Friday, July 4, 2025

Summer Adventure Circuit with Jess - Day 5: Three Fingered Jack Mountain and Meadows, Camp Sherman, and Bend

Summer Adventure Circuit with Jess - Day 5: Three Fingered Jack Mountain, Canyon Creek  Meadows, and Wasco Lake Hike, Exploring Camp Sherman and the headwaters of the Metolius River, and a night out in Bend.

Our hike adventures took us to the base of Three Fingered Jack Mountain west of Sisters today. We did a really cool 9-mile loop that went through a bunch of different terrain - ponderosa pine forest, a ghost forest with new trees springing up, snow covered meadows, overflowing creek beds and wildflower-covered meadows. It was a really beautiful and rewarding hike. The coolest part was definitely the snow-covered Upper Meadow area under Three Fingered Jack. We scrambled up the snow as far as we could and I got to peak down through a gap to the base of the mountain where Cirque Lake will develop soon, but is still snow-covered for now. After leaving that area and heading out through the lower meadows filled with wildflowers and lots of snow melt, we came to Wasco Lake and had a very nice rest on the banks of the lake before hiking back to the car through a burned out ghost forest that looks to be recovering nicely with lots of little evergreens growing. 

We drove through Camp Sherman the back way and got to see a brown bear crossing the road! Camp Sherman itself is a darling collection of vacation cabins on the banks of the Metolius River. Its claim to fame is amazing fly fishing. We had a picnic just outside the general store and then hiked to try to find the headwaters (it comes up out of the ground as springs) but got deterred by barbed wire fencing.

After resting a bit and cleaning up, we went out for dinner in Bend at Dogwood - an art-deco themed cocktail bar and community space that has seven food trucks and lots of great outdoor space on its property. It was a really awesome and we'd love to return. Afterwards we scouted out the river tube float situation in downtown Bend for next time - we ran out of time for this on this trip, unfortunately. It was fun to see so many surfers and kayakers playing on the waves at Whitewater Park as the sun was setting. Finally, we popped into the beautifully appointed Dear Irene for dessert to cap off the day and found it charming.














































Summer Adventure Circuit with Jess - Day 4: Skylight Cave, Blue Hole, McKenzie River Area, Sisters, and Bend

Summer Adventure Circuit with Jess - Day 4: Skylight Cave, Blue Hole Hike, Sahalie and Koosah Falls, Clear Lake and Suttle Lake, the Town of Sisters, and an evening out in Bend!

We headed to the mountains since it was blazing hot in Bend today. Our route took us first to Skylight Cave NW of Sisters. It was an incredible spot - a 900' long lava tube that that a few holes in the top, "skylights," that let beams of light in. It was like nothing we'd ever seen and very stunning. We continued west until we hopped onto 126 - the McKenzie Highway heading south. There is a 26-mile trail along the river - the McKenzie River Trail. We did a five-mile hike to the legendary Blue Hole. It totally lived up to everything we had heard and was an absolutely stunning turquoise blue. We scrambled around the pool to the far side to get to a ledgey area where Jess jumped into the 37F degree water. BRRR! If you can - go! After that we visited Sahalie and Koosah Falls on the McKenzie River. They were roaring at this time of year with all the snow run off and the misty breezes blowing off the falls and river were delightful. We headed to Clear Lake Resort after that to grab lunch and were hoping to chill on a beach - but there is no beach area here. It is also a very cold lake and the main sport appears to be boating and paddle boarding - no one is swimming in this lake. Finally, we wrapped up with a stop at Suttle Lake, but at that point (3:45) a few thunderstorms had developed to ward off the heat of the day and laying out on the nice beach or grass area available at Suttle was not an option in the downpour and hail. 

We stopped into the cute western town of Sisters on the way back. It is charming and has the flair of many artists who live in the community. It is also a sleepy town and many things close at 5:00, unfortunately. We did pop into a few shops and scored a few finds. After freshening up at the hotel room in Bend, we headed to the downtown to check out the restaurants and shops and the nice waterfront paths and parks. After walking through the bustling brick downtown, we decided to stop for a drink at the lawn of the Bend Brewing Company overlooking the river. It was a perfect oasis. For sunset, we walked down to the Mirror Pond section of the riverfront and got to see a magnificent sunset with a mountain in the background. What a gorgeous way to cap off such an iconic day!