Duffy Trail to East Side : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

This route follows trails to the summit. It is 11.8 miles round trip but passes several great lakes. It has 1800 feet of elevation gain and some of the best views in central Oregon from a 5000 foot peak.

Getting There

See the Getting There Section of the Main Page for directions to the trailhead.

Route Description

From the trailhead, take Duffy Lake Trail 3.3 miles to Duffy Lake passing a junction with the Turpentine Trail at 1.5 miles. You will also hit the North Santiam River at mile 2.6 which is dry usually in August and September but may require a river crossing earlier in the season. You might want to bring sandals earlier than August in case. There is also a junction with the Maxwell Trail at mile 3.0. Ignore this and continue on the full 3.3 miles to Duffy Lake.

Continue on around the east side (right) of Duffy Lake for 1.1 miles until you come to the south shore of Mowich Lake. Fork right (east) and continue around the east side of Mowich Lake for another 1.0 mile until you come to Alice Lake. The trail may be faint here but fork left at the south shore of this small lake and look for a climbers path that swicthbacks up the east side of Red Butte for half a mile to the summit. don't worry if you can't find the trail, you could just go cross country up almost as easily.

Return the same way.

Essential Gear

None needed except for maybe some bug juice and sandals in early season.

External Links

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