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South Sister
Oregon's Third-highest Peak
By
chaney
·
Jul 12th, 2017
Volcanoes
Mountains
Her summit reflected in the waters of the Cascade Lakes, South Sister (10,358’) looms over the forests of Central Oregon in silent grandeur. In winter, the peak is blanketed in white, but the summer sun melts much of it away to reveal a multicolored mountain dotted with snowfields and glaciers. Views from the summit stretch over much of the Cascades, into Washington to the north and California to the south.
Geography & Geology
Straddling the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests, South Sister is the tallest of the Three Sisters that give the wilderness they share with Broken Top its name. Of the three, South Sister is the most-recently active with a prominent lava flow visible just off the Cascade Lakes Highway on her southeastern flank and
a section of uplift in terrain out on the western slopes in the early 2000s
. Though silent today, the volcano is still regarded as having a "very high threat potential" by the USGS.
South Sister, once known as "Charity," is a
stratovolcano
that has been erupting off-and-on for the last 50,000 years, though long gaps in activity have been noted. Flows of rhyolite, dacite, and basaltic andesite comprise the bulk of the edifice today, layering the mountain in hues of red, purple, and gray.
The mountain boasts seven named glaciers, but two on the north face (Skinner and Carver) have reduced enough to be considered snowfields instead. The Lewis Glacier, situated below the summit on the southeast side, is the easiest to access today, with its compatriot the Clark Glacier sitting opposite on the west side of the trail to the summit. Though not entirely connected on the surface, the water that flows down from the Lewis Glacier and nearby snowfields eventually finds its way into the Deschutes River - the region’s main drainage.
Lewis Glacier
Glacier
in
Deschutes NF
,
Three Sisters Wilderness
,
Cascade Range
near
Sisters
,
OR
Access
South Sister is accessed from a number of trailheads on the edge of the Three Sisters Wilderness in both the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests. Most hikers bound for the summit begin at Devils Lake. Round trip, the hike is 12.5 miles with roughly 5,000 feet of elevation gain to the peak, but no technical experience or special equipment is required. It is simply a long and steep hike. On a clear day, the view from the top reaches from Rainier to Shasta.
Numerous other trails encircle the mountain with ample opportunities for backpacking. Popular spots include Moraine Lake and the Green Lakes, but the crowds of summer can be avoided in many other secluded and scenic corners of the wilderness.
Photographing
The most iconic view of South Sister is found on the shores of Sparks Lake along the Ray Atkeson Trail. Atkeson was Oregon’s photographer laureate and popularized the vista with its stunning view north across the shallow lake to the towering peaks of South Sister and Broken Top.
Sparks Lake
Lake
in
Deschutes NF
,
Cascade Range
near
Sunriver
,
OR
Other grand views can be had from Tumalo Mountain, the Green Lakes, or really anywhere else in close proximity to the peak. South Sister’s prominence makes her a feature of the skyline throughout much of the area.
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