Little Belknap Crater is a lava-lands hike

I always have mixed emotions at this time of year. On the one hand, I don't want to see hiking in the high country come to an early end; but, on the other, it's easy to get excited about the possibility of an early ski season when the snow starts to fall.

Last week, we saw some accumulations of snow down to about 5,000 feet. This week's currently predicted sunny weather should see the snow line retreating back above 6,000 feet, which is fortuitous since that's the elevation range of this week's featured hike.

Nearly everyone who is familiar with Sisters Country has visited the Dee Wright Observatory, the lava rock "castle" at the summit of McKenzie Pass, just 15 miles west of Sisters. The observatory was completed in 1935 as a Depression-era project of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was named for the project's construction foreman who died before it was completed.

The structure, with its mountain-spotting windows, looks out across one of the area's signature lava flows and is an obligatory stop when we show off our region to visiting friends and relatives. However, relatively few visitors to McKenzie Pass take the time to venture much farther out into the lava flow.

The interesting 5.2-mile round-trip hike to the top of Little Belknap Crater is most easily accessed from a trailhead a bit more than a half-mile west of the pass summit. This trailhead, on the north side of the highway, is actually an access point for the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). This hike utilizes 2.4 miles of the PCT, which leads north toward Santiam Pass from this trailhead.

Except for most of the first three-quarters of a mile, this hike is over broken lava rock. The going is rough. You need to pay attention to foot placement, or you might risk bruising or twisting something. My hiking companion successfully used lightweight hiking shoes, but I would recommend footwear with fairly stiff soles. Even so, your feet may take a beating.

The lava in this area was purportedly laid down about 2,600 years ago and, by some accounts, is overdue for a new layer! The first part of the hike travels across two hillocks that were just high enough to remain above the molten rock as it flowed around them. As a result, two islands of vegetation were created within the barren landscape. This "island effect" is even more apparent when seen from the top of Little Belknap.

About halfway to our destination, we encountered a couple from North Carolina, who told us this was their first visit to "Arrr-uh-gone." I wondered how they happened to end up on this hike and they told me that someone at the Dee Wright parking lot had told them they should "check it out." They had been on their way to hike into Benson Lake, a few miles father west, when they elected to add this side trip to Little Belknap.

As we continued on, we passed a single young hemlock tree, trying its best to claim a foothold and colonize the inhospitable rocky environment. We had to admire its tenacity. At the 2.4-mile point of the hike, there is a clear, signed fork in the lava rock trail. Here, the trail to the summit of Little Belknap leaves the PCT, so take the right fork; and it is less than a quarter of a mile to the summit from this point. If you go left, you will run onto real dirt and trees again; and that means you have taken the wrong fork.

Most of the final trail segment is pretty easy; but there is a relatively short, but steep, scramble up some rock ledges to reach the top. For those with an aversion to heights, there are no precipitous high cliffs or slopes to deal with in reaching this summit of about 6,300 feet.

We were surprised to find a fort-style rock snow shelter, complete with wooden bench seating, built at the summit. It was a great place for a lunch break. Be sure to take the time to survey the surrounding country and, in particular, the treed "islands" in the lava that you hiked through on the way in.

Looking east, however, my companion remarked, "Everything that isn't lava is burned." The region's severe forest fires of recent years, in this case the 2006 George Fire and the 2007 G.W. Fire, have taken a heavy toll in this area.

On the way back down, we took the time to explore lava tubes along the trail. We walked all the way through one, a distance of less than a hundred feet. The tunnel under the lava rock is very dark, and there are obstructions; so a light source and extra care are recommended if you choose to explore as we did.

Compared to the surrounding irregular lava flows, the walls of the lava tubes appear smooth; but they are quite rough, in spite of their appearance, and have many sharp edges. We peered into another lava tube, which we were told was the most recent primary lava vent. This tube is vertical and has a deep, dangerous drop-off into the darkness, so keep children and pets away. Even on a warm day, very cold air flows from this unusual volcanic feature.

There are spectacular mountain views all along this stretch of trail, and I was particularly intrigued with the close-up approach to the east slopes of Belknap Crater (the big one). We climbed that one, too, but I'll save that story for another day.

McKenzie Pass is 15 miles west of Sisters on Highway 242, and the trailhead for this hike is about a half-mile beyond the summit. This area is part of the Mt. Washington Wilderness Area, so a free wilderness permit is required and can obtained at the trailhead.