Oregon · Hiking

Windy Lakes

8.7 mi
round trip
1,657 ft
climb
6,273 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Caution at last check

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 23 h ago

Is Windy Lakes open right now?

Closure in the area

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

Windy Lakes is a hard hike in the Crescent Ranger District of Oregon's Deschutes National Forest, about 8.7 miles long with roughly 1,422 feet of elevation gain on the one-way climb. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows both horses and bikes. The route is out and back, with a front-loaded climb that peaks around 6,273 feet. The steepest stretch comes at about 3 miles in, where the grade reaches 16 percent, and the trail returns to the starting point at roughly 4,934 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Odell Lake run to highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid 40s in July and August, while winter brings highs in the mid 30s and regular snow days. Windy Group Camp sits just 0.2 miles away, and Whitefish Horse Camp and Spring are each about half a mile off. For another outing, Meek Lake is about 2.8 miles away.

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Windy Lakes

    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, 6.9 mi away at 4,800 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

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

CRESCENT LAKE LOOP EAST

~7 min drive

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

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

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

Snell Lake

~8 min drive

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

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Diamond Peak Trail #3699

~11 min drive

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

Metolius-Windigo Trail

~11 min drive

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

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

Metolius-Windigo Trail

~8 min drive

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