South Ridge

Page Type Page Type: Route
Location Lat/Lon: 44.49890°N / 121.8992°W
Additional Information Route Type: Scramble
Additional Information Time Required: Half a day
Additional Information Difficulty: Class 3
Sign the Climber's Log

Approach

See the Getting There section of the main page for directions to the trailhead. From the trailhead, take Duffy Lake Trail about 3.3 miles to Duffy Lake. From the trailhead you will go 1.5 miles through fir forests to a junction with the Turpentine Trail heading to the left. Ignore this and go straight for another 1.1 miles to where the trail crosses the North Santiam River. In August and September, this should be dry but earlier in the season would require its crossing. Sandals might not be a bad idea to bring that time of year for the crossing.

After the crossing you will go .4 miles to a junction with the Maxwell Trail to the right, ignore this and keep going straight. Shortly after this you will come to a 4-way junction with a sign for Duffy Lake to the left.

Route Description

Take the trail around the south end of Duffy Lake. You may wander through some campsites so be nice. At the far south end of the lake, there is a short climbers path up a few dozen yards to a nice viewpoint. From here, go cross country to the north. You will angle up the south ridge to gain it. Over one ridge will bring you to a rockfield. Pick you way gently up and to the right to the top. Here you gain another ridge and keep angling north and slightly left. You will go over another ridge until you get to the final ridge to the summit. Stay in between two bouldery ridges as you pick you way up. Up top, there is another small rockfield to pick your way through until you get to the base of the south summit blocks. Tag this one up the Class 3 groove on the south side of the rocks and then downclimb so you can scramble north along the ridge between the two summits.

At the north summit blocks, it is easiest on the west side to scramble up 10-20 feet of Class 3 boulders to the summit. On the north side of the summit are some nice wide flat rocks to enjoy a bite to eat and the views. To descend, go back the same way or head down the north ridge to tag Red Butte (or head back down to the lake). Total distance is about 3.75 miles from the trailhead with 1800 feet of elevation.

Essential Gear

None needed.

Miscellaneous Info

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Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.