Main Trail South
Photo: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 27.3 mi
- one way
- 1,658 ft
- climb
- 6,029 ft
- high point
- Point to point
- route
- May–Jun, Sep
- best months
Is MAIN TRAIL SOUTH open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Fremont-Winema National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Fremont-Winema National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Main Trail South is a long, hard hike in Oregon's Fremont-Winema National Forest, on the Bly Ranger District. The trail runs about 27 miles with a total elevation gain of 1,658 feet, making it a point-to-point route that starts at roughly 5,500 feet and climbs to about 6,030 feet before descending to around 5,250 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. At a nearby weather station in Bly, July and August typically average highs of 86°F and only two to three wet days a month, but that station sits well below the trail, so expect cooler temperatures on the higher ground. Winter there is cold, with typical January highs around 42°F and lows near 21°F. The route is estimated to take about 10 hours, and the Forest Service manages the surrounding land. The Quartz Nordic Trail, the Quartz Nordic North Loop and the Quartz Nordic East Loop all lie within a mile of the trail, and Lofton Reservoir offers camping about 4 miles away.
Best time to go · May–Jun, Sep
Best time to visit MAIN TRAIL SOUTH
Best months: May–June and 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.
Jan
42° / 21°
13 wet
Feb
46° / 23°
11 wet
Mar
51° / 26°
13 wet
Apr
57° / 29°
13 wet
May
66° / 37°
10 wet
Jun
76° / 41°
6 wet
Jul
86° / 49°
3 wet
Aug
86° / 45°
2 wet
Sep
78° / 38°
4 wet
Oct
64° / 30°
7 wet
Nov
48° / 25°
11 wet
Dec
41° / 20°
14 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bly 4 Se, OR, 14.4 mi away at 4,560 ft. The station sits about 1,500 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.
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