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Castle Rock Hike

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

View of the Three Sisters from Castle Rock (Cheryl Hill)
View from Castle Rock (Cheryl Hill)
The short trail up to Castle Rock (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo
  • Start point: Castle Rock TrailheadRoad.JPG
  • End point: Castle Rock
  • Hike type: Out and back
  • Distance: 2.5 miles
  • Elevation gain: 630 feet
  • High point: 3,808 feet
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Seasons: April - December
  • Family Friendly: Yes
  • Backpackable: No
  • Crowded: No

Contents

Hike Description

The Castle Rock Trail #3506 is split into two portions. The longer hike/ride, popular with mountain bikers, runs along the foot of Macduff Mountain above Cougar Creek. Another longer approach to Castle Rock is from the north via the King Castle Trail. The short steep segment described here takes you up to the old lookout site atop Castle Rock. This is a good wildflower hike in late spring/early summer.

From the trailhead, follow the trail into the trees. The trail forks almost immediately; take the right fork heading uphill. The trail switchbacks up the mountain, passing through a grassy meadow. After 1.25 miles you reach the summit.

The flat rocky summit was once home to a fire lookout, now gone. The trees and vegetation have grown up, so you have to move around to different parts of the summit to get views in various directions. You can see the broad valley of the McKenzie River, Mount Washington, and the Three Sisters.


Maps

  • Maps: Hike Finder
  • Green Trails Maps: McKenzie Bridge, OR #620
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: McKenzie River Ranger District
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Willamette National Forest
  • Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series: Willamette Cascades
  • National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Jefferson - Mount Washington
  • Adventure Maps: McKenzie River, Oregon, Trail Map

Fees, Regulations, etc.

  • Share trail with mountain bikes

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

  • 52 Hikes for 52 Weeks by Franziska Weinheimer (Hike Oregon)
  • Oregon's Best Wildflower Hikes: Northwest Region by George Wuerthner
  • 100 Hikes: Central Oregon Cascades by William L. Sullivan
  • Hiking Oregon's Central Cascades by Bruce Grubbs
  • Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
  • Oregons' Southern Cascades: Camping & Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Sean Patrick Hill
  • Pacific Northwest Hiking by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill
  • A Handful of Trails: Willamette National Forest by the U.S. Forest Service

Links


Contributors

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Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

Hiking is a potentially risky activity, and the entire risk for users of this field guide is assumed by the user, and in no event shall Trailkeepers of Oregon be liable for any injury or damages suffered as a result of relying on content in this field guide. All content posted on the field guide becomes the property of Trailkeepers of Oregon, and may not be used without permission.