Oregon · Hiking

Swamp Wells

7.0 mi
round trip
1,271 ft
climb
7,567 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Swamp Wells open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Deschutes National Forest. It doesn't name Swamp Wells, 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.

Swamp Wells is a hard hike of about 7 miles in the Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District of Oregon's Deschutes National Forest. The trail is an out-and-back with a front-loaded climb, reaching 7,567 feet from a low point of 6,422 feet. The steepest stretch comes early on, with a 17% grade at about 0.4 miles in. The trail is open year-round and takes about 3 hours to complete. It's a natural-surface route, and both horses and bikes are allowed, so it works for riders and pack animals as well as hikers. Nearby, Newberry Crater Trail #3958 is about 2.3 miles away. Cinder Hill campground sits about 3.8 miles off, and Lava Cast Forest and the Paulina Lakeshore Trail #3955 are both within about 4.4 miles.

Local outfitters

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

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Little Crater Trail #3953Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Little Crater Trail #3953

~8 min drive

1.34-mile out-and-back hike in Oregon with 332 ft of elevation gain

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

PAULINA LAKESHORE LOOP

~8 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: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Crater Rim Trail #3957

~9 min drive

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

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

Newberry Crater Trail

~9 min drive

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

Lava Butte RimPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lava Butte Rim

~20 min drive

0.34-mile loop trail at Lava Butte Rim in Oregon with 80 ft of elevation gain.

SilicaPhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Silica

~9 min drive

1.09-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 76 ft of elevation gain.

Little Crater LoopPhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Little Crater Loop

~9 min drive

3-mile loop trail in Oregon with 659 ft elevation gain.

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

Crater Rim Trail 3957

~10 min drive

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

Sun-LavaPhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Sun-Lava

~19 min drive

7.20-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 102 ft elevation gain.

ParallelPhoto: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Parallel

~9 min drive

2.00-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 132 ft gain.