Twin Ponds Trail to Summit Lake

This is not an easy hike, but every step is more than worth it. Unlike Mount Thielsen to the north, this summit requires no scrambling/climbing; it's just a long, steep hike. Mount McLoughlin (named for John McLoughlin of Hudson's Bay Company and Oregon Trail fame) is a lava cone on top of a composite volcano, inactive for tens of thousands of years. Its slopes bear the marks of glaciation, and...

Starting at at elevation of 5250 feet, the trail climbs steadily from the trailhead for approximately 3.3 miles to pass at 6900 feet. From here you will come to a junction where going right will lead to Devils Peak and the PCT and going left (straight) will take down into the basin. If you started early I would choose heading down to Cliff Lake first and setting up camp at one of the beautiful ...

Mill Creek Falls is a lesser-known gem in Southern Oregon. At 173 ft it is one of the tallest in the area, and Barr Creek Falls, plunging 240 ft, is less than a quarter mile further down the trail. The viewpoints can be accessed year-round though flows often fluctuate and spring/winter may best for greater flows. If conditions are right, the falls will freeze/partially freeze offering great pho...

Pearsony falls, located in the Oregon State Park known as Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint, is about 15 feet tall and cascades picturesquely in two sections underneath a green canopy and between mossy rocks. The falls flow year round, though water levels vary with the season. A trip to Pearsony Falls can easily be combined with other destinations in the area, such as Mill and Barr Creek Falls, t...

The trailhead is located across Highway 62, on the opposite side of the highway from the Crater Lake National Park entrance at Mazama Village. Look for a road sign indicating parking for the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).Start on the PCT: Highway 140 to Highway 138 (near Cascade Crest), hiking several gentle miles with virtually no elevation gain. Eventually, a fork in the trail with a well-maintai...

Hobart Bluff is part of the Western Cascades, a range of weathered volcanic mountains that are much older than the High Cascades that most people think of today, the range of Shasta, Rainier, and Hood. These mountains are shorter as a result of the work of time and usually have summits wrapped in forest, but not Hobart Bluff. Here, the igneous rock outcrop stands above the manzanita, void of tr...