Oregon · Hiking · Near Sisters

Upper Butte Loops

Upper Butte LoopsPhoto: Art Anderson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
18.5 mi
round trip
2,172 ft
climb
4,151 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Upper Butte Loops open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Deschutes National Forest. It doesn't name Upper Butte Loops, 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.

Upper Butte Loops is a hard out-and-back hike in the Sisters Ranger District of Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, managed by the Forest Service. The route is 18.5 miles long, with a total elevation gain of 2,172 feet, and it starts at about 3,634 feet, rising to a high point of 4,151 feet. The steepest stretch comes early, around 0.6 miles in, with a grade of about 14 percent. The trail is on natural surface and is open to both horses and bikes. It is a year-round route, and the estimated time for the trip is about 7.5 hours. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Santiam Junction, which sits a few hundred feet lower, show July and August highs around 76°F with lows near 42°F. Winter is cold, with January highs around 38°F and lows near 24°F. Black Butte Trail #4026 lies about 0.7 miles away, and Camp Sherman "H" and the West Metolius River Trail are each within about 1.7 miles. Riverside Campground is about 2 miles off.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Riverside

    Campground

    Campground · 2.0 mi from the trail
  • If it rains

    Kiwanis club

    Attraction

    In town

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Sisters

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Upper Butte Loops

    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

      38° / 24°

    2. Feb

      41° / 24°

    3. Mar

      44° / 26°

    4. Apr

      49° / 29°

    5. May

      58° / 35°

    6. Jun

      65° / 38°

    7. Jul

      76° / 42°

    8. Aug

      76° / 42°

    9. Sep

      69° / 39°

    10. Oct

      56° / 33°

    11. Nov

      42° / 28°

    12. Dec

      36° / 23°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santiam Junction, OR, 14.3 mi away at 3,750 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Black Butte Trail #4026Photo: Art Anderson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Black Butte Trail #4026

~1 min drive

1.2-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 203 ft gain.

East Metolius River TrailPhoto: Art Anderson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

East Metolius River Trail

~3 min drive

19-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 723 ft gain.

Suttle Lake LoopPhoto: mdornseif, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Suttle Lake Loop

~6 min drive

3.14-mile out-and-back trail at Suttle Lake in Oregon with 413 ft gain.

HIKE

Upper Butte Link

~5 min drive

0.68-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 149 ft of elevation gain.

West Metolius River TrailPhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

West Metolius River Trail

~3 min drive

1.14-mile out-and-back trail on the West Metolius River in Oregon

Lower Butte LoopsPhoto: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lower Butte Loops

~4 min drive

7.60-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 1,070 ft gain.

HIKE

Camp Sherman "H"

~3 min drive

3.52-mile out-and-back trail with 158 ft gain and 262 ft loss.

Nature TrailPhoto: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Nature Trail

~6 min drive

1.04-mile out-and-back trail in Oregon with 6 ft elevation gain/loss

West Metolius River TrailPhoto: DBerry2006, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

West Metolius River Trail

~5 min drive

Scenic out-and-back following the pristine Metolius River through Cascade forest.

HIKE

Black Butte

~3 min drive

4.10-mile out-and-back trail to Black Butte in Oregon with 1,914 ft elevation gain.