Obsidian/Scott Loop Backpack June 29-July 1, 2026

Obsidian/Scott Loop Backpack, June 29-July 1, 2026

This was a three-day, two-night adventure exploring the striking volcanic landscape of the northern Three Sisters Wilderness. On Friday, June 29, our group (Craig Gwydir, Julia Carroll, Greg Bishop, Jeff Menashe, Kent Greenen and myself) met up at the Scott Trailhead (4800’) off Route 242 east of McKenzie Pass, and hiked five miles along the Scott Trail to its junction with the PCT. The first couple of miles of the trail rose steadily through forested terrain, before crossing an extensive lava flow and passing by the Four-in-One Cone, an intriguing cinder hill with four craters arranged in linear fashion along its crest. At the PCT junction, we headed south for another mile to the year-round Minnie Scott Spring, where we found clear running water and an abundance of fine campsites west of the trail among the trees. The next morning we packed up our camp and hiked south for another mile into an otherworldly landscape of gnarled lava formations framing the snow-capped peaks which lay ahead. We took a signed “User Trail” off the PCT to visit the Collier Cone, a volcanic crescent which erupted approximately 1500 years ago and created the massive Jerry Lava Flow to its west. A viewpoint on the southern rim of the Cone provided a wonderful, up-close and personal view of North and Middle Sister, Little Brother and the retreating Collier Glacier.

After soaking in the views, we continued south for three more miles along the PCT, across the notorious Sawyer Bar and back into the forest, where we found campsites just south of the PCT junction with the Glacier Way Trail. Good water was available nearby in Glacier Creek, where it crossed the lovely Sunshine Meadow with its picture-postcard view of Middle Sister.

After setting up camp, we explored a bit further south on the PCT, taking another User Trail east towards the saddle between North and Middle Sister, to arrive at Arrowhead Lake (6900’). A pleasant afternoon encouraged us to linger awhile at the lake, watching the clouds come and go over the nearby peaks.

We awoke the next morning to find a light frost on the ground, which melted quickly as bright sunshine soon greeted us above the hills. We broke camp and headed west along the Glacier Way and Obsidian Trails back to the cars, and the journey home.

We were very fortunate with the weather on this trip, with temperatures cooler than average for early summer, gifting us with pleasant hiking conditions and absolutely no mosquitoes! Also, we found the trails to be in excellent condition, with only a few snow patches up high near Arrowhead Lake which were easy to negotiate. All-in-all, we had an exceptional adventure in a remarkably beautiful setting. Everyone got along very well together, and all took home some great memories.

Tom Thrall