Macduff Mountain
Hike Details:
Mileage: 10 miles out and back w/ 2,760 ft. elevation gain from the gate OR 4.2 miles w/ 1,200 ft. elevation gain from the top trailhead.
Approximate hike time: 5 hours w/ an average pace of 2 mph
Difficulty: Easy OR difficult (depending on where you start)
Trail usage: Low
General location: 55 miles east of Eugene - Willamette National Forest
Suggested seasons: Middle of spring, summer, fall
(Best time to go is May and June for some wildflowers, October and November for cooler weather).
Permits required: N/A
Pit toilet at trailhead: No
Trail allows: Dogs, mountain biking, camping
Approximate hike time: 5 hours w/ an average pace of 2 mph
Difficulty: Easy OR difficult (depending on where you start)
Trail usage: Low
General location: 55 miles east of Eugene - Willamette National Forest
Suggested seasons: Middle of spring, summer, fall
(Best time to go is May and June for some wildflowers, October and November for cooler weather).
Permits required: N/A
Pit toilet at trailhead: No
Trail allows: Dogs, mountain biking, camping
Description:
Macduff Mountain can be an easy hike or a difficult hike, depending on what you want to see and which trailhead you start at. There is a 4.2 mile round trip option as well as a 10 mile round trip option. Both will take you to the amazing Macduff Mountain summit viewpoint, but on the 10 mile hike you will also have the privilege of seeing some incredible rock formations as well as some views across Cougar Reservoir. This trail is very underrated and you will likely not see any other hikers here, especially if you do the longer hike. This trail is popular with mountain bikers and therefore it does get cleared and maintained very well most years.
If you are doing the 10 mile hike, you can either start the hike at a Y junction which is the official trailhead for O'Leary Mountain and then it breaks off for Castle Rock and Echo Trail. You can also cut off a little bit of unnecessary mileage by continuing driving just a bit further up road 600 to the right and park at a seasonal gate. You will see the trail heading uphill on the right side of the road. This is where we parked when we hiked this trail twice. You will hike on the O'Leary Mountain Trail #3321 and the switchbacks will start right away. From the gate, the first 1.3 miles have a total of 13 pretty tight switchbacks, gaining 840 feet of elevation.
At 1.4 miles you will start seeing large pinnacle rock formations through the trees that look like moss covered castle ruins. These formations are really cool and unexpected in these steep open woods. The way the morning light comes through the trees and hits the moss on the rocks is spectacular!
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Once you pass the rock formations, the trail mellows out for the next 1.4 miles. There are no switchbacks as you follow a gradual ridgeline. You will see some views of the adjacent aptly named Sawtooth Ridge to the south. At 2.87 miles you will cross gravel road 600. This is where you can park and start if you want to do the shorter 4.2 mile out and back section of the hike. Cross the road and continue the trail as it starts getting steep again.
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From here until the summit you will have another 10 switchbacks as you now climb up the northern side of the hill. On this side, the trail is a lot wetter and more green and this is the only section where the trail is extremely narrow and a little bit rocky.
At 4.85 miles (or at 2 miles if you're doing the shorter hike), you will come to an open side hill where you will see the hill on your left that has rocks and some colorful succulents on it. The top of this is Macduff Mountain summit. You can choose to climb up the steep rocks, or you can keep going on the trail until you get into the forest again and from there you can go up a much less steep hill and double back on the ridge to the summit of Macduff (see map or YouTube video for a better visual). |
The summit of Macduff Mountain is at 5,040 ft. and offers an absolutely spectacular view. Middle and North Sister are the closest mountains to Macduff to the east, and South Sister is not very visible hidden behind trees. From North Sister you can see all of the mountains in the Cascade chain heading north, Black Crater, Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack and Mt. Jefferson. You will likely also notice a lot of new burn areas. This all happened in the summer of 2017, the Avenue and Roney complex being the burn patches closest to Macduff, and the Separation and Nash complex at the base of the Three Sisters. The O'Leary Mountain trail does continue from this point on to McLennon Mountain, O'Leary Mountain and it also connects with Horsepasture Mountain and the Olallie Mountain Trail.
North and Middle Sister
Mt. Jefferson
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3 Fingered Jack
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Mt. Washington
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Black Crater
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Overall, this is an amazing trail that is not talked about much and it is a very underrated gem. Whether you want to go on the shorter hike and catch the views on a sunny afternoon, or you want to get a good workout in and also see a beautiful forest and the rock formations, you can opt to do the longer hike, there is definitely something here for everyone. The trail is well maintained but it can be narrow and it is rocky only in that one section on the northern side of the hill.
Directions:
From Eugene
- Drive OR-126 east towards Blue River for 45.7 miles. Shortly after the town of Blue River, turn right onto Cougar Dam Rd/NF-19 for 0.5 miles then continue straight onto NF-410 for 2.1 miles to the bottom of Cougar Reservoir. Here turn left onto NF-411 and continue approximately 3 miles up to a Y junction where you will see a large road side parking area and the sign for O'Learly/Castle Rock trailhead. To skip a little bit of the mileage, you can continue up the NF-600 just a little further to the gate. To go to the upper trailhead, continue on gravel road NF-600 approximately 3 miles up until you see a trail post marker on your right. (Total of 55-ish miles)
- Drive on US-97 north and take exit 135A to merge onto US-20 west towards Sisters for 20 miles. In the town of Sisters at the roundabout take the 2nd exit and stay on US-20 west for another 25.1 miles. Keep left to stay on US-20 W for 3.3 miles, then turn onto OR-126 E for 29.3 miles. Turn left onto Cougar Dam Rd/NF-19 for 0.5 miles then continue straight onto NF-410 for 2.1 miles to the bottom of Cougar Reservoir. Here turn left onto NF-411 and continue approximately 3 miles up to a Y junction where you will see a large road side parking area and the sign for O'Learly/Castle Rock trailhead. To skip a little bit of the mileage, you can continue up the NF-600 just a little further to the gate. To go to the upper trailhead, continue on gravel road NF-600 approximately 3 miles up until you see a trail post marker on your right. (Total of 84-ish)
- It is a total of 112-ish miles via Eugene.
- It is a total of 154-ish miles via Eugene.
- It is a total of 214-ish miles via Eugene.
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To get a more in-depth and personal view of this hike, watch the YouTube video.
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*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.
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