Oregon · Hiking · Near Sisters

Lower Butte Loops

Lower Butte LoopsPhoto: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
7.6 mi
round trip
1,837 ft
climb
3,585 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Jun, Aug–Sep
best months

Is Lower Butte Loops open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Deschutes National Forest. It doesn't name Lower Butte Loops, 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.

Lower Butte Loops is a 7.6-mile out-and-back hike in the Sisters Ranger District of Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, managed by the Forest Service. The trail rises from about 3,537 feet to a high point of 3,585 feet, with the steepest stretch at about 3.5 miles in, where the grade reaches 12 percent. The route is rated hard, and the climb totals 446 feet one way. The trail is open year-round, and the surface is natural. Bikes and horses are both allowed. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from the Sisters weather station, about 8 miles away, show May highs around 66°F and September highs around 76°F, while July averages climb to about 86°F. The Sisters Tie Trail starts just 0.1 mile away, and Black Butte and the Nature Trail are both within about a mile. Indian Ford Campground, about 2.5 miles off, is the closest place to camp.

Around this trail

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

    Indian Ford Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 2.5 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    The Lodge Restaurant

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 1 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–Jun, Aug–Sep

    Best time to visit Lower Butte Loops

    Best months: May–June and August–September. 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° / 21°

    2. Feb

      44° / 22°

    3. Mar

      51° / 25°

    4. Apr

      57° / 29°

    5. May

      66° / 34°

    6. Jun

      74° / 39°

    7. Jul

      86° / 43°

    8. Aug

      85° / 42°

    9. Sep

      76° / 36°

    10. Oct

      61° / 29°

    11. Nov

      47° / 25°

    12. Dec

      39° / 20°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Sisters, OR, 8.4 mi away at 3,180 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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