BLACK BUTTE TRAIL

We hiked the Black Butte trail on July 14^th. It is our second time after the first hike in 2021. I like this trail, because it is very manageable for a summit hike, has a landmark (fire watch tower) that you can see during the last part of the hike, and has a nice viewing platform at the summit with plaques for each mountain summit that could be visible on a clear day. The hardest part is getting there – once you veer off Highway 20 after passing turn to the Black Butte Ranch (if you are driving from Portland), there are a few miles of a quite bumpy gravel road to drive to the parking lot. We were lucky with the weather, it was a sunny, clear day and we saw pretty much all mountain peaks from the viewing platform.  There are few viewpoints on the way up and a lot of space to explore at the summit. The viewing platform has benches to sit and enjoy a view and maybe have lunch. There is another bench not far from the fire lookout, which is a perfect spot to enjoy the view.