Very Few People But Amazing Views Over Every Hill

We hiked the Obsidian Trail for the first time last year and really enjoyed the beauty of this trail which starts in the Willamette National Forest and traverses through the Three Sisters Wilderness. The photos do not replicate the interesting experience of sunlight reflecting off the sharp obsidian pebbles and larger stones seen in portions of the hike.

Our hike on August 7, 2021 started with smoke filled air blowing in from the Willamette Valley and Washington State. During the course of the hike we had varying degrees of smoke impacting our views and breathing, but the air quality got progressively better as the day wore on. We repeated the hike from last year, but once we reached the Glacial Way trail which loops back to the Obsidian Trail close to White Branch Creek, we elected to continue on north on the Pacific Crest Trail to Collier Cone from which, we had read, wonderful views of Collier Glacier on North Sister would be visible. But once we reached the cut off for the glacier, we elected instead to continue on to Scott Trail traveling north on PCT.  This stretch of the PCT traverses through fascinating volcanic areas to the west and north of Middle and North Sister and then eventually drops into a lovely meadow in which Scott Trail intersects.  Scott Trail has a branch off to Four in One Cone which we didn't take (but hope to sometime soon) and eventually brings hikers back to Hwy 242 (trail maps show a direct path from Scott Trail to the Obsidian Trailhead, but it was closed for restoration). We hiked on the shoulder of the highway 1/2 mile back to the parking lot by the Obsidian Trailhead.  All in all, we estimate we did in excess of 17 miles and roughly 3400 feet of elevation gain, but it was through such an amazing area of Central Oregon that we had never experienced. The few people we met along the way, mostly on the PCT, were backpackers and once we started on Scott Trail, we saw no one else. People looking for a shorter trip can do the Obsidian Trail loop we did last year (under 12 miles) or travel Scott Trail to Four in One Cone (just under 9 miles round trip). 

We hope to come back soon to this beautiful section of the Three Sisters and Mt. Washington Wildernesses to experience additional hikes. There is still much to explore.