Oregon · Hiking

Lowder Mountain

1.4 mi
round trip
606 ft
climb
4,941 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Lowder Mountain open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Willamette National Forest. It doesn't name Lowder Mountain, so check the source for the area it covers.

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

Lowder Mountain is an easy out-and-back hike in Oregon's Willamette National Forest, within the McKenzie River Ranger District. The route is about 1.4 miles long, and the climb from the trail's low point at 4,697 feet to its high point at 4,941 feet totals 606 feet of gain. That makes it a short, gentle outing for a day on the forest's trails. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Santiam Junction put July and August highs around 76°F with lows near 42°F, and temperatures on this mountain run cooler because the station sits roughly 1,200 feet lower. The hike takes about an hour. Quaking Aspen lies just 0.2 miles away, and Bear Flat and Walker Creek Trail #3330 are both within about a mile and a half. For an overnight stay, Hard Rock Campground is about 5.6 miles off.

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Lowder Mountain

    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, 26.7 mi away at 3,750 ft. The station sits about 1,200 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Yankee Mountain Trail #3318Photo: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Yankee Mountain Trail #3318

~10 min drive

2.48-mile out-and-back hike with 3,675 ft gain in Oregon

Walker CreekPhoto: Kane5187, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Walker Creek

~11 min drive

4.00-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 2,105 ft gain

Lowder Mountain Trail #3329Photo: Kane5187, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lowder Mountain Trail #3329

~11 min drive

19.84-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 6,757 ft elevation gain and loss.

Terwilliger Hot Springs TrailPhoto: Kane5187, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Terwilliger Hot Springs Trail

~12 min drive

0.45-mile out-and-back hike to Terwilliger Hot Springs in Oregon.

Castle RockPhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Castle Rock

~14 min drive

9.00-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,495 ft gain.

EchoPhoto: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Echo

~13 min drive

5.20-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,443 ft gain.

HIKE

Walker Creek Trail #3330

~3 min drive

13.2-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 6,255 ft elevation gain/loss

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Rainbow Falls

~10 min drive

0.80-mile out-and-back trail to Rainbow Falls in Oregon.

O Leary MountainPhoto: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

O Leary Mountain

~14 min drive

18-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 4,258 ft gain.

HIKE

Quaking Aspen

Next door

3.40-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 702 ft gain.