Olallie Butte is a 6.7 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Warm Springs, Oregon that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
FIRE CLOSURE: From Sep 25, 2020 - May 15, 2021 there are closures in this park or area due to wildfire. For more information, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mthood/alerts-notices/?aid=62187 Olallie Butte is the third highest peak in northwest Oregon. It stands between Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson and is surrounded by numerous lakes. It gets overshadowed by the surrounding peaks but still is a predominant point in the area. In fact, it is the most prominent peak in Marion County.
I would suggest calling the Estacada Ranger District at 503-630-6861 as they give more reliable information. Technically, the summit lies within the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and their Natural Resource Department is 541-553-2000.
From Portland, take Interstate 205 to exit 12 near Oregon City. Follow signs east 18 miles to Estacada. Go through town and keep going about 26 miles on Highway 224 to the bridge at Ripplebrook. Go straight on paved road 46 for 21.8 miles to a large junction where there is a sign for Olallie Lake. Turn left here onto Road 4690. Go 8.1 miles to a stop sign and turn right onto gravel road 4220. Go 2.7 miles and park under the third set of powerlines. The trail starts on the left side of the road and is unmarked.
November 29, 2020Great trail! Easy enough.
August 20, 2020August 15, 2020August 9, 2020August 9, 2020August 3, 2020Don't add 6 miles to your trip before the summit and turn down the PCT unless you want to see the beautiful lake. Rock but views make you forget all of that.
August 1, 2020This was a great hike, steep enough to really get your heart pumping from the start. We started the hike around 11:20am on a partially cloudy day. We got lucky with the little cloud cover to keep us from getting too hot. Once we got to the top we took our time to sit take it all in and explore a bit. Not many bugs at all. Views were wonderful even with a little cloud overage. The trip down was harder for me as expected with bad knees. The loose rocks are easy to slip on so watch your step might be worth bringing walking polls with you. We finished our hike around 4:20pm. Keep in mind that we really did tKe our time up too so it shouldn’t take you that long to go up in down if you need to make a quicker trip. I would suggest getting a start a little earlier in hot weather.
July 25, 2020Beautiful view at the top, well worth the hike. Mostly shady in the early morning but sunny by mid day. The trail is narrow, unmarked, and cuts to the right off the wider unmarked road, don't miss it!
July 21, 2020The views of several mountains in different directions was so magical. I highly recommend this hike! Some things we think might help. In the beginning of the hike it is not shaded. towards the middle it is. Be sure to pack a hat / sun protective gear. Also, we wore light tennis shoes for this one and the ground is a bit unstable. In a lot of areas it was a normal hiking trail - other most areas it is walking on rocks of all sizes. Going up was no problem. Going down you have to keep your eyes on the ground calculating every step. So so worth it though!!! Felt more like 7ish miles to me.
July 21, 2020This was a wonderful hike. We started at about 10:45am and got back to the just after 4pm. We took a break at the summit of Olallie Butte for lunch and to take in the 360 degrees of breathtaking views. We saw Helens, Adams, Hood, Rainier, 3 Sisters, Black Butte and Jefferson, who was the show stopper of the day! Absolutely stunning. The terrain is beautifully varied as you climb. I personally loved the contrast of bright flowers against lava rock. For challenges, this hike was a good workout. I am not in the best shape and this was my sisters first big hike of the year and we did just fine. I burned through 2.5L of water just as we began the hike back down. Skeeters weren't out in full force but we came away with some bites for sure. Some shade but not great, coming from a fair skinned duo we considered the exposure to be moderate. Going back down the butte was harder than going up due to all of the loose rocks so watch your step and take it slow. Road to trail head is rough for the last 6ish miles but my Scion Tc made it, we were just very slow going through the many huge and deep pot holes. Go slow on gravel roads to help keep trail heads accessible to those without AWD/ FWD and clearance. And as always, have fun and be mindful of Mother Natch- Leave No Trace- Cheers!
July 6, 2020Beautiful hike the whole way up, with plenty of views of the mountains. Plenty of places to rest if necessary, but if you’re in decent shape you’ll be fine at a good pace. Bring a sweatshirt for the top, it’s windy! The views are absolutely worth the effort. Hiked it yesterday, 7/5/20 and it was clear skies and shaded most of the way.
July 4, 2020Spectacular hike on the 4th of July 2020. The views far outweigh the effort. If you hike fairly often and are in decent shape, this should be no problem for you. Quite a few patches of snow on the trail 2/3 of the way up, but nothing impassable. Follow the footprints.
July 4, 2020Excellent hike with lots of shade except for the final kilometer to the top. As a bonus I headed over to the northeast slope to visit the Wasco county highpoint.
July 4, 2020I loved this hike, but I didn’t realize until I got up there that most of it is on the Warm Springs reservation. It is therefore not well marked, and I am now unsure if I was in violation of the treaty with the indigenous people of the area, which I regret. If you choose to do this hike please at least treat it with the utmost respect. I saw a plastic bag of dog poop on the side of the trail which I lacked the proper packaging to pack out myself, and I’m thinking we can do better when we are guests on another nations land.
July 3, 2020Great hike with amazing views! I've been wanting to do this hike for a long time, and was not disappointed. It's really not very hard and the views are worth the effort. We were surprised how cold and windy it was on top of the butte. There is also a fair amount of snow still on the trail. The trail isn't har to find, but the snow is very icy in the morning and can be hard to get over. We added more mileage by hiking by some of the area lakes. Be aware that the last 8 miles of the road are really rough. We made it in a very low mazda 3, but I would have taken a car with more clearance if I had known.
June 26, 2020Definitely on the tougher side as it is up, up, up the entire way and you have to climb up loose rocks at the end. EAT BEFORE YOU GO! Bring snacks and water. If you do that you’ll be fine. Stunning views, cool old fire lookout that’s been weathered. Easy to bring dogs. Loved this spot. Going down is smooth sailing. I did get chased by some bees throughout the hike but it made me get there quicker lol
April 11, 2020To get to this hike I took 22 to Detroit then turned at NF-46 Breitenbush rd. After traveling 11 miles on this road it was closed so I didn't get to go on the hike. I am really bummed and look forward to going another time. But I just don't know why the road was closed.
October 6, 2019Directions on AllTrails get you to the trailhead perfectly. It was sunny and 70 out there today! The top 2 miles was covered in snow. Made it a little slower going, but easy to follow tracks to the top. It is so beautiful up there! Mount Jefferson on one side, and Mount Hood on the other, and I could also see St Helens, Adams, and Three Sisters. Took me about 2 1/2 hours going up, and two hours coming down. One of the rockiest trails I’ve ever seen! Wear ankle boots for extra support, and poles helped too.
October 6, 2019October 5, 201910/5....lots of slush and snow on top half. gaiters for sure. almost time for snowshoes up top. awesome hard hike through the slush!
