Diamond Peak via Rockpile Lake Trailhead

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Hike details:

Mileage: 11 miles round trip w/ 3,550 ft. elevation gain
Approximate hike time: 4 hours 46 minutes w/ an average pace of 2.3 mph
Difficulty: Very difficult
Trail usage: Medium on weekends, low on weekdays
Highest elevation: 8,744 ft. Lowest elevation: 5,205 ft.
General location: 38 miles southeast of Oakridge - Diamond Peak Wilderness - Willamette National Forest
Accessible: End of June to early November (depending on how comfortable you are in the snow)
(Best time to go is August, September, October for no snow, bugs and great weather).
Permits required: Free self issue wilderness permit June 15 - October 15
Pit toilet at trailhead: No
Trail allows: ​Dogs, horses (on the PCT only), camping
Possible dangers: steep drop offs near the summit and losing the climber trail 

Description:

The Rockpile Trail #3632 is a great day hike, a popular place to start backpacking trips into the Diamond Peak Wilderness, and also a more accessible place to start a diamond peak summit. The trailhead is very accessible, making this the perfect access point for this end of the wilderness (versus Summit Lake where you need a high clearance vehicle to get to). ​

(Summit Lake, Cowhorn Mountain and Mount Thielsen)

The trail immediately starts off with a climb, as you hike through a fairly dry and open forest (no undergrowth) of mountain hemlock, pacific silver fir, noble fir, western white pine trees. After 0.9 miles and 640 feet of elevation gain, you will come to a 4-way junction. Cross the Diamond Peak Trail #3699 and continue straight on the Rockpile Trail. You will continue climbing through the forest for another 0.6 miles until you crest over the shoulder of Diamond Rockpile. Once you are on the east side of this hill, you will start seeing spectacular views to the southeast of Summit Lake, Cowhorn Mountain and Mount Thielsen. Continue around the side of Diamond Rockpile and then the trail trends downhill for a bit and after 0.75 miles you will arrive at another trail junction.

(Marie Lake)

Here you will see a sign for Marie Lake and the Pacific Crest Trail. Before heading down to Rockpile Lake, take the trail to the left and go see Marie Lake. This beautiful long lake has plenty of camping opportunities nearby and is a great place to set up a base camp for a Diamond Peak sunrise summit the next day. From Marie Lake, go back to the junction and then follow the trail to the east (signs for Pacific Crest Trail) for just 0.1 miles, then take a small footpath to the right that goes downhill to Rockpile Lake. ​

(Rockpile Lake)

This lake lies in a small basin, which means it is usually wind protected and has some awesome spots for camping on the south side. Rockpile Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet and can be an excellent place to fish for cutthroat trout. This lake is also a great place to take a swim, and because it is in close proximity to the PCT, you might encounter some thru hikers here.

From Rockpile Lake you will hike another 0.5 miles on the Rockpile Trail until you get to the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. Here you will take a left and continue PCT northbound for 1.3 gentle uphill miles. ​As you get closer to the Diamond Peak climber trail junction, you will catch glimpses of the mountain through the trees.
​The spot where the climber trail meets the PCT is fairly obvious, even if there aren't rock cairns there yet. The trail comes out from the woods and turns a sharp corner coming to an open area with some rocks and a great view of Summit Lake, Cowhorn Mountain and Mount Thielsen. This is a great PCT camping spot, and one of the only spots ​where you will have phone service. From here you will see various rock cairns and a faint trail going up to the left. There is no official climber trail like there is on South Sister or Mount Bailey, but this is one of the most popular routes up Diamond Peak so it tends to be well marked with rock cairns, especially if you go later in the summer season. 

(view of Summit Lake, Cowhorn Mountain and Mount Thielsen from PCT campsite)

From the PCT junction the climber trail immediately starts going steeply uphill. It is exactly 1.06 miles to the false summit and you will gain a whopping 1,800 feet of elevation in just that one mile! It is very steep and the rocks are loose, so take it slow. Having trekking poles helps immensely! The first section of the climber trail is still through the trees so the ground isn't as loose as further up. You have some large rocks to hold onto if you need help with footing. Sometimes the route isn't really obvious, but just continue looking up and follow the rock cairns. Once you hit timberline, you will start seeing some spectacular views to the south of Summit Lake, Cowhorn Mountain and Mount Thielsen and northeast towards Crescent Lake. 

