Hiking the Tam McArthur Rim Trail
The Three Sisters
Three Creek Lake
Broken Top
Three Creek Lake from above
Mount Washington
Mount Bachelor
5.1 miles out-and-back
1,275 feet elevation gain
Views of The Tree Sisters, Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, Three Creek Lake, Little Three Creek Lake, & on a clear day Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack and Mount Jefferson
Dog friendly: yes, on leash
Seasons: all seasons, bring snowshoes and/or microspikes in the winter
Bend is one of those areas in Oregon that you immediately learn about and know you just have to go. Two friends and I set out early one Saturday morning to spend a day in the mountains surrounding Bend. As we left Portland, the skies were cloudy but as we drove further east towards the desert, the clouds all disappeared. Our first hike for the day was the Tam McArthur Rim trail; a trail that takes you along a rim, as the name promises, and offers rewarding views of the surrounding mountain peaks. The hike is certainly an uphill climb and I wouldn’t classify this hike as “easy,” but I also wouldn’t say it was hard. Somewhere in between. Once you get to the top you’ll know because there will be a wooden trail at the outlook that declares “End of Trail.”