Union Peak Trail

This is a 9.8-mile round-trip out-and-back from the Pacific Crest Trail crossing on Highway 62. Follow the PCT south, turn onto the Union Peak spur, then return the same way. Budget five to six hours and about 1,600 feet of climbing. The outing starts with quiet forest miles and ends on a steep, exposed volcanic ridge with broad views across the southern Cascades. Crater Lake is not visible from the summit. Choose this one for the long backcountry approach and rough summit finish; if you mainly want a lake view, a shorter rim walk is a better fit.

From the signed crossing, follow the PCT south for roughly 2.4 miles to the Union Peak junction. This part is mostly level beneath lodgepole pine and hemlock, with few open views or landmarks. A gentle rise comes before the junction, and the peak does not show until later, so the early forest can feel uneventful. At the signed split, leave the PCT to the right and southwest when heading south. Staying on the PCT leads toward the separate Stuart Falls itinerary, not this summit-only hike.

The Union Peak spur starts more gently under lodgepole pine. Pumice openings appear as the path nears the mountain, and the summit comes into view after you have been on the spur for a while. That transition from forest to open pumice is a good cue that the hard finish is approaching.

The route wraps around the south side, then climbs rocky switchbacks on the upper mountain. The last half mile is the steepest; the final 0.3 mile has about 25 to 30 tight turns, a short scramble, and a narrow exposed ledge. This is a much tougher finish than the first few miles suggest, and snow on the ledge raises the difficulty. The summit is a small, bare ridge, roughly 50 feet by 15 feet in an older field description. Take care near the edge and leave room for others on the narrow crest.

The payoff is a broad view over surrounding Cascade peaks and ridges, without a view into Crater Lake's caldera. For a summit photo, keep some of the narrow volcanic rock in the foreground so the landscape has scale; the crest itself is part of the story.

Union Peak is the eroded core of an old volcano. Its central spire is solidified lava that once filled the vent; most of the cone around it has worn away. Glaciers and running water carved the nearby U-shaped valleys. A 1937 natural-history account describes the upper 800 feet as a rock spire and notes tiny cristobalite crystals, mostly under a millimeter, in talus on the southeast and southwest sides.

The name dates to an 1853 climb led by Chauncey Nye. Most of Nye