South Sister
South Ridge from Devils Lake
The Route
The Devils Lake route climbs through forest and volcanic plateaus before ascending South Sister's south ridge and crater rim.
- Devils LakeElk-Devils Trail highway underpass
- Forest & PlateauMoraine Lake / Wickiup Plain junction
- Lewis Glacier MoraineClimbers path above the plateau
- South RidgeRed scree to the crater rim
- Northeast SummitContinue beyond the first rim arrival
- Devils LakeReturn down the south-side approach
Devils Lake to the Plateau
Access from Devils Lake now uses the highway underpass on Elk-Devils Trail. The climbing trail rises between Devils Hill and Kaleetan Butte, leaving forest at the plateau junction for Moraine Lake and Wickiup Plain.
Golf Course & Climbers Path
The summit itinerary continues north across the sparsely wooded plateau known as the Golf Course. Around three miles from the trailhead, the maintained approach becomes a climbers path ascending steep volcanic scree toward the Lewis Glacier moraine.
Lewis Moraine & South Ridge
Near 8,800 ft the published route passes the western edge of the Lewis Glacier's terminal moraine and a high lake. The next section gains about 1,400 ft on the south ridge's red scree to the crater rim.
True Summit & Return
The first rim arrival is below the true summit. The route continues around the eastern crater rim to the northeastern high point, then returns by the south-side approach to Devils Lake.
Published reference figures for the named itinerary. Source dates and access notices are separate from current terrain observations. Reference Set: 2026-10-23.
Weather
Current forecasts open at the providers below. NWS forecasts describe a terrain grid cell, not an exact summit.
Access
Devils Lake, Oregon · Three Sisters Wilderness
Starting Point
Devils Lake/South Sister trailhead is on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway west of Bend.
Day Permit
Devils Lake/Wickiup Plains is a quota trailhead for Central Cascades day-use permits June 15–October 15.
Booking
Day permits are released at 7 AM Pacific in rolling 10-day and 2-day windows.
Parking
The Mountaineers lists a Northwest Forest Pass for parking; this is separate from the wilderness entry permit.
Permit Scope
Day-use permits are individual, nontransferable and valid only for the date and trailhead printed on them. A federal recreation parking pass is also required.
Source information checked 2026-10-23. Road snapshots are dated separately.
Reports
Mountaineers Route & Trip Reports
Open the publisher’s route-specific material and check its date and scope.
Devils Lake Permit Details
Open the publisher’s route-specific material and check its date and scope.
Links open the publishers’ report pages. Reports are not automatically imported or filtered to a forecast date.