Deschutes National Forest · Oregon

Whychus Creek

2.9 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 4070 · trail class 2 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 12-18 inches wide · hiking · seasonal: hiking 05/01-10/31

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 44.2351, -121.5618 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Whychus Creek Scenic Overlook Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

The Whychus Creek Scenic Overlook sits perched atop cliffs overlooking Whychus Creek. Reached via a 1-mile accessible trail, the overlook offers expansive views of the Whychus Creek Wild and Scenic River area, as well as, the Three Sisters' peaks.

Visitors have two options to reach the overlook. The easier out-and-back South Trail winds through the forest before reaching the overlook. A more difficult North Trail turns the hike into a loop, but features sustained hill climbs and a longer distance. However, the North Trail does offer two additional mountain viewpoints before you reach the overlook. Those who choose to take the North Trail will return to the trailhead via the South Trail, as the North Trail is one-way only.

Download a trail map.

Accessibility <p>The North and South Trails that lead to the Whychus Creek Scenic Overlook are both ADA accessible.</p>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Deschutes National Forest

All 432 trails in Deschutes National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.