Iron Mountain is a Yearly Favorite for Wildflowers

We try to hike the Cone Mountain Loop including Iron Mountain on a yearly basis, timing our hike to summer when the wildflowers are blooming. Located in the Willamette National Forest 20 miles east of Sweet Home on Hwy 20, this hike can be done multiple ways, but we opt for the longest route, parking at the Tombstone Summit parking lot (be sure to bring your National Forest Pass) and walking through the nearby nature trail and across the highway to the Cone Peak Trail. This trail switchbacks up the hillside in beautiful forest over several miles before it opens at the meadow at the base of Cone Peak which is filled with wildflowers (experts say there are over 300 varieties of blooming plants in the area). Continuing along the trail, hikers eventually leave the meadow and hike down the shoulder of the hill to the shoulder of Iron Mountain, where the trail continues up to the junction of the spur to take hikers to the top of Iron Mountain. This trail is somewhat steep with over 650 feet of elevation gain in less than a mile, but the views are fabulous and the wildflowers on the mountain stunning. At the top of the mountain is a nice, railed deck complete with mountain markers and benches for people to rest and enjoy a snack or lunch before returning down to rejoin the Cone Peak Trail to complete the loop back down across the highway and back to the Tombstone Parking lot via the Old Santiam Wagon Road. All in all, the hike is between 6.5 and 7 miles with just under 1900 feet elevation gain.