Iron Mountain & Cone Peak Loop Hike – Williamette National Forest

The Cone Peak and Iron Mountain Trails are part of the Old Cascades and feature an abundance of wildflowers throughout the summer.

trailhead: Tombstone Pass
distance: 7.1 miles (loop)
elevation gain: 1,740 ft.
difficulty: moderate
hike description: OregonHikers.org – Cone Peak/Iron Mountain loop
drive time from Portland: 2 hours 30 minutes
parking pass: NW Forest Pass

The Hike

While there are several trailheads that provide access to trails in this area, we started at the Tombstone Pass trailhead so we could do a longer loop that included the Cone Peak Trail. For a shorter hike to the summit of Iron Mountain, begin at the Iron Mountain Civil Road Trailhead or the Deer Creek Trailhead.

The first two miles are through forest, passing by Tombstone Prairie before crossing Highway 20. An interpretive sign highlights the history of the prairie, which was an area that native tribes utilized for harvesting huckleberries and eventually was also a resting stop for pioneers crossing the Cascades on the Santiam Wagon Road.

After crossing the highway, the trail ascends through forest via switchbacks for about a mile.

Leaving the forest, the trail heads through open meadows with views of Cone Peak and Iron Mountain.

As we continued past the meadows on the Cone Peak Trail, we could see our destination – Iron Mountain. This area is known for its diverse wildflowers – over 300 species have been documented here.

We took a short side trail up a rocky prominence with views to the west.

The trail heads back into forest as it rounds the base of Iron Mountain. To reach the summit, we took the Iron Mountain Lookout Trail to the top. This section of trail is more exposed and rocky but not difficult, with panoramic views and wildflowers along the way.

As we rounded this section of trail, the Three Sisters came into view.

At the top is a large lookout area with panoramic views in all directions. It was a clear day and we could see Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson to the north, Mount Washington and the Three Sisters to the east, and Diamond Peak in the south.

After a long break at the top, we headed back to the main trail to finish the loop.