Oregon · Hiking

Royce Mountain Loop

Royce Mountain LoopPhoto: Northwest Rafting Company, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
5.4 mi
round trip
1,278 ft
climb
5,131 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is ROYCE MOUNTAIN LOOP open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Deschutes National Forest. It doesn't name ROYCE MOUNTAIN LOOP, 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.

Royce Mountain Loop is a hard hike in Oregon's Deschutes National Forest, within the Crescent Ranger District. The route is an out-and-back that starts at the high point of 5,131 feet and descends to a low of 4,529 feet, with a total climb of 1,278 feet over the round trip. The steepest stretch comes within the first 0.16 miles, with a grade of about 14 percent. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Odell Lake show July and August highs around 73 to 74°F, with only about three wet days a month. That station sits roughly 330 feet lower than the high point, so temperatures on the loop run a little cooler. The hike takes about four hours. Crescent Creek Campground is about 2.5 miles away, and the Metolius-Windigo Trail is about 3.1 miles off. Simax Group Camp and Crescent Lake Guard Station are both within about 4 miles.

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit ROYCE MOUNTAIN LOOP

    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.

    1. Jan

      35° / 20°

      14 wet · 10 snow

    2. Feb

      38° / 21°

      13 wet · 9 snow

    3. Mar

      42° / 24°

      14 wet · 8 snow

    4. Apr

      46° / 28°

      11 wet · 4 snow

    5. May

      55° / 34°

      9 wet · 1 snow

    6. Jun

      63° / 38°

      6 wet

    7. Jul

      73° / 44°

      3 wet

    8. Aug

      74° / 42°

      3 wet

    9. Sep

      68° / 36°

      5 wet

    10. Oct

      55° / 30°

      9 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      41° / 26°

      14 wet · 6 snow

    12. Dec

      34° / 20°

      15 wet · 10 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Odell Lake-East, OR, 5.2 mi away at 4,800 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Metolius-Windigo TrailPhoto: holisticmonkey, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Metolius-Windigo Trail

~6 min drive

3.34-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 563 ft of elevation gain

CRESCENT LAKE LOOP WESTPhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

CRESCENT LAKE LOOP WEST

~7 min drive

16.92-mile out-and-back out-and-back with 2,483 ft elevation gain and loss in Oregon.

MAKLAKS NORDIC LOOPPhoto: functoruser, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

MAKLAKS NORDIC LOOP

~8 min drive

8.94-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,762 ft elevation gain and loss.

Pct - Oregon Section EPhoto: Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Pct - Oregon Section E

~17 min drive

74.69-mile point-to-point trail in Oregon with 6,842 ft elevation gain.

CRESCENT LAKE LOOP EASTPhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

CRESCENT LAKE LOOP EAST

~6 min drive

1.16-mile out-and-back out-and-back around Crescent Lake in Oregon.

Metolius-Windigo TrailPhoto: Northwest Rafting Company, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Metolius-Windigo Trail

~7 min drive

10.4-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 2,994 ft elevation gain.

Yoran Lake TrailPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Yoran Lake Trail

~17 min drive

8.9-mile out-and-back hike to Yoran Lake in Oregon with 1,640 ft gain.

WHITEFISH CREEKPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

WHITEFISH CREEK

~18 min drive

21.64-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 2,508 ft elevation gain/loss

Metolius-Windigo TrailPhoto: holisticmonkey, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Metolius-Windigo Trail

~7 min drive

0.6-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 50 ft of elevation gain.

Pretty LakePhoto: Northwest Rafting Company, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Pretty Lake

~8 min drive

6.60-mile out-and-back trail to Pretty Lake in Oregon with 6,575 ft gain