Oregon · Hiking · Near Sisters

Dark Lake

Dark LakePhoto: Bonnie Moreland (free images), Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)
1.7 mi
round trip
561 ft
climb
3,981 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Dark Lake open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Deschutes National Forest. It doesn't name Dark Lake, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Deschutes National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Dark Lake is an easy, out-and-back hike on natural trail in the Sisters Ranger District of Oregon's Deschutes National Forest. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is about 1.7 miles long, with a total climb of 561 feet from a low point of 3,735 feet to a high of 3,981 feet. That makes for a gentle walk with a short, steep section near the start, where the grade reaches about 22 percent at around 0.27 miles. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Santiam Junction weather station, at a similar elevation, show July and August highs around 76°F with lows near 42°F. Winters there are cold, with January highs averaging about 38°F. The trail stays open from June 1 through October 31. Bikes and horses are both allowed, so the route works for riders and pack animals as well as hikers. Two Lakes is about half a mile away, and the Cache Mountain Loop and Suttle Lake Loop are each under a mile off. Scout Lake campground is about 0.9 miles away for anyone planning to camp nearby.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Scout Lake

    Campground

    Campground · 0.9 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    The Boathouse

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 2 mi
  • If it rains

    Kiwanis club

    Attraction

    In town

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Sisters

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Dark Lake

    Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      38° / 24°

    2. Feb

      41° / 24°

    3. Mar

      44° / 26°

    4. Apr

      49° / 29°

    5. May

      58° / 35°

    6. Jun

      65° / 38°

    7. Jul

      76° / 42°

    8. Aug

      76° / 42°

    9. Sep

      69° / 39°

    10. Oct

      56° / 33°

    11. Nov

      42° / 28°

    12. Dec

      36° / 23°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santiam Junction, OR, 9.3 mi away at 3,750 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

TRAIL 10 - CACHE MOUNTAIN LOOPPhoto: Bonnie Moreland (free images), Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

TRAIL 10 - CACHE MOUNTAIN LOOP

~1 min drive

3.98-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 738 ft elevation gain and loss.

TRAIL 14 - SUTTLE LAKE LOOPPhoto: Bonnie Moreland (free images), Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

TRAIL 14 - SUTTLE LAKE LOOP

~1 min drive

17.68-mile out-and-back trail with 2,208 ft elevation gain and loss in Oregon.

Suttle Lake LoopPhoto: mdornseif, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Suttle Lake Loop

~4 min drive

3.14-mile out-and-back trail at Suttle Lake in Oregon with 413 ft gain.

HIKE

Old Summit Trail #4014

~8 min drive

15.78-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 2,615 ft gain and 5,467 ft max elevation.

TRAIL #4 - LINK LAKE CUTOFFPhoto: eddiecoyote, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

TRAIL #4 - LINK LAKE CUTOFF

~4 min drive

1.56-mile out-and-back trail with 256 ft gain and loss, max elevation 4,515 ft.

Upper Butte LoopsPhoto: Art Anderson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Upper Butte Loops

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18.53-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,559 ft gain.

CIRCLE LAKE XCPhoto: eddiecoyote, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

CIRCLE LAKE XC

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5.7-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 590 ft elevation gain

TRAIL #1 - ISLAND LAKEPhoto: eddiecoyote, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

TRAIL #1 - ISLAND LAKE

~5 min drive

2.98-mile out-and-back hike to Island Lake in Oregon with 549 ft elevation gain

HIKE

Suttle Tie

~4 min drive

11-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 450 ft gain

HIKE

TRAIL 20 - CACHE MOUNTAIN

~4 min drive

2.7-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,032 ft gain/loss and 5,557 ft max elevation.