Our next stop was at Bend Sisters Garden RV Resort near Sisters, Oregon. We drove to the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway past Mt Bachelor to Sparks Lake where we had great views of South Sister across the Lake. We also stopped at Devils Lake and walked around the lake, a beautiful shallow lake, with waters an exquisite turquoise color. Devils Lake provides access to the Three Sisters Wilderness where we started at the Devils Lake Trailhead, to hike up toward South Sister (10,358 ft) and Moraine Lake. The views of Moraine Lake from the snowfield was awesome , and then we hiked down to the Lake before heading back down the trail. We met three guys on their way down the mountain who had hiked to the summit, they were exhausted. It is a great hike and maybe the next time we will hike to the summit also. Our reward for this hike was a stop at Next Level Burger where we ate delicious vegan burgers. Click on thumbnail to view images
Black Butte Hike
The next day was another beautiful sunny day so we decided to hike the Black Butte Trail, a 4 mile R/T hike, with an elevation of 1,600 ft. After just a a half mile on the trail we rose above the dense tree line and had breathtaking views of huge volcanoes: Broken Top, The Three Sisters, Mount Washington and Three Fingered Jack. At the summit we saw Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood in the distance. Black Butte is actually an ancient composite volcano, not a cinder cone or butte. On the summit there is an old fire lookout tower. an intact cupola-style building from 1923, the ruins of a collapsed 1934 tower, and a modern 62 foot tower from 1995. In 1980 a one-room log cabin was constructed in Sisters, disassembled, and flown by helicopter to Black Butte’s summit as living quarters for the fire lookout staff. The panoramic views of the Cascade peaks in the distance are so unique and spectacular that we stayed on top for a while enjoying the vistas. Click on thumbnail to view images
