Black Crater
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Black Crater rises to 2,210 m in Oregon. South Sister stands 3,159 m to the south, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Millican Crater, a peak 1.3 miles away. McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass passes 1.4 miles off.
The story
Black Crater is a shield volcano in the Western Cascades in Deschutes County, Oregon. Located near McKenzie Pass, the volcano has a broad conical shape with gentle slopes. The volcano likely formed during the Pleistocene and has not been active within the last 50,000 years. Eruptive activity at the volcano produced mafic lava flows made of basaltic andesite and olivine basalt; it also formed a number of cinder cones. A normal fault occurs on the western side of the volcano, trending north–south. The volcano has been eroded by glaciers, which carved a large cirque into the northeastern flank of the mountain, forming its current crater. The area was settled c. 1862, when pioneers moved to the forested region south of Black Crater, near what is now the city of Sisters. The volcano is part of the Three Sisters Wilderness, which offers recreational activities. The Black Crater Trail runs one way for 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from a trailhead on Oregon Route 242, and the southeastern part of the trail can be skied. Some Arctic–alpine plants can be found on the volcano, including mountain hemlock, ponderosa pine, bitterbrush, and Pacific silver fir.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4920583, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 2,210 m
How to reach it
- 1.4 mi off the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass, National
- 12.9 mi off the West Cascades, National
- 15.8 mi off the Cascade Lakes, National
- 16.5 mi off the Over the Rivers and Through the Woods
Overlooks nearby
- Windy Point · 2 mi
- Three Sisters Viewpoint · 4 mi
- Mount Washington Overlook · 11 mi
- Sahalie Falls Viewpoint · 14 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Millican Crater: 1.3 mi
- Harlow Crater: 1.7 mi
- Dugout Butte: 3.3 mi
- Bluegrass Butte: 3.8 mi
- Yapoah Crater: 4.0 mi
- East Portal: 9.6 mi
- Barclay Park: 9.9 mi
- Village Green City Park: 10.0 mi
- Elliot R Corbett II Memorial State Park: 10.0 mi
- Cliff Clemens Park: 10.1 mi
- Obsidian Falls: 7.6 mi
- Columnar Canyon Falls: 8.6 mi
- Chush Falls: 8.7 mi
- Whychus Creek Falls: 8.7 mi
- Howlaak Falls: 8.8 mi
- Spruce Spring: 6.0 mi
- Pole Creek Spring: 6.0 mi
- Sister Springs: 7.5 mi
- Paulina Spring: 8.1 mi
- Black Pine Spring: 8.2 mi
- Sisters Fine Woodworking: 10.2 mi
- Mountain Bike: 23.3 mi
- "Chicken": 23.6 mi
- Coyote: 23.7 mi
- Milky Way: 23.8 mi
- Whychus Creek Wild and Scenic River (Scenic Area): 7.2 mi
- Indian Ford Meadow Preserve: 11.4 mi
- Willow Springs Preserve: 12.2 mi
- Camp Polk Meadow Preserve: 12.4 mi
- Aspen Hollow Preserve: 13.9 mi
- Obsidian Cliffs: 7.3 mi
- Lane Plateau: 8.9 mi
- Tam McArthur Rim: 12.9 mi
- Cougar Buttress: 18.7 mi
- Power lines cliff: 20.8 mi
- Lost Lake Day Use Area: 14.1 mi
- Clear Lake Day Use Area: 14.4 mi
- Olallie Day Use Area: 14.5 mi
- Beach Day Use Area: 21.1 mi
- McKenzie Bridge Day Use Area: 22.2 mi
- Kiwanis club: 9.9 mi
- Cold springs resort: 14.2 mi
- Crockett Lodge: 14.4 mi
- Clear Lake Resort: 14.5 mi
- Sisters Community Garden: 10.6 mi
- Secret Garden: 15.6 mi
- Petersen Rock Garden: 24.4 mi
- Sisters Museum: 10.1 mi
- Bigelow Hot Spring: 15.5 mi
- Geneva: 22.7 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 14.6 miles of Black Crater. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Sister | S 185° | 3,159 m | 11.3 mi |
| North Sister | S 190° | 3,075 m | 7.0 mi |
| Middle Sister | SSW 192° | 3,064 m | 8.3 mi |
| Hodge Crest | S 184° | 3,060 m | 11.5 mi |
| Broken Top | S 169° | 2,796 m | 12.9 mi |
| Broken Hand | SSE 165° | 2,556 m | 13.1 mi |
| Ball Butte | SSE 165° | 2,467 m | 14.3 mi |
| Little Brother | SSW 202° | 2,381 m | 6.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:11 | 18:41 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:24 | 20:11 | 20:55 |
| September equinox | 06:55 | 18:28 | 19:06 |
| December solstice | 07:40 | 15:44 | 16:31 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 31 | 33 | 38 | 43 | 50 | 57 | 65 | 64 | 56 | 45 | 36 | 30 |
| Precip in | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Sisters, 10 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/3054333484
Day trips start here
- Bend · 26 mi
Take the scenic way to Black Crater.
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