Mill Creek and Twin Pillars
Twin Pillars in Mill Creek Wilderness
Easy (to Ford #4)
2.6 miles round trip
150 feet elevation gain
Open mid-April to early December
Use: hikers, horses
Moderate (to Belknap Trail)
5.8 miles round trip
340 feet elevation gain
Difficult (to Twin Pillars)
11.6 miles round trip
1900 feet elevation gain
Open mid-May to mid-November
Little more than an hour’s drive from Bend, the Mill Creek Wilderness is an uncrowded retreat. For an easy walk, hike up Mill Creek to a meadow. For a longer trip, climb to a viewpoint beside Twin Pillars, a pair of 200-foot volcanic plugs. Almost the entire route is through burned woods recovering from a 2000 fire.
Start by driving Highway 26 …
At the parking lot ignore …
If you’re headed for Twin Pillars, …
Other Options
A 2.6-mile route to Twin Pillars begins on …
This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes: Eastern Oregon