To earn one of the finest views in Oregon, you must first brave one of its worst roads. Indeed, the northern trailhead to Jefferson Park via the Pacific Crest Trail lies at the end of a rutted-out dirt road impassable in a low-clearance vehicle. But by the time you’re safely on the trail—first winding your way south through a landscape of alpine meadows brimming with heather and huckleberries, then facing the awe-inspiring vision of a glacier-blanketed Mount Jefferson looming above a lake-dotted expanse—you won’t even remember how you got there.

• Northwest Forest Pass required at the trailhead.

Hike

Difficult

11.2 miles round trip