Deception Butte
Photo: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)- 9.8 mi
- round trip
- 4,383 ft
- climb
- 3,577 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Oct
- best months
Is Deception Butte open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Willamette National Forest. It doesn't name Deception Butte, so check the source for the area it covers.
Cedar Creek Fire Closure
Agency closure covering Willamette National Forest · Order 06-18-10-26-04 · USFS · Willamette National Forest
FIRE CLOSURES: Current wildfire closures on the Willamette National Forest
Agency alert covering Willamette National Forest · USFS · Willamette National Forest
2026 Active Wildfire
Agency alert covering Middle Fork Ranger District · USFS · Middle Fork Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Willamette National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Deception Butte is a hard hike in the Middle Fork Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest in Oregon, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is about 10 miles long, and the one-way climb is roughly 2,900 feet, with the total round-trip gain reaching about 4,400 feet. The route is an out-and-back, and the steepest stretch comes at about 2.6 miles in, where the grade reaches 46 percent. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July and August highs around 79°F with only about four wet days a month, while winter brings highs in the upper 30s and regular snow days. Bikes are allowed on the trail, but horses are not. The surface is natural. Wren Loop starts just 0.2 miles away, and Alpine Trail and Lower Middle Fork are both within a mile. For an overnight stay, Black Canyon Campground and Picnic is about 3.6 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Casey's Riverside RV Resortunder a mile away
- Shelter Cove Resort & Marina28 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Oct
Best time to visit Deception Butte
Best months: June–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.
Jan
39° / 27°
17 wet · 10 snow
Feb
42° / 27°
15 wet · 9 snow
Mar
46° / 29°
17 wet · 9 snow
Apr
50° / 32°
17 wet · 5 snow
May
61° / 38°
14 wet · 1 snow
Jun
68° / 43°
9 wet
Jul
79° / 48°
4 wet
Aug
79° / 47°
4 wet
Sep
72° / 43°
6 wet
Oct
58° / 36°
12 wet · 1 snow
Nov
45° / 31°
16 wet · 6 snow
Dec
38° / 26°
18 wet · 11 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lemolo Lake 3 Nnw, OR, 31.8 mi away at 4,077 ft. The station sits about 500 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)Wren Loop
Next door
1.60-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 185 ft gain.
Photo: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)Lower Middle Fork
~1 min drive
3.32-mile out-and-back trail on the Middle Fork in Oregon.
Photo: Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)North Fork Segment #1
~3 min drive
9.75-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 2,010 ft gain
HIKE
Alpine Trail
Next door
16.29-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 4,853 ft of elevation gain.
Photo: johnynek, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Greenwaters
~7 min drive
1.32-mile loop in Oregon with 286 ft gain and 299 ft loss.
HIKE
Alpine Trail
~2 min drive
1.68-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 980 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Larison Rock Trail #3607
~8 min drive
6.26-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 4,074 ft gain and loss.
HIKE
Lawler Trail #3473
~8 min drive
13.58-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 4,887 ft elevation gain and loss.
Photo: (c) Ed Alverson, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Aubrey Mountain
~11 min drive
1.60-mile out-and-back trail to Aubrey Mountain in Oregon
HIKE
Cloverpatch Tie
~6 min drive
2.66-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,390 ft gain.
Route details
- Distance
- 9.8 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 4,383 ft
- Summit
- 3,581 ft
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- About 5 hours
Season
Season: Year-round.
Questions about this route
How long is the Deception Butte on Deception Butte?
About 9.8 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Deception Butte?
About 4,383 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Deception Butte?
It is rated hard.
How long does the Deception Butte take?
About 5 hours round trip.
When is the best time for the Deception Butte?
Year-round.
Conditions and forecast on Deception Butte
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
