Oregon · Hiking

Pinnacles Trail

Pinnacles TrailPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
4.8 mi
round trip
1,627 ft
climb
572 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Mar–Jun, Sep–Oct
best months

Pinnacles Trail is a 9.6-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon, about 7.6 miles from the town of McDonald. The route rises from a low point of 506 feet to a high of 572 feet, a climb of 67 feet one way, and is rated moderate. The most comfortable months for a visit are typically May and September, when typical averages from a nearby weather station in Arlington run to highs around 73°F and 80°F, with only a few wet days. July and August are hotter, with typical highs near 90°F, and winter brings highs around 41°F and a few snowy days. The trail sits close to several other routes. Sage Steppe Trail starts just 0.1 mile away, and Lost Corral Trail and Hard Stone Trail are both within a mile. Esau Loop is about 2.7 miles off.

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 Pinnacles 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, 20.4 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

~1 min drive

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

Hard Stone TrailPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hard Stone Trail

~1 min drive

1.44-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 452 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Deschutes River Trail

~37 min drive

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

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

Ferry Springs Trail

~40 min drive

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

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

Esau Loop

~5 min drive

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

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Klickitat Trail

~1h 7m drive

10.52-mile out-and-back hike in Washington with 2,931 ft gain/loss

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

Rock Pile Trail

~41 min drive

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

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

Lower Bench Trail

~1h 7m drive

2.22-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,009 ft gain/loss.

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

Indian Canyon Loop Trail

~1h 6m drive

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

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors