Summiting South Sister - Oregon's Third Tallest Mountain!

South Sister (aka Charity) is the third tallest mountain in Oregon, standing at 10, 363 ft. tall. We summited in mid-July 2017 (yes, there is a typo in my title where it says 2015 instead of 2017) which was still pretty early considering the high snow year we had here in Oregon, but it was very doable even without micro spikes. We did use trekking poles (I only had one pole) for safety. This hike is not easy, as it gains 5,000 ft. of elevation in a mere 6 miles, and the terrain is loose scree type rock. It is not for the faint of heart, and can take anywhere from 7-10 hours to complete. This was my third time summiting this mountain.
Click here for more information about this hike: www.hikeoregon.net/south-siste...
Music: 'High' by JPB
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[@gerdbrauer6322]

What do you mean, this was your most strenuous hike? As a 5year old you already went all the way to the false summit (Teardrop Pool). OK, I carried you across a few snow fields at the end since you walked most of the trail in socks. You had gotten blisters after the first hour of hiking, but you just took off your shoes and told me that you wanted to keep going at least to the snow fields! And that's what we did. This hike together with you is one of the greatest memories of my life!

[@HikeOregon]

I think that's why I love this mountain so much :)

[@TrailHiker52]

I talked to a neighbor last night, and he's arranging this hike for us, so this is the first place I came to check it out. I'm quite nervous, but it looks amazing. Thanks for the video.

[@HikeOregon]

It’s pretty awesome. When are you going?

[@TrailHiker52]

@@HikeOregon we're working that out. Either in the next few weeks, or we will wait until late spring. I would like to see the row of snow capped mountains from that vantage point, which leans toward spring/early summer. Great channel, I just shared it with some neighbors this weekend. Keep it going and thank you.

[@BushcraftTexas]

My father and I climbed south sister in 1978. I was about 9 and remember it well lol. When we started down I remember a snow field we slid down on our bellies. We had camped the base of it the night before. Thanks for taking me back to a real neat trip :)

[@HikeOregon]

I summited at a young age as well and played in the snow fields!

[@ThriceFan16]

I finally got a permit to do this hike last week and man it did not disappoint on strenuousness, steepness, or views. Even with no snow on the trail, every vertical foot up that mountain felt like a battle. Hands down the most physically demanding ascent I’ve ever done. But the incredible views and sense of accomplishment were well worth it. Great video! I hope it continues to inspire others to make that peak.

[@HikeOregon]

NICE!

[@carmendutton1467]

Ya! I just did this hike in august, best experience

[@MattCookOregon]

Nice upload. That is a great first large mountain for all.

[@islacarpenter4648]

I've been eagerly anticipating this video. Thanks again for keeping me motivated, and for sharing your adventures.

[@HikeOregon]

Yay thanks for watching!!! I'm so glad I got to summit again this year! It was a great experience!

[@harrysbushcrat]

Beautiful Views!! I could feel crystal clear air from this video and it heals me a lot. Thanks!

[@HikeOregon]

Thanks for watching Harry!

[@thirtyeyes]

I know why you were smiling so much at the top. I did it last year, took longer than you did and it was the toughest hike I've done in a very long time. Good job.

[@HikeOregon]

It really is very hard!

[@evelynbloomhart5340]

Great review! I found your video to be really helpful as I prepare for my first time hiking South Sister.

[@HikeOregon]

Excellent! I hope you have so much fun on your summit hike!

[@TheWatchingEye0099]

Great video as always, as they say what goes up must come down, and coming down looked like fun.

[@HikeOregon]

Coming down was MUCH easier than going up, that's for sure :)

[@highcountryhay]

Great video! Thanks for posting and sharing your awesome experience!

[@HikeOregon]

Thanks for watching!

[@travisfadness1208]

One. of my. most favorite. !! memories was climbing the South. Sisters with some friends. I. love. you. Oregon !! Nov. 24, 2020.. Be. safe. earthliings !! I love you Oregon !!

[@HikeOregon]

It’s by far one of the best summits. So much to see!

[@ThienNguyen-ec8yc]

Thank you for the video!!!! Heading up there this weekend and this was super helpful in planning!!!

[@HikeOregon]

Have fun!!!

[@ShawnClaycomb]

I can't wait to hike the Sisters.

[@HikeOregon]

You planning on summiting next year?

[@Boodieman72]

Amazing, as always.

[@deed1145]

awesoem vid. cant wait to do this!

[@onetimeoutdoorsdj1394]

Great video thank you beautiful scenery

[@HikeOregon]

Thanks for watching!

[@inthecouchproductions8103]

I lived in Portland for seven years, and saw so much of Oregon, but god there us just so much I never took the time to do. I hope to go back for a month at some point and do all the stuff I missed. Broken Top, South Sister, the Timberline Trail…

[@HikeOregon]

Awesome!! Keep in mind there is a new limited entry permit system for trails like south sister and broken top now.

[@Kallepeng]

!!! SEHR GUT GEMACHT !!! THUMBS UP 4 SURE !!! Thnx for those awesome views and for taken us along with you! Keep on keeping on lady´s ;)

[@HikeOregon]

Thanks for watching :)

[@tycole3972]

I did this hike last year... It took me 9 hours. My Google photo is from Teardrop lake (at the false summit). The highest lake in Oregon. Thanks for the video!

[@HikeOregon]

8-9 hours is the average for most people. I recently did it again and got up to the summit in 3 hours 26 minutes 👍🏼 I was stoked!

[@tycole3972]

@@HikeOregon Great! I think the trip down was harder than the summit. Half way down my legs gave out and I sat down in the middle of the trail! ( I didn't have a choice.) Maybe you could cover some of the things you do to prevent things like that?

[@HikeOregon]

Dude the second time I summited I was exactly like that. I literally fell on my butt like 3 times, my legs just didn’t want to do any more work. I think doing lots of quad work really helps. Whether that be in the gym or just hiking a ton, it helps a lot with navigating steep descents.

[@valery4276]

How many miles in total and how many hours?

[@jimwisconsin4453]

Wow! You get better and better. Beside a hiker you're an alpinist! A 3000'er is quite impressive. You should be extremely proud. Great footage. Great vid!

[@HikeOregon]

+Jim wisconsin thanks for watching as always! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Yes over 10k feet is quite impressive but this is the easiest of the cascade mountains in Oregon. All the other ones besides middle sister you need ropes and actual mountaineering gear and skills.

[@matthewstorm5188]

Mount McLoughlin is also nontechnical. It involves a little more scrambling over rocks than South Sister. But it is still basically just a hike.

[@MrSpaztastic23]

I'm a noob but I will go to a camp site for a day and see if I like it... you changed my mind thank you!:)

[@HikeOregon]

Have fun Rory!

[@martinstrobel9297]

very cool! I'm motivated to try it one day.

[@HikeOregon]

If you don't think you want to do all 12 miles in one day you can always hike up to Moraine Lake and camp there and then head out early in the morning and then just return to camp, camp another night if you want, or just pack up your stuff and head the last 2 miles back down. Breaks up the hike a bit.

[@matthewstorm5188]

If you are thinking about backpacking for the sole purpose of making the hike ‘easier’, remember that you have to weigh the advantage of breaking up the hike against carrying an overnight pack up a decent amount of elevation. There’s also the greater planning and preparation required for such a trip. You might find that, on a hike like this one (which is not so long it REQUIRES an overnight trip), making it an overnighter is not worth it unless you actually WANT the experience of an overnighter.

[@TheBill9999]

Enjoyed that.

[@HikeOregon]

Thanks for watching!

[@drewlucero3916]

That was AWESOME 👌 👀📸👍👍👍👍📸

[@HikeOregon]

Thanks so much for watching, Drew!

[@alexwbanks70]

Awesome!

[@WhispTech]

Nice vids. Love watching the nature and scenery you show. Currently working on a 35lb pack and hope next summer to go do some interior camping with vids for my channel. Keep up the good work. :) Cheers from Canada.

[@HikeOregon]

+WhispTech nice!!!!! Looking forward to seeing your hiking vids!!

[@WhispTech]

You are inspiring. You are a lucky person to do what you do. :) If only more people in the world looked around and see what you see. I personally miss it. Why I am doing everything I can to get it back. :)

[@HikeOregon]

+WhispTech thanks for the kind words! Wish I could do it full time but right now I feel lucky that I get to at least enjoy the outdoors once a week. That's more than most.

[@zoomer325]

Going to hit it again next weekend! Last time was three years ago. That rocky ash field is not the most pleasant under foot!! It was good that you mentioned feeling the effects of altitude on your breathing, many start this hike by not realizing that thinner air makes this a more challenging hike! I have to admit this time I am not going to hit the beer the night before like I did the last time as it was not conducive to belly breathing technique!🤢 in addition staying the night before in Bend is not sufficiently high enough to acclimatize to altitude! Take care.

[@HikeOregon]

If you’re hitting this hike next weekend be prepared that there is still snow at the trailhead so you’ll need snowshoes the entire way up.