Shortly after hitting timberline you will come to a very obvious spot where the rocky/boulder section starts. This is the last push to the false summit. Here you won't see any rock cairns, but it's easy to see that you just go straight up. These rocks are loose so choose your footing wisely and just take it slow. Once you crest the boulder field you will be at Diamond Peak's false summit. ​From the false summit you will hike along Diamond Peak's spine another 0.4 miles to the top, gaining your last 545 feet of elevation. The spine can look sketchy and narrow from the false summit, but it is about 3-4 feet wide in most spots. If you have trekking poles, put them away at the false summit so that you can have both of your hands free for maneuvering around the rock spires, the only slightly sketchy part of this whole hike. If you are not wanting to maneuver the rock holds to get past the spires on the way to the summit you can stay at the false summit. You will still have great views from there towards the south as well as to the east and west.

(view of Crescent Lake)

(view of Diamond Peak summit from the false summit)

The summit is spectacular though and offers views of the rest of Diamond Peak's arms, and you can see Waldo Lake, Willamette Pass, Maiden Peak, the Three Sisters and Mount Bachelor in the distance to the north. To the south you will see Mount Thielsen and Summit Lake where you came from. The summit is fairly large and flat and during non-windy conditions (which is rare) you could even spend the night up there and witness a life changing sunset and sunrise. For the way down, be careful to not go the wrong way. It is very easy to continue going straight down after the rocky/boulder area, which will put you out at Marie Lake, the small lake near Rockpile Trail. Navigating the way down with the GPS track that you recorded when going up will be very helpful. 

(the view from the summit of Diamond Peak)

Diamond Peak is absolutely incredible and one of Oregon's most underrated summits! It is rated 'very difficult' only because there is route finding involved near the top as well as maneuvering around the spine's rock spires. The rest of the hike would definitely be rated easy to moderate. When thinking about the timing of your hike and making sure you have enough daylight hours, keep in mind that the last 1.5 miles of this hike (the actual climb) will take between 1.5-2 hours and it is pretty slow going on the way down too. Because the rocks are loose you have to watch your footing carefully. Once you get back down to the PCT it is easy cruising though. ​

Directions:

From Oakridge

• ​Drive on OR-58 E 1.3 miles then turn right at the sign for Hills Creek Dam onto Kitson Springs Rd. for 0.5 miles. Turn right onto Hills Creek Road for 0.3 miles, then turn left onto NF-21 for 28.9 miles. Just after passing Indigo Springs Campground, turn left onto Pioneer Gulch Rd./NF-2149 for 3.4 miles, then turn right onto NF-2160 for 0.4 miles. Turn right to stay on NF-2160 and continue for another 2 miles. The trailhead parking will be on the right side of the road, the trail is on the left. (Total of 38 miles)

From Bend

• Drive on US-97 S for a total of 46.9 miles, then turn right onto Crescent Cutoff Rd. for 12 miles. At the stop sign turn right onto OR-58 W for 35.6 miles, then turn left at a sign for Hills Creek Dam onto Kitson Springs Rd. for 0.5 miles. Turn right onto Hills Creek Road for 0.3 miles, then turn left onto NF-21 for 28.9 miles. Just after passing Indigo Springs Campground, turn left onto Pioneer Gulch Rd./NF-2149 for 3.4 miles, then turn right onto NF-2160 for 0.4 miles. Turn right to stay on NF-2160 and continue for another 2 miles. The trailhead parking will be on the right side of the road, the trail is on the left. (Total of 131 miles)

From Medford

• Take OR-62 E towards Crater Lake for 49.5 miles then take a slight left onto OR-230 N for 23.8 miles. Near Diamond Lake turn right onto OR-138 east for 17.7 miles until it T’s into highway 97. Turn left onto US-97 N for 17.8 miles then use the left lane to take the OR-58 W exit toward Eugene and stay on OR-58 for 48.7 miles. Turn left at a sign for Hills Creek Dam onto Kitson Springs Rd. for 0.5 miles. Turn right onto Hills Creek Road for 0.3 miles, then turn left onto NF-21 for 28.9 miles. Just after passing Indigo Springs Campground, turn left onto Pioneer Gulch Rd./NF-2149 for 3.4 miles, then turn right onto NF-2160 for 0.4 miles. Turn right to stay on NF-2160 and continue for another 2 miles. The trailhead parking will be on the right side of the road, the trail is on the left. (Total of 201 miles)

From Eugene

• Total of 81 miles via Oakridge.

From Salem

• Total of 142 miles via Oakridge.

From Portland

• Total of 186 miles via Oakridge.

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

​-This trail write-up was last updated July 2024-
*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. ​