The centerpiece of the Gearhart Mountain Wilderness is a 8370-foot-tall ridge of strangely layered lava outcrops. The trail here winds through The Palisades, a rock garden of 30-foot pillars arrayed like an army of gnomes. Later the path crosses two scenic passes snuggled below the mountain’s summit cliffs. For the best view, bushwhack to the summit itself. Note that group size in the Wilderness is limited to ten “heartbeats”, counting people and animals.

From Klamath Falls, drive . . .

Other Options

To bushwhack to . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes: Eastern Oregon