The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Iron Mountain is another one of those hikes that often gets short shrift because you're more likely to speed by it than stop to hike it. Tucked away beside Tombstone Pass, this hike offers a genuine mountaintop experience, even though it's somewhat removed from the Cascade crest and requires no mountaineering skills.

There are four Iron Mountains listed in McArthur's book of Oregon Geographic Names, yet this isn't one of them. Further, this peak is higher than any of those that are listed! The mountain is one of the "Old Cascades," which were laid down many millions of years before the present Cascade peaks but provide the elevated foundation upon which the newer mountains stand today.

You've seen Iron Mountain on your way to Corvallis on Highway 20. It's the one with the rhinoceros-like horn protruding from near the summit. Until a few years ago, the summit sported a fire lookout; but today, the site is occupied only by a high-quality, fenced viewing platform.

The new safety enclosure is a good idea, owing to frequent high winds that toppled one lookout structure in the 1970s. A Forest Service member also fell from these rocks to his death in 1990. His life and service are commemorated on a stone monument at the summit.

There are two ways to climb Iron Mountain. One is by a 1.5-mile mad dash (round trip) from a gravel road on the west side of the mountain, or by a 6.6-mile loop along the slopes of Cone Peak that takes in some very fine westside scenery. The hiker can also choose to bypass the steep summit trail for a 4.2-mile moderately graded loop around the mountain.

We chose the longer route and added slightly to it by tacking on the Tombstone Prairie nature trail. The trail begins at the informational sign near the restroom of the Tombstone Pass parking lot. When the trail reaches the prairie, the hiker is offered a clear choice of taking the nature trail or heading directly to Cone

Peak.

The nature trail rejoins the Cone Peak Trail after a short detour. My big disappointment, however, was that - after decades of procrastinating to stop and see The Tombstone - it was gone! After the monument was featured in the late Jim Witty's outdoor column shortly before his death, the monument was broken and toppled by vandals.

Thankfully, the Forest Service was able to save the tombstone; and it is presently in their safekeeping, with plans to restore or duplicate the monument. The tombstone marked the site of the 1871 burial of 18-year-old James A. McKnight, who died of a gunshot wound near the mountain pass that would be named for his tombstone.

After the brief circuit of Tombstone Prairie, the trails combine and cross Highway 20. Make this highway crossing carefully; speeding motorists aren't expecting pedestrians in the forest. The trail begins its ascent of Cone Peak immediately.

This is a beautiful mixed forest, which - like nearby Echo Basin - even includes the relatively unusual Alaska yellow cedar. The yellow cedar specimens here, however, are not the large old-growth size like those on Echo Mountain.

Once out of the forest on the slopes of Cone Peak, the area opens up into a series of large meadows. In July and early August, spectacular wildflower displays occur here; and a few flowers remain. The trail skirts along the slopes of the peak to a saddle connecting it to Iron Mountain.

The trail traverses the saddle just below the ridge line, but the crest of the ridge is just a short scramble away. The ridge is a fine place for lunch or scenic viewing. A much more significant scramble is necessary to summit Cone Peak from the ridge, but the route is fairly direct.

Soon, the trail returns to the forest; and, adding to the challenge, some elevation is lost that must be climbed again as the route circles Iron Mountain. However, none of the trail segments is all that steep unless you choose to take the summit trail. And why wouldn't you?

The trek to the summit is part of a guided nature trail, and we brought along one of the self-guiding brochures from the trailhead. Traveling counterclockwise on the loop, as we did, we joined the numbered stations in the middle. The points of interest tend to be very general forest ecology; so, if you don't have a brochure, it's not a great loss. It is good to know, however, that the signposts tend to be roughly evenly spaced, and the summit is number 20.

The sense of achievement and the views from the summit platform are well worth the climb. After the descent, the signage back to the trailhead is pretty good; and the return route bears to the left. If a restroom break is needed, there is a restroom in the parking lot of the alternative (mad-dash) route, which is a detour of only about a tenth of a mile.

The highway crossing on the return route is a bit treacherous and also deceptive in that, once back to the highway, it's still more than a quarter of a mile back to the Tombstone Pass parking lot. Carefully cross the highway, descend the slope, and turn left on what happens to be the old Santiam Wagon Road, which parallels

Highway 20.

To reach Tombstone Pass, travel west from Sisters to the Santiam "Y" and turn left to stay on Highway 20. Travel another 3.5 miles and stay straight on Highway 20, ignoring the Eugene turnoff. From there it's another 7.9 miles to the pass. This is a fee use area.

To take the "mad-dash" Iron Mountain summit route, continue beyond Tombstone Pass about a mile and a half and turn right (north) on Road 035 near milepost 62. It's a little less than 3 miles on a rough road to the other trailhead.