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Mountain/Rock |
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44.26580°N / 121.7486°W |
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7251 ft / 2210 m |
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Black Crater is one of the large peaks in the Central Cascades of Oregon and is situated between Mt. Washington and North Sister. I doubt there are better views of the north side of North Sister. It also stands over the huge McKenzie Pass lava flows. Needless to say the views are incredible from the Three Sisters and Broken Top north to Mt. Hood.
What also stands out about this large cinder cone are the two craters gouged out by Ice Ace glaciers. A large bowl is scooped out of the east side and Black Crater Lake sits in it. The more striking crater is carved out of the north side and provide 500 foot cliffs down into it.
There is a nice trail to the summit that switchbacks up the north side and then traverses the valley that extends from the summit crater. From there it switchbacks up another shoulder to a plateau of black cinders and a 30 foot summit crag. It's also interesting to note that the small weather-beaten pine trees that grow here are of a species that only grow above 6000 feet and in order to survive the winters are so flexible that the limbs can be tied into knots.