Cone Peak and Iron Mountain - 7.19.2019
Tombstone Pass (~4220') is located ~37 miles west of the town of Sisters, Oregon on Highway 20... there is room for 15-20 cars to park.
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This pretty much lays out our loop hike... we will do the hike in a counter clockwise direction... with the only thing missing being the cross-country route that I took to Cone Peak which is off of the top of the board.
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From the parking lot Denali Girl starts off downhill on the Tombstone Prairie Nature Trail #3419.
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After hiking a little more than a half-mile we left the Tombstone Prairie Nature Trail and took this short connector trail up toward Highway 20.
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Crossing Highway 20... looking for Cone Peak Trail #3408.
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Cone Peak Trail #3408 starts on the north side of Highway 20... there really aren't any designated parking spots for the trailhead.
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Lupine... this hike is advertised as one of the five best wildflower hikes in the state of Oregon... time will tell.
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Gaining elevation in the woods on the nicely graded Cone Peak Trail.
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Don't know what this flower is, but there was a lot of it.
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Magenta Paintbrush.
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Woolly Sunflower.
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The red one is Scarlet Gilia.
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Very pretty, but no idea what it is.
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Penstemon.
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Columbine.
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After hiking ~2 miles we came out of the woods into a meadow and got this view of Cone Peak on the left and South Peak of Echo Mountain on the right.
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Indian Paintbrush and a few sunflowers.
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Beautiful... but no idea.
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Looking up at Cone Peak as we continue along the Cone Peak Trail... wish I had headed cross country for the summit from right here, but I stayed on the trail for another quarter mile before leaving it.
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Larkspur.
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I will head for Cone Mountain on its SW ridge... there is a path of sorts to follow.
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Ascending the SW ridge of Cone Peak... lots of flowers... and there is a faint path to follow.
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On the SW ridge of Cone Peak... looking down on the flowery meadow that we entered from Tombstone Pass... after I tag the Cone Peak summit I will return to the main trail and follow it over to join Denali Girl on the Iron Mountain summit.
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Continuing up toward the Cone Peak summit.
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Summit is in view!
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Looking back at Iron Mountain beyond this stone fence near the summit of Cone Peak.
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Beautiful flowers near the summit of Cone Peak.
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Peak identification from the summit (5646') of Cone Peak.
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A closeup of Mt. Jefferson from the summit of Cone Peak.
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Echo Mountain (the main summit is in the middle)... with Three Fingered Jack and Mt. Washington on the horizon.
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Leaving the summit of Cone Peak and heading for Iron Mountain.
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Ballhead Waterleaf.
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Yarrow.
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Lots of variety on the south ridge of Cone Peak.
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Looking back up the south ridge of Cone Peak... I decided to take a slightly different route down.
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In search of the Cone Peak Trail.
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Looking back up toward the Cone Peak summit.
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Almost back to the Cone Peak Trail... Iron Mountain is in the distance.
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Back on the Cone Peak Trail which will stay in the woods most of the way over to where I will find the Iron Mountain Trail on the west side of the mountain.
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Cascade Lily.
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One of the peekaboo views of Cone Mountain as I continue around the north side of Iron Mountain.
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I have met the Iron Mountain Trail on the west side of the mountain... and I will follow it on up to the summit.
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Blue Flax.
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Switchbacking my way up to the summit of Iron Mountain.
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I can see the platform on the summit... it was built in 2007 when they removed the lookout.
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On the Iron Mountain summit (5440+)... Cone Peak in the foreground... with Mt. Jefferson in the distance on the left.
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Left to right... North Sister, Middle Sister, South Sister and Mt. Bachelor and The Husband on the far right.
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Peak identification from the summit of Iron Mountain.
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Cone Peak on the left... and the multi-summited Echo Mountain.
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ragman and Denali Girl on the Iron Mountain summit.
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Heading down from the Iron Mountain summit in a sea of wildflowers.
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Beargrass.
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Time to cross Highway 20 again... we will connect with the Santiam Wagon Road Trail.
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Just off of Highway 20... we will follow the Santiam Wagon Road Trail #3413 back to our car... the sign says it will be one mile, but it is really only a half-mile.
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Back at Tombstone Pass... our loop hike was 8 miles, gaining 2886 feet of elevation.
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