An undesignated wilderness in Eugene’s backyard, the Hardesty Mountain area is a popular patch of forested ridges and trails. Each year hundreds of hikers march up the 5-mile Hardesty Trail from Highway 58, arduously gaining over 4000 feet in elevation, only to discover that the former lookout site atop Hardesty Mountain is overgrown with young trees, blocking most of the view.

These hikers obviously don’t know about Mount June. Not only is it the area’s tallest peak, but the panorama from its former lookout site stretches unimpeded from the Willamette Valley to the Three Sisters. What’s more, the Mount June trail is much shorter and less steep, so that even children can taste the success of “climbing a mountain.” And if you continue on the ridgecrest beyond Mount June, you’ll reach Hardesty Mountain anyway—by an easier route.

To find the Mt. June trailhead, drive . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes : Central Oregon Cascades