Region
Highlights
- The highest of the famous Three Sisters, three volcanic peaks all over 10,000 ft high lying ~10 miles south of Sisters, Oregon
- South Sister is the 3rd highest peak and the 4th most prominent in the state of Oregon
- Located in the ~287,000 acre Three Sisters Wilderness, the 2nd largest wilderness in Oregon
- One of the most climbed peaks in the state; most climbed in late summer but also a popular late spring backcountry skiing destination.
- Features a summit crater that holds a small lake known as Teardrop Pool, the highest lake in Oregon. Also features a number of small glaciers including the Lewis, Clark, Lost Creek and Prouty glaciers.
- The standard South Ridge climbing route is a non-technical 12.6 miles round-trip with 4,912 ft vertical gain.
Routes
32 climbs • 6.4 mi • 4,804 ft gain • 7 hr 0 min • Class 2
5 climbs • 6.2 mi • 4,906 ft gain • 5 hr 50 min • Class 1
Latest climbs

"3 am start time did not translate into a sunrise summit today, but not far behind! Got my mountain shadow shot with perfect temps and light breeze. Nice to stand on the mountain that started it all one more time!" — oregon-mt-goat • Jul 19, 2024

"Don’t think I went up the standard way , but it went . I biked from Dutchman flat sno park as I thought I could avoid wilderness permit , but when I got to TH it seemed like they wanted me to have one anyway. Confusing! Thankfully the Gestapo weren’t out checking papers today. Todd lake trail is nice and cruisy all the way to green lake campground. From there I headed right toward the waterfall that you can see on the mountain in the distance , and a faint trail provides loose, but class 1 access to the base of lewis glacier peak where it merges with standard trail. Lewis glacier peak shouldn’t take more than 15-20 mins . From there it got kind of annoying , wasn’t expecting it to be that loose and dusty. On the rim, I dropped down a class 3 exit and scree slid down pretty much all the way to the saddle and then walked up to hodge crest . I would track a gps or make sure you know what exit you take as it all looks the same on the way back up. It is also extremely loose to get back. Once you are back on , its smooth sailing to top. The best part about this was definitely the waterfalls after green lake , and the alpine lakes at the junction. I even took a quick little nap at the hig..." — joshortman • Aug 25, 2023
"We got lucky with the permits, obtaining one 2 days out. Tough but beautiful hike. Haze and wildfire smoke did a number on the views. We were able to see the area near South Sister and some of the tall peaks poking above the smoke, but nothing for views when it came to long distance stuff. Lots of dust on the trail. Again, really tough hike. " — newenglandwarrior • Jul 26, 2023

"3 days hiking around South Sister with AK and LC ended with a picturesque summit. Started summit bid from Moraine Lake camp up the climber's trail and found perfect conditions throughout. Took about 3 hours 20 minutes from Moraine Lake camp to the top. Mosquitoes plentiful throughout our trip. Less snow than past for this time of year." — zachmitch • Jul 10, 2023

"Great hike through the morning for a sunrise summit. Not my fastest time but still felt good the entire time. 45 minutes from trailhead to the golf course, 30 across the golf course, another hour to the tarn, and 45 up to the summit rim. " — oregon-mt-goat • Sep 24, 2021

"Solid hike up from Devil's Lake with Dale. Smoky AF. AQI up there around 150+; 100 points higher in Bend though. Perfect conditions for weather otherwise; almost no wind even on the high ridges. Nice circumnavigation of the crater. Still had decent views of Middle and North Sister despite the smoke. A great day out!" — andrewmadsen • Aug 14, 2021

"2nd time summiting. My sister and brother in law were in town so wanted them to have the experience. Started around mid-morning and hiked at their pace. Hung out at the summit for lunch and rest and made our way down by late afternoon. Excellent day sharing beautiful views " — Sfitz • Aug 4, 2020

"Spent the night at moraine lake and began climbing at 5am. Since I was with a group it was slower than I generally move, but summited at 8. Wind was moving pretty good so sheltered under the summit block to enjoy a cold beer. Made it back to the car after stopping to breakdown my camp at 11:30. May be my last run at South if the permit quotas hold for next year. Hope the keep the forest free! " — oregon-mt-goat • Jul 3, 2020

"Started at the trailhead at 4:20am, hit the golf course by 5:09, below devils halfmile at the tarn @6:25, Summited 7:20. 15 minutes past sunrise! Damn it! Hung out for half an hour and dropped back out. No wind and clear visibility all the way north to Mt. Rainier. Back at the car by 10:40. Climbed at 1900 ft /hr. light pack. " — oregon-mt-goat • Oct 6, 2019

"Camped at Moraine Lake on the 3rd and buzzed up to the summit first thing in the morning. Conditions were good with all the snow gone from the trail and only a slight breeze cutting the temps. Not as much visitor traffic as I was expecting for a holiday. " — oregon-mt-goat • Jul 4, 2018