Oregon · Hiking

Hard Stone Trail

Hard Stone TrailPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
1.4 mi
round trip
471 ft
climb
590 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Mar–Jun, Sep–Oct
best months

Hard Stone Trail is a short, easy hike on Bureau of Land Management land in Oregon's John Day River unit. It's a one-way trip of about 2.9 miles, with a total elevation gain of 23 feet, making it a low-effort outing for a day on the trail network here. The trail is an out-and-back with a high point of 590 feet, and the steepest stretch comes at about 1.1 miles in, with a 5% grade. That small climb makes the route simple to fit into a longer walk or to pair with another nearby trail. For the most comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Arlington show May highs around 73°F and September highs around 80°F, while July and August climb to about 90°F. That station sits well below the trail, so temperatures on the route run a little cooler. Lost Corral Trail lies just 0.2 miles away, and Sage Steppe Trail and Pinnacles Trail are each within about a mile. Esau Loop is roughly 3.2 miles off for a longer outing.

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · Mar–Jun, Sep–Oct

    Best time to visit Hard Stone Trail

    Best months: March–June and September–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

      41° / 30°

      11 wet · 2 snow

    2. Feb

      47° / 31°

      8 wet · 1 snow

    3. Mar

      56° / 36°

      8 wet

    4. Apr

      64° / 42°

      7 wet

    5. May

      73° / 50°

      6 wet

    6. Jun

      80° / 57°

      4 wet

    7. Jul

      90° / 63°

      1 wet

    8. Aug

      89° / 62°

      2 wet

    9. Sep

      80° / 53°

      3 wet

    10. Oct

      65° / 42°

      6 wet

    11. Nov

      50° / 34°

      10 wet

    12. Dec

      41° / 30°

      11 wet · 2 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Arlington, OR, 21.2 mi away at 277 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Lost Corral TrailPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lost Corral Trail

Next door

4.39-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 1,769 ft elevation gain.

Esau LoopPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Esau Loop

~6 min drive

1.3-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 155 ft elevation gain

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Deschutes River Trail

~35 min drive

23.28-mile point-to-point trail along the Deschutes River in Oregon with 1,894 ft of elevation gain.

Pinnacles TrailPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Pinnacles Trail

~1 min drive

4.78-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,498 ft elevation gain

Blackberry TrailPhoto: mjfmjfmjf, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Blackberry Trail

~40 min drive

2.94-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 949 ft elevation gain

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Klickitat Trail

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Ferry Springs TrailPhoto: mjfmjfmjf, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Ferry Springs Trail

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3.4-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,599 ft elevation gain

Indian Canyon Loop TrailPhoto: Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Indian Canyon Loop Trail

~1h 5m drive

1.2-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 345 ft elevation gain

Rock Pile TrailPhoto: mjfmjfmjf, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Rock Pile Trail

~40 min drive

3.12-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 1,024 ft of elevation gain.

Rim TrailPhoto: inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Rim Trail

~1h 6m drive

0.84-mile out-and-back hike on Rim Trail in Oregon with 185 ft of elevation gain.

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors