Sunday was a nice day to hike up South Sister…the long way. First time up this route for both Deb and I. Kind of a bouldery scree slog…very scenic though.
South Sister from the shore of Green Lakes…
Summit shelter, looks more like a partial igloo today…
At the crater rim. The high point on the left is the true summit…
A view SE down at Hodge Crest and Broken Top in the distance…
Middle and North Sister…
Wide angle view of South Sister’s summit crater…
Middle and North Sister…
Oregon’s highest lake, Teardrop Pool…dried up?
Beautiful…
Looking down at the south side approach….
Broken Top and Green Lakes below…
🙂
Nice route. I wish that I had your gpx file prior to doing this one in September. Lost the route 2/3 of the way up while slogging through the sand. If in doubt, head towards the stream! Thanks for making your routes public, I will be using them in the future.
Dave
Thanks Dave, feel free to use the maps too…..
Hey Karl, I’m curious what you think of the Green Lakes approach of climbing South Sister (seen here: https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=44.0857 … z=15&b=mbt). My buddies and I are looking to climb next Tuesday (8/13) after camping at Green Lakes. I’m looking for information regarding this route’s danger/snow/etc. I know the trail won’t be as visible/clear as the main route and will take a little more navigating, but I have topos, your .gpx track, and experience off trail. I’ve done similar steep climbs such as Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Langley in the Sierras (14er) that were no problem.
As for the Green Lakes route, the elevation gain doesn’t look much different than the approach from Moraine Lake. I know that I could do this route, but I’m a mountain goat with lots of experience and I’m acclimated. I’m just not sure how my buddies from sea level would handle it (although we will have one night in Bend and one night at Green Lakes to get acclimated before the climb). My concern is that my buddies are a couple semi-novice hikers from sea level (I’m in Reno and do a lot of Sierra hiking so I’m somewhat acclimated), although they are in great physical shape (they’re bikers) and like I said we’ll be acclimating for 2 nights before the climb. When comparing the routes from Green Lakes, the Green Lakes approach t really isn’t THAT much steeper than the main route. The Green Lakes route is 1.9 miles from 6549 feet to 8835 feet (where it meets the main route) vs. the main route that is 1.8 miles from 6837 feet (above Moraine Lake) to 8835 feet (shown on this topo: https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=44.0858 … z=14&b=mbt). That’s a difference of 1209 ft/mile vs. 1110 ft/mile, respectively. Not much difference. And it will actually be more elevation and distance to get to that 8835 point via Moraine Lake/Main Route because of all the descending and backtracking we’d have to do from Green Lakes. When considering this, I’m thinking that summiting may actually be EASIER from Green Lakes via the Green Lakes route vs. the main route. As for trail concerns, the Green Lakes route up South Sister does show up on that topo I linked, and also is a route on AllTrails (https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail … w-full-map), so it’s not like its completely unknown off trail climbing. It seems like there’s an actual trail even though it might take a bit of route finding due to it being faint in places, etc. It seems like it’s a just a steep hike either way.
Anyway, since I haven’t climbed South Sister before, I don’t even know what the main route is like. How does this Green Lakes route compare with the main route? Would you recommend it for first timers (I’d be leading the way however and I’m experienced)? Would snow be an issue on this route in mid-August? Can you avoid hiking on the glacier/snow or should we bring crampons? Is the route dangerous in any way? The appeal of base camping at Green Lakes on weekdays is hard to pass up and backtracking to the main South Sister route from Green Lakes would be tough like I said as we’d lose elevation and gain mileage (about 4 miles further and +600 feet elevation).. Any thoughts on the Green Lakes approach would be greatly appreciated. I’m having a tough time finding much about it or people that have done it My concern is that. I just don’t want to put others in a potentially dangerous situation if this route has some iffy spots or something. I know I can do this Green Lakes route, but it’s bringing others to a place I don’t know that concerns me. At the same time it seems like both routes are going to be strenuous, so why not go the efficient one with less mileage and elevation? What do you think?
Thanks!
Mid August, no need for crampons or ice axe…although it might be a good idea to have micro-traction in case there are any large snow patches. The Green Lakes approach is a slog. If you have my track, and you know how to use it…you are golden. It connects with the standard route at the Lewis Glacier, where the trail is a hwy. Go for it!!