Deception Creek

​

Get the printable version of this hike

Hike details:

Mileage: 3.5 miles round trip w/ 395 ft. elevation gain (to creek crossing and lower viewpoint)
9.2 miles round trip w/ 2,650 ft. elevation gain (to Deception Butte summit)
Approximate hike time: 1 hour 31 minutes w/ an average pace of 2.3 mph (to creek crossing and lower viewpoint)
3 hours 54 minutes w/ an average pace of 2.3 mph (to Deception Butte summit)
Difficulty: Easy to difficult
Trail usage: Low 
Highest elevation: 3,540 ft. (Deception Butte summit) 1,253 ft. (lower viewpoint) Lowest elevation: 1,020 ft.
General location: 4.8 miles west of Oakridge - Willamette National Forest
Accessible: trailhead is accessible year-round, the summit is accessible mid-April to mid-December
(Best time to go is October through mid-December and late April through early May for wildflowers)
Permits required: N/A
Pit toilet at trailhead: No
Trail allows: Dogs
Possible dangers: N/A

Description:

The Deception Butte Trail #3466 was devastated during the 2014 Deception Butte Fire, but a portion of the trail remained and after a lot of trail maintenance, it is still hikeable. You can now only hike up to the first viewpoint 1.75 miles in. This makes for a perfect short and easy hike available for all skill levels.

(dogwood flowers)

(bleeding heart)

(trillium)

(western columbine)

The trail starts off next to the Middle Fork Ranger Station and there is plenty of parking along the gravel road. You do not need an Annual Forest Service Pass to hike this trail. During the spring (April and early May) you will see oxalis covering the forest floor as well as white and pink trillium flowers peering through the massive ferns, white dogwood blooms, columbine and lots of bleeding heart flowers, as the trail takes you through the forest. ​

(Deception Creek)

(swordfern)

(maidenhair fern)

(example of wildfire and wind/snow storm damage)

Once the trail drops you down along Deception Creek, the forest opens up and you will see more deciduous trees here which makes for a spectacular show in the fall time (early October). Deception Creek is to your right, and if you look up the hillside to your left, you will start seeing fire damage. You can see how the fire came clear down to the creek. After 1.5 miles of hiking through the forest you come up on another small creek that flows into Deception Creek. Here there is a newly constructed bridge (it used to be a 50 foot log bridge). At this point you can continue on just a few hundred more feet up to a little viewpoint before the trail completely dead ends into where the burn swept downhill and no one has been able to recover the trail.

(Deception Creek from the bridge)

If you want to see a very cool but mangled car from the 50's, head up stream along Deception Creek right before crossing the bridge. Just a few hundred yards upstream, you will see the car. No one knows any history behind this car or how it ended up right there. It is speculated that it had driven off of the road above the creek and had been lodged in the woods somewhere out of sight until the fire possibly moved it and it tumbled down the hill to now reside next to Deception Creek.

(old car rubble near the creek)

If you choose to cross the bridge and head up to the viewpoint, please be careful as the tread on the trail here is a bit loose. From the small viewpoint, you can see that you are in between two ridges, and you can see all of the damage from the Deception Butte Fire to the west. The trail up to Deception Butte has been getting worked on by volunteers and the Forest Service and they recently reopened the entire trail to the top at the end of summer 2022.

As you make your way up some steep switchbacks, you can definitely see the fire damage, even though it was back in 2014. There are parts of the trail tread that are a bit loose and rocky, so please be careful. The summit offers incredible views of Oakridge and Diamond Peak, Mount Yoran and Bunchgrass Ridge. 

The Deception Butte Trail is a wonderful hike for all skill levels. In the springtime this hike features beautiful lush greenery along with lots of wildflowers. In the fall you will see amazing fall foliage along the river and mushrooms that grow in abundance after wildfires. This trail has something to offer during most of the year and it is the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of Oregon!

Directions:

​From Eugene 

• Drive I-5 south and take exit 188 towards Oakridge. Follow OR-58 E for 30 miles. 2 miles after the highway bridges Deception Creek (3 miles before Oakridge), turn right onto Deception Creek Rd. You will see the trailhead on your right, shortly after turning onto the road. (Total of 38.9 miles)
  

From Bend 

• Drive US-97 S 46.9 miles down to Crescent then turn right onto Crescent Cutoff Rd. 61 for 12 miles until you come to OR-58. Turn right onto OR-58 W for 41.4 miles. Right after you see the Middle Fork Ranger Station, turn left onto Deception Creek Rd. and you will see the trailhead on your right. (Total of 101 miles)  
  

From Salem 

• Total of 100 miles via Eugene.
  

From Portland 

• Total of 144 miles via Eugene.
  

*All pictures are taken by Franziska Weinheimer

*Disclaimer: The trail descriptions, mileage, GPS tracks and difficulty ratings depicted on this website are never 100% accurate. Always hike at your own risk, using your own knowledge, equipment and common sense. 
Franziska Weinheimer/Hike Oregon are not responsible if you or anyone in your party gets injured or lost while attempting one of these or any other hikes. 

​To get a more in-depth and personal view of this hike, watch the YouTube video.​

HIKED HERE RECENTLY? PLEASE LEAVE A TRIP REPORT BELOW: