before July, I’d suggest either preparing to use crampons or micro spikes, or blazing your own way up the dry side. The hike into Little Belknap which is before the big Belkap is slightly technical, having to do a few small scrambles up and down rocks, but a great spot for a lunch break before the big summit. Saw 7 other day hikers.
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The falls were unexpected and amazing. Had to turn around at 2 miles due to snow depth.
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Perfect snowshoe experience to Mountain View Shelter. The loop got more difficult once we left. Signs are well posted & pretty easy to follow, especially with the Gaia app for support! Next time I think we’ll spend the night in the shelter!!
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Steeper Climb from the east trailhead. More of a gradual slope from the west. We climbed up the east side and literally ran down the west. Awesome day, beautiful area, pretty flowers and spectacular view at the top!
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Went in late Winter, weather was fairly good rained and snowed near the end of the hike. Trail was clear, and nearly empty due to lower temperatures and weather. This was good because I’ve heard this trail can be busy spring-late fall. Views were beautiful the entire way.
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Great intermediate mountain bike loop. Up the road and down the Goodman creek trail
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The fall colors were out! Seeing Marion Falls and Marion Lake were spectacular
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This is my idea of a perfect dayhike - a beautiful drive well off the highway along lonely backroads, ample parking at the trailhead, followed by a reasonably challenging trail, ending at an astonishingly scenic special place that only a few people know about. The only way it could have been any better for this geocacher is if I could have placed a new cache there… but I completely understand why that should not happen. I highly recommend this hike, but just not too publicly.
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Waldo 100k ultramarathon - great runnable trails with some very challenging climbs along the way and scenic lookouts.
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Awesome view from old fire lookout location. Can see most peaks in Oregon on a clear day. Wildflowers along a good majority of the trail.
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First backpacking trip with kids, ages 15, 12, 9, & 7. Moderately difficult for a short portion of the trail, basically going into and out of the lake basin. Stunning setting with nearby waterfalls to hike to. Great camping sites at Obsidian Creek and Linton Creek, however the site at Obsidian Creek is the nicer of the sites. Great Lake for swimming and fishing-bring a pole or a floatie. Extra bonus sighting cougar prints along the lakeshore.
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Trail across lava flows is rugged - be sure to wear good hiking shoes -- and not recommended for pets. We hiked both to the Little Belknap overlook and the Belknap Crater overlook and clocked 7.3 mi round trip; we took a leisurely 3:55 moving. Beautiful day with some wildflowers blooming on the non-lava sections. Note that the trail to Little Belknap is well marked, but no marking for the Belknap Crater turnoff. It is on the left, just after you leave the lava (past the trail to Little Belknap). Last mile or so is sandy scree, so slow going, but worth it. Views from the top are very nice - North & Middle Sister to the south (South Sister is behind them) and Mt. Washington, Three-Fingered Jack, a peek at Mt Jefferson to the north. Windy on the top and can be a bit cool, even on a hot day in Sisters.
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Great swimming holes; plenty of campsites if you want to boondock. Opal pool was amazing, with a nice little 30-35’ jump. Water was plenty deep for jumping; enjoy!!
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Fairly steep ascent (15%) over dusty/rocky terrain with plenty of slippage. The bear grass was in exceptional bloom at higher elevations but expended at lower ones. Cloud cover obscured the high peaks nearby that would have been exceptional in a clear day. No mosquitoes!
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Not as good as coffin mountain when you factor in the flowers but easier. Great views. Drive to it is fine, roads not too bad,
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The best place to clear your head and take in how gorgeous the Pacific Northwest is.
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Great wildflower trip. The Beargrass was in varying stages of bloom depending on the sun exposure. The Rhododendrons were blooming as well as Indian Paint Brush and Trillium. Well worth the drive and hike.
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