Oregon · Hiking

Peter Skene Ogden

13.8 mi
round trip
1,741 ft
climb
5,865 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Sep
best months

Is Peter Skene Ogden open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Deschutes National Forest. It doesn't name Peter Skene Ogden, so check the source for the area it covers (3 listed).

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

Peter Skene Ogden is a hard out-and-back hike in Oregon's Deschutes National Forest, within the Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District. The trail is 13.8 miles long, with a total elevation gain of 1,741 feet, and it starts and ends at the P.S.O. Trailhead, which is open year-round. The route rises from about 4,295 feet to a high point of 5,865 feet, and the steepest stretch comes at about 4.6 miles in, where the grade reaches 13%. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows both horses and bikes. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Wickiup Dam weather station show July highs around 83°F with only about three wet days, while winter highs sit in the low 40s. That station sits roughly 1,500 feet below the trail's high point, so temperatures up top run cooler. Ogden Group Site and Prairie campgrounds are both within a third of a mile of the trailhead. Cougar Woods Loop 3 1/8 Mile is about 5.7 miles away, and Paulina Lake campground is about 7.4 miles off.

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Peter Skene Ogden

    Best months: May–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

      40° / 21°

      13 wet

    2. Feb

      43° / 22°

      11 wet

    3. Mar

      48° / 26°

      12 wet

    4. Apr

      54° / 30°

      10 wet

    5. May

      63° / 36°

      9 wet

    6. Jun

      71° / 42°

      6 wet

    7. Jul

      83° / 47°

      3 wet

    8. Aug

      82° / 46°

      3 wet

    9. Sep

      75° / 38°

      4 wet

    10. Oct

      62° / 31°

      8 wet

    11. Nov

      46° / 26°

      11 wet

    12. Dec

      38° / 21°

      13 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Wickiup Dam, OR, 13.8 mi away at 4,358 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.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Cougar Woods Loop 3 1/8 MilePhoto: runarut, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cougar Woods Loop 3 1/8 Mile

~10 min drive

4.02-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 274 ft elevation gain and loss.

Peter Skene Ogden Trail #3956Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Peter Skene Ogden Trail #3956

~12 min drive

2.35-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 81 ft gain and 796 ft loss.

Crater Rim Trail #3957Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Crater Rim Trail #3957

~12 min drive

22.3-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 2,814 ft gain/loss.

RoundaboutPhoto: Nicolás Boullosa from Fontainebleau, France, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Roundabout

~20 min drive

6.70-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 377 ft elevation gain.

Big Pine Loop 1 MilePhoto: runarut, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Big Pine Loop 1 Mile

~10 min drive

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PAULINA LAKESHORE LOOPPhoto: Nwcamera1, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

PAULINA LAKESHORE LOOP

~12 min drive

5.64-mile out-and-back out-and-back around Paulina Lake in Oregon with 2,178 ft elevation gain.

Crater Rim Trail 3957Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Crater Rim Trail 3957

~21 min drive

9.16-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,471 ft gain.

Newberry Crater TrailPhoto: Nwcamera1, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Newberry Crater Trail

~12 min drive

13.46-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,502 ft elevation gain.

Mc Gregor Loop 1 1Photo: runarut, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mc Gregor Loop 1 1

~11 min drive

Easy 1.44-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon.

Paulina Lakeshore Trail #3955Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Paulina Lakeshore Trail #3955

~15 min drive

4.08-mile out-and-back hike with 1,281 ft elevation gain and loss in Oregon.