Steins Pillar Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Steins Pillar Trailhead
- End point: Steins Pillar
- Hike type: Out and back
- Distance: 4.0 miles
- Elevation gain: 640 feet
- High point: 4,585 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: Mid-spring through mid-fall
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
Contents |
Hike Description
Steins Pillar is 350 feet tall and is named after Major Enoch Steen, who explored this area in the 1860s. His name was so often misspelled that the misspelling stuck, which is why it is now called Steins Pillar instead of Steens Pillar. (Ironically, the same Major Steen give his name to Steens Mountain; this time, the correct spelling stuck.) The pillar is formed of hardened layers of volcanic debris from the eruptions of the Wildcat Volcano 44 million years ago. Originally underground, the pillar was exposed when softer strata were eroded away over the eons.
The trail starts out flat, and then starts gradually climbing. You reach a viewpoint at a switchback where you can see the top of the Three Sisters. The trail levels off, and then starts climbing again. You'll pass through a landscape of red-barked ponderosa pines and the occasional jumble of car-size boulders. In spring and early summer, you'll see balsamroot, lupine, paintbrush, and other wildflowers blooming.
The trail levels off in a meadow at about the halfway point before it starts descending. You will reach a junction with a very short side trail to a viewpoint. Meander down the side trail to get partial view of your goal, Steins Pillar, towering above the forest.
Just before you reach the two mile mark, you will pass first one and then another rocky formation on your left. If you want to continue to the base of Steins Pillar, stay on the trail, which switchbacks down the hill on wooden stairs. The trail ends at the base of the pillar, where views are limited, but you can appreciate the sheer size of this stone formation. If you climb into the cave-like opening on the right side of the pillar, you can see north into the Mill Creek Wilderness. You can even make out another towering rock spire in the distance - the Twin Pillars - in the middle of that small wilderness.
For better views of the pillar, backtrack to the middle of the three rock formations (Steins Pillar being the third). With some careful scrambling, you can climb up and get great views of Steins Pillar and the Mill Creek Valley below.
After your hike, be sure to drive a little further north on Mill Creek Road where there is a roadside viewpoint of Steins Pillar and its two imposing companions.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- No fees
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Prineville Ranger District, Ochoco National Forest
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Steins Pillar Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Steins Pillar Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Day Hiking: Bend & Central Oregon by Brittany Manwill
- 100 Classic Hikes in Oregon by Douglas Lorain
- 100 Hikes: Eastern Oregon by William L. Sullivan
- Extraordinary Oregon! by Matt Reeder
- Bend, Overall by Scott Cook
- Best Easy Day Hikes: Bend & Central Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
- Best Hikes near Bend by Lizann Dunegan
- Hiking Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
- Oregon Hiking by Matt Wastradowski
- Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
- Pacific Northwest Hiking by Craig Hill & Matt Wastradowski
- Pacific Northwest Hiking by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill
- Hiking Oregon by Donna Lynn Ikenberry
- Canine Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
More Links
- Steins Pillar Trail (#837) (USFS)
- Steins Pillar (Roaming Log)
- Steins Pillar (Hike Oregon)
- Steins Pillar In Oregon Was Named One Of The Most Stunning Lesser-Known Places In The U.S. (Only in Your State)
- Steins Pillar Trail (Hiking Project)
- Steins Pillar Trail a Great Hike in the Ochocos (Bend Premier Real Estate)
- Steins Pillar (Portland Rock Climbs)
- Steins Pillar (Atlas Obscura)
- Steins Pillar (Summit Post)
- Wildflowers of the Steins Pillar Trail #837 (Flora Northwest)
Contributors
- justpeachy (creator)