Oregon · Hiking

Sand Canyon

2.1 mi
round trip
1,091 ft
climb
4,696 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Sep
best months

Caution at last check

Weather is marginal · OpenWeather · checked 20 h ago

Sand Canyon is a moderate out-and-back hike in central Oregon on Bureau of Land Management land within the Prineville Deschutes Field Office. It covers about 4 miles with a total elevation gain of about 1,090 feet, rising from roughly 3,670 feet to a high of about 4,696 feet. The climb is front-loaded, with the steepest stretch coming within the first mile at about 23% grade, so plan for a steady climb early on. The most comfortable time to go is summer, when typical averages from a nearby weather station at Sunriver run from highs around 72°F in June to about 84°F in July, with September still near 76°F. That station sits a few hundred feet lower than the hike's high point, so expect cooler temperatures up top. The Horse Ridge Trailhead is the trailhead, and the hike takes about two hours. Parkway, a mountain biking trail, starts just 0.1 mile away, and the Escape from Moscow hike is about half a mile off. The Dry River Trail and Badlands Rock Trail lie about 1.6 miles away.

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Sand Canyon

    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° / 20°

    2. Feb

      43° / 21°

    3. Mar

      50° / 24°

    4. Apr

      57° / 25°

    5. May

      65° / 33°

    6. Jun

      72° / 37°

    7. Jul

      84° / 41°

    8. Aug

      83° / 40°

    9. Sep

      76° / 34°

    10. Oct

      62° / 28°

    11. Nov

      46° / 24°

    12. Dec

      37° / 19°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Sunriver, OR, 18.7 mi away at 4,180 ft. The station sits about 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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Escape from MoscowPhoto: Sapphireblue, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Dry River TrailPhoto: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Tumulus TrailPhoto: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Sand Lily TrailPhoto: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Mazama Ash TrailPhoto: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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ParkwayPhoto: Sapphireblue, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors