TrailsNW
Oregon Cascades

Scott Mountain

Length: 3.4 miles
Low Point: 4842'
High Point: 6116'
Season: Summer/Fall
Scenery: 5/5

Difficulty: 4/5

Submitted by: Forrest

Directions

From Eugene, drive Highway 126 past McKenzie Bridge, turning right on Highway 242 (McKenzie Pass Highway). Follow this road as it winds up the Cascade Range until reaching a turnoff for Scott Lake and Scott Lake Campground. Follow this road for a mile to the trailhead.

Trail Description

The trail starts at the northeast corner of the trailhead (actually an old rock quarry), but you may be inclined to walk the short distance across the road to Scott Lake for a small taste of the view that awaits from the top of Scott Mountain. From the trailhead, the path climbs several hundred feet to reach Benson Lake at 1.25 miles. The area south of Scott Mountain is filled with many small lakes so even though the trail is only seven miles round trip, one can easily spend all day exploring.

Past Benson Lake (el. 5189), the trail continues its pleasant walk through the forest, quickly reaching Tenas Lakes and a cutoff for The Knobs. Continue straight, eventually working your way to the north side of Scott Mountain. Here, the trail steepens quite a bit as it works its way up to the peak. Views steadily improve on the ascent, until reaching the top, and an unobstructed view in all directions.

Comments

I just finished this hike and had a great time although I was caught up in a pretty bad storm forcing me to stay at Benson Lake (my original idea was Scott mountain.) It felt very short, easy and I noticed how well marked landmarks were according to the map, and how the environments changed from lakes to deep woods to charred woods, lava fields and my favorite lake- Hand Lake.
2004-09-03 22:02:54

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