Rim Trail

The first 3.6 miles through the Watchman and Hillman Peak area are the hilliest, with the steepest climbing between Discovery Point and Watchman. At the Watchman junction, the separate Watchman Peak spur climbs to its fire lookout; the Rim Trail continues downhill to Watchman Overlook, then rises around Hillman Peak. After Hillman, the route levels and trends downhill toward Merriam Point. The long distance and elevation make the full return hard even though the tread is generally a hiking path rather than technical terrain.

Wizard Island keeps shifting position as you move along the western rim. Openings near the beginning, Watchman Overlook and other east-facing viewpoints give you different angles across the water and caldera walls. Near Merriam Point, Llao Rock and the narrow Devil’s Backbone sharpen the view. Take time at the established overlooks: the changes in island, cliff and shoreline are the reason to walk this rim rather than simply drive between viewpoints.

Merriam Point is the last lake viewpoint on this route. From there the path turns north, crosses East Rim Drive and continues through the quieter northern section toward the PCT. The final few miles no longer show the lake; the view opens across the pumice landscape toward Mount Thielsen and Mount Bailey instead. If you turn at Merriam, you keep the lake-centered part and avoid the long, viewless return from the PCT, while still making an approximately 11-mile day.

Parts of the route follow a narrow path beside the broad abandoned Rim Road bed, with old stone support work visible near Hillman Peak. Elsewhere it crosses open pumice with little shade. The route stays high on the caldera rim, reaching roughly 7,700 feet, and snow can cover it into early July. Check snow and footing before an early-season hike; the long exposed stretches make timing and a realistic turnaround especially important.

About 7,700 years ago, eruptions emptied Mount Mazama’s magma chamber and the summit collapsed to form the caldera. North of Merriam Point, the trail looks across the Pumice Desert, a former glacial valley buried by pumice and scoria, in places more than 200 feet deep. The porous deposits slow plant growth; only 16 plant species have been documented in the protected research area. It is a striking change after hours beside the lake: a broad, pale volcanic basin rather than another overlook.

Start at the large Discovery Point pullout about a mile west of Rim Village, where the Discovery Point Trail ends and the Rim Trail begins. Starting at Rim Village adds about a mile each way. The mapped northern endpoint is the PCT junction. Red Cone Trailhead is about a tenth of a mile farther, beyond a crossing of North Entrance Road; treat that as a separate pickup connection, not part of this mapped route, and use care around fast traffic. Pets are prohibited on the Rim Trail; the pet allowance for the PCT applies to the PCT itself, not this park trail.