Distance: 4 mi.
Elevation Gain: 1600 ft.
We were intending to do some fun climbing at Smith Rock on this day but we woke up at the campground in a puddle. We packed up quickly and fled to a nearby coffee shop to decide what else to do with our time. The forecast for the Bend area was pretty crap for the foreseeable future but the forecast on the coast was looking pretty nice. We booked an airbnb out near Bandon, OR and then decided we should at least do a hike on the way. Black Butte seemed just easy enough to enjoy in this kind of weather
We reached the trailhead at 9:45 AM. It was a bit rainy, which made the mossy forest feel pretty magical. Not too many people were inspired to hike in this weather, so we had the trail to ourselves for the most part.
We crossed the snowline at a very distinct point, where the ground suddenly shifted from damp to dusted with snow. As we continued climbing, it got really windy and chilly. Despite the fact that we reached the summit before noon and were freezing our buns off, we just had to have a cold Black Butte Porter on top of Black Butte.
It was totally worth it for the photo opportunity at the top of the mountain. There was a lookout tower on the summit but it was closed up. Definitely a fun, short hike for a snowy day in Oregon.
After our hike we finished the drive out to the coast where we were rewarded with some nice sunset views and some delicious seafood for dinner in Bandon. We made the most of a rainy day in Oregon!
(Download the free Gaia GPS app on your phone to view tracks and then get a Gaia GPS membership if you want offline access. Discount below!)
Recommended brew: Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter, of course!
Gear Used:
- GPS
- Trail runners
- Trekking poles
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