Pilot Butte (Nature Trail)

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Central Oregon

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(1 vote, 1 review)

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 1.0 miles / 1.6 km
Duration: 1 hour or less

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Overview: In Bend for the day? Don't have time to get out and take advantage of all the surrounding area?

Give Pilot Butte a try!

It's a quick mile each way from the base to the summit, short enough that there's a kiosk showing the trail running times to get to the top. Once you reach the top, there are views of all the Oregon Cascades and the surrounding high desert.

Tips: You could hike this in anything - including flipflops - if the weather is good. Take your camera and a water bottle and remember there are bathrooms and water fountains at the top and bottom.

Points of Interest

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Parking Lot Map

The map of the trail system near the parking lot.

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Stretching Area

For those about to run the trail up to the top, stop by and check out the record times for each age group. There are people into their 90's who have run races up Pilot Butte!

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Sunset Bench

There are many benches along the trail with views in each direction, but this one has the best view to the west for the sunset behind the Cascades.

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Sighting Compass

The sighting compass in the courtyard. On a sunny day, all these peaks are visible...

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Summit Marker

The summit marker of Pilot Butte

Pictures in this guide taken by: jasonrkillian

How does this work?

I wish I had looked for Bend trips on Every Trail earlier, but we found this walk anyway. Took the nature trail up and the closed road down. We didn't find any brochures at the kiosk to describe what we were seeing at the numbered markers.Great way to start the day in Bend! Wondering if the road is closed permanently, or just seasonally.
Visited on Mar 31, 2011

by kshawcroft on Mar 31, 2011