This picture of the North and Middle Sisters Mountains was taken from the McKenzie Pass near the Dee Wright Observatory in the lava flow that came from Belknap Crater. This lava flow is fairly recent, being a few hundred years old. Near here, the Pacific Crest Hiking Trail passes through the lava flow with the safety of a paved trail. These lava rocks are very sharp and are unstable.
The observatory was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corp. The top of the observatory has a bronze peak finder that points to the landmarks in the area. Inside the observatory there are little windows that make it very easy to view the landmarks, as they limit the view to that particular landmark.
South Sister (not visible) is 10358 ft (3157 m) elevation. The Middle Sister is 10047 ft (3062 m) and the North Sister 10085 ft (3074 m). In the photo, the North Sister is on the right, the Middle Sister is on the left and the South Sister is hidden behind it.
The drive up here, from the East, is one of my favorites. The trip up highway 242 is spectacular with a very twisty turny drive up and up and up. The nickname of the climb is ‘Deadhorse Grade’. I can only imagine where the name came from. Highway 242 is not maintained in the winter season. The highway goes from hwy 126 (which goes from Eugene to Santiam Pass) to Sisters.
Here is a link to a Google Map photo view of the area, focusing in on the observatory. If you zoom out you can see more of the lava flow from Belknap Crater.
The Dee Wright Observatory is 15 miles West of Sisters on Hwy 242.
