Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Oregon / Central Cascades

Sisters Mirror Lake via Wickiup Plain

Three Sisters Wilderness, Deschutes National Forest (Cascade Lakes Highway, west of Bend)

Sisters Mirror Lake is a small alpine lake on the Pacific Crest Trail, reached by a trail that skirts Wickiup Plain. The Bend Bulletin called it “a tiny alpine lake” and described picnicking on its rocky southern tip.

The paper put the lake “more than 4 miles from the car,” with a moderate 8.5-mile round trip.

The hike

The Bend Bulletin’s 2013 route starts at the Devils Lake parking lot on the Cascade Lakes Highway and takes the Elk-Devils Trail through a tunnel under the highway. At the first intersection, follow signs toward Sisters Mirror Lake rather than Moraine Lake. The trail skirts Wickiup Plain and passes through mountain hemlock forest to a large rock pile, where it meets the Pacific Crest Trail. Stay left, and at the next junction stay on the PCT rather than the Mirror Lake Trail heading south. The lake is on the right. The paper put the round trip at 8.5 miles.

A loop from the Sisters Mirror Trailhead, about 30 miles from Bend on the same highway (Forest Service), is described by Oregon Hikers’ field guide as “moderately graded.” It follows the Mirror Lakes Trail #20 across Sink Creek and past a tarn near Bristah Lake to Sisters Mirror Lake’s north shore. From there it follows the PCT along the Cascade divide past Lancelot Lake and Bounty Lake, with side trips to Denude and Camelot Lakes. At the Wickiup Plains junction, The House Rock and Kaleetan Butte come into view, and an optional detour on the Moraine Lake Trail adds views of South Sister. The return follows the Elk-Devils Trail past the base of Kokostick Butte and Blacktail Spring, partly on the dusty bed of the original Century Drive.

Oregon Hikers lists water at Sink Creek, Blacktail Spring and other springs on the Elk-Devils Trail, a spring near The House Rock, and several tarns and lakes. It recommends late summer or early fall to avoid mosquito swarms, and notes that horses share the trails.

CleverHiker lists Sisters Mirror Lake as a side trip on the longer Three Sisters Loop. For a busier basin a short drive up the highway, see Green Lakes via Fall Creek.

Tips

Camping

Overnight stays in the Three Sisters Wilderness require a Central Cascades Wilderness overnight permit from June 15 to October 15, reserved only on Recreation.gov, the Forest Service says. Groups are limited to 12 people and 12 head of stock. Campfires are banned above 5,700 feet in this wilderness and must be at least 100 feet from water where allowed. The Sisters Mirror Trailhead is day use only, with vault toilets and no drinking water. Bury human waste 6 to 8 inches deep and at least 200 feet from water.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific site were found. Oregon Hikers’ loop description mentions a campsite on the west shore of Lancelot Lake, along the PCT section of the loop.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A first night out near Wickiup Plain:

Sisters Mirror Lake is a little over 4 miles of moderately graded trail from the car, a short trip for testing a new sleep setup. See which sleeping pads testers rate.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.