Oregon trails · Metolius-Windigo

Metolius-Windigo

A 38.3-mile point-to-point in Oregon, with 1,559 ft of climbing. Reaches Phantom Lake and other lake destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length

38.3 mi

Elevation gain

1,559 ft

Difficulty

Hard

Max grade

20%

Steepest mile

+465 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

2.2 mi

Shape

point-to-point

Bikes

yes

Horses

yes

Managed by

U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 59% of the ascent, between mile 32.3 and mile 64.6. It gives back about 2,937 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Phantom Lake (lake)
Kinnikinnic Lake (lake)
Kershaw Lake (lake)
Middle Hanks Lake (lake)
Lemish Lake (lake)
Merle Lake (lake)
East Hanks Lake (lake)
West Hanks Lake (lake)
Swede Lake (lake)

Getting there

MANY LAKES — parking nearby, restroom, water. 43.80520, -121.93427 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:00 a.m., the sun rises at 6:29 a.m. and sets at 7:45 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:15 p.m. (PDT) — 13 h 16 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 38.3-mile route works out to roughly 14 h 58 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.

Loop options

Three Creeks Lake Xc + WARREN'S XC + METOLIUS-WINDIGO — 9.2 mi loop, 1,420 ft gain
Three Creeks Lake Xc + Nancy'S Loop Xc + METOLIUS-WINDIGO — 7.8 mi loop, 999 ft gain
Metolius-Windigo + METOLIUS-WINDIGO + RAMBLE ON — 8.9 mi loop, 1,170 ft gain