Oregon trails · Metolius-Windigo
Metolius-Windigo
A 38.3-mile network in Oregon, with 938 ft of climbing. Reaches Phantom Lake and other lake destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 58% of the ascent, between mile 12.8 and mile 25.6. It gives back about 2,894 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. About 1 h 44 min drive (45 mi, 5 of them unpaved) from Bend. 43.80520, -121.93427 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:51 a.m., the sun rises at 7:20 a.m. and sets at 6:26 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:55 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 05 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 39 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Todd Lake Nordic + METOLIUS-WINDIGO + SNOMO #5 — 2.0 mi loop, 207 ft gain
- Three Creeks Lake Xc + WARREN'S XC + METOLIUS-WINDIGO — 9.2 mi loop, 1,420 ft gain
- SNOW CREEK XC + METOLIUS-WINDIGO + PARK MEADOW — 8.9 mi loop, 1,038 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Pacific Crest Trail_Def — 1.5 mi
- Pct: Def Bend South — 1.5 mi
- Jim Weaver Loop(Waldo Lake) — 6.4 mi
- Six Lakes — 6.5 mi