Potato Butte
- 1.2 mi
- round trip
- 450 ft
- climb
- 5,295 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Oct
- best months
Is Potato Butte open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Clackamas River Ranger District. It doesn't name Potato Butte, so check the source for the area it covers.
Clackamas River RD Fires
Agency closure covering Clackamas River Ranger District · Order 06-06-05-26-20 · USFS · Clackamas River Ranger District
Emergency fire closure on FR 57
Agency alert covering Clackamas River Ranger District · USFS · Clackamas River Ranger District
Eagle Creek Fire Area Closures
Agency alert covering Mt. Hood National Forest · Order 06-22-01-26-04 · USFS · Mt. Hood National Forest
Roadside Danger Trees Health and Safety Closure
Agency alert covering Clackamas River Ranger District · Order 06-06-05-26-02 · USFS · Clackamas River Ranger District
FR 4613 road damage- use caution
Agency alert covering Mt. Hood National Forest · USFS · Mt. Hood National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Clackamas River Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Potato Butte is an easy, out-and-back hike in Oregon's Mt. Hood National Forest, on the Clackamas River Ranger District. The route is about 1.2 miles long, with a total elevation gain of 450 feet, and the high point is 5,295 feet. The trail is natural-surfaced, and the Forest Service manages the surrounding land. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical July and August highs reach about 76°F with lows near 42°F, based on averages from a nearby weather station. That station sits well below the trail, so temperatures up high run cooler. The hike takes about half a day. The Red Lake Trail #719 is 1.2 miles away, and Double Peaks and Top Lake are each about 1.4 miles off. For an overnight stay, Lower Lake (olallie) is 1.7 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Big Lake Youth Camp39 mi away
- Expedition Old Growth39 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · May–Oct
Best time to visit Potato Butte
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.
Jan
38° / 24°
Feb
41° / 24°
Mar
44° / 26°
Apr
49° / 29°
May
58° / 35°
Jun
65° / 38°
Jul
76° / 42°
Aug
76° / 42°
Sep
69° / 39°
Oct
56° / 33°
Nov
42° / 28°
Dec
36° / 23°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santiam Junction, OR, 27.1 mi away at 3,750 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
Photo: Infinite Dust, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Red Lake Trail #719
~2 min drive
5.32-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,512 ft elevation gain.
Photo: BHunsaker, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Double Peaks
~2 min drive
0.70-mile out-and-back trail at Double Peaks in Oregon with 338 ft of elevation gain.
Photo: BHunsaker, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Monon Lake
~5 min drive
4.20-mile loop trail at Monon Lake in Oregon with 382 ft gain.
Photo: Nwcamera1, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Climber's Trail
~14 min drive
Short out-and-back climb with steady elevation gain near Oregon.
Photo: BHunsaker, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Top Lake
~2 min drive
0.96-mile out-and-back trail to Top Lake in Oregon with 197 ft gain.
Photo: oregondave, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)South Breitenbush Gorge
~12 min drive
3.00-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 769 ft gain.
HIKE
Olallie Butte Trail
~5 min drive
6.98-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 3,482 ft gain and 7,175 ft max elevation.
Photo: Infinite Dust, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Timber Lake
~3 min drive
1.2-mile out-and-back trail at Timber Lake in Oregon with 52 ft of elevation gain.
Photo: oregondave, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Devil's Peak Trail
~13 min drive
2.92-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 1,996 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Crag
~10 min drive
5.96-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,877 ft elevation gain.
Route details
- Distance
- 1.2 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 450 ft
- Summit
- 5,295 ft
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- About 0.5 hours
Questions about this route
How long is the Potato Butte on Potato Butte?
About 1.2 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Potato Butte?
About 450 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Potato Butte?
It is rated easy.
How long does the Potato Butte take?
About 0.5 hours round trip.
Conditions and forecast on Potato Butte
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