[@zoomer325]

Hike Oregon Oh crikey! I didn’t get that impression from AllTrails?? Last time I went was June 2016. Planned to take spikes incase the snow fields where still abundant. Anyway, I never make any hike a mission!! Still going to take a trip to Bend but have alternates in mind! Thank you.

[@HikeOregon]

Yea i just talked to someone who went yesterday. The trailhead is still snowed it, room for maybe 5 cars. We had a ton of snow this year!!

[@zoomer325]

Hike Oregon thanks again, yes the snow this year has been healthy to say the least. The Santiam pass has been fun this year and I managed to get back up Henline about three weeks ago as the snow had mostly gone. While in Bend I was also thinking about doing the hike to No Name lake, I did this a few years back in summer but am guessing might end up walking on a lot of snow if I went next weekend. Have decided to postpone my trip to Bend🙁 would have been second time this year😎. Just had a good weekend on the coast (despite some rain) and hiked Saddle Mountain and Arch Cape to Short Sand Beach. The later if you like solitude! Well done with your videos I watched a couple today including the No Name Lake. You certainly contribute much towards promoting Oregon.

[@AColoHi]

Great video, tree line in Colo. is 11,300 or there abouts. Sleeping and acclimating at elevation before the climb is recommended.

[@HikeOregon]

+A Colo. Hi! That's crazy that tree line is higher there than it is here. Yea acclimating makes the South Sister hike much much easier for sure! If you have the time I always recommend camping out the night before summiting.

[@samyza2005]

Omg hey sorry I haven't been watching ur videos I was in hospital for 3 months and before that I was at work for 4 months

[@drewgb]

Awesome vid, nothing quite like 360° summit views after a tough gain. What's next, Mt Hood? 😉

[@HikeOregon]

I am definitely not a mountaineer and have no desire to climb anything harder than South Sister. Having to watch out for crevasses and use an ice ax and rope is not my jam whatsoever! So this is the highest I'll be going, at least in Oregon :)

[@matthewstorm5188]

Adams and Shasta might be good summits for challenging climbs that don’t require ropes or glacier travel (although these can be arranged on both peaks if desired). Shasta can actually be a trail hike almost all the way late in the season via the Clear Creek Route. Deeper into California, Half Dome and Whitney are good hikes. Half Dome is VERY comparable to South Sister in terms of difficulty. Whitney is longer, has greater elevation gain, and takes you MUCH higher. But it is a well-maintained trail all the way to the top. Just keep in mind that permits are by lottery for both Half Dome AND Whitney.

[@pnwadventuresandgearreview8749]

So jealous I was not able to get up there on my 2016 three sisters loop hike it was too windy 30-40 mile winds!

[@HikeOregon]

I'd say the winds were about 15-2-mph when we were up there. The ridge was especially sketchy because the gusts of wind felt like they were going to blow you right off! I recommend summiting in July. Less people and it won't be so hot.

[@pnwadventuresandgearreview8749]

yeah was too windy for me I would have got blown of the mountain!

[@qiangfu8700]

i will try in 2018. I had been to bend in 2010 and 2016. always wanted to climb s sisters.

[@HikeOregon]

It's epic but it's hard! I would suggest training a little bit for it :).

[@charlescedricryder]

"there's no crying in climbing!" Congratulations - super awesome achievement - but I thought it was a still active volcano?

[@HikeOregon]

I think they're all still active to some extent, yes.

[@SK-kb2wc]

I was on there Last month but it was full of fog and it was so damn cold....

[@HikeOregon]

Yes it can be really cold up there even in the middle of summer.

[@Outdoor_MED]

How long is the trail to the summit?

[@HikeOregon]

+HIKE & BIKE VLOGS it's 6.25 miles to the summit from the trailhead.

[@ChrisBrown-gw5tg]

What would be the best time of year to take this hike?

[@HikeOregon]

+Hiker Man mid July to early September

[@qiangfu8700]

I made it on 3rd July 2023.

[@PaulDGreen-bu4iz]

Beautiful scenery! Great hike! Have you ever thought about hiking Mt. Katahdin in Maine? Thank you for sharing!

[@HikeOregon]

That would be amazing! Maine is definitely a place I would love to visit!

[@2ddw]

Needless to say it is a lot easier if there isn't snow on the trail. Nevertheless, it is a strenuous hike. Warning: it will make you want to bag more Cascade peaks.

[@HikeOregon]

Oregon has some pretty epic peaks to bag!

[@TheMarsgia]

Why aren't you cover?

[@HikeOregon]

+mars GIA ????? I don't understand your question.

[@wcompto]

Would've liked to see the mountain and not just your face.