Broken Top

For the second part of my first August 2020 hiking weekend, I returned to the charming Three Sisters Wilderness for an up close and personal look at Broken Top, a relatively small and lesser known volcanic peak overshadowed by its more glamorous sisters. While most hikers approach Broken Top and it’s high “no-name lake” from the south, I chose a shorter non-official approach from the east which didn’t require a high clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead. While this approach would be very difficult earlier in the year, by the first weekend in August the snowfields had melted enough to make it passable. The eastern approach is incredibly dramatic, suddenly opening to the stunning full views of Broken Top after passing Broken Hand. The colors and layers in the heavily eroded volcano are truly a sight to see. This hike definitely is high on the list of my favorites in Oregon.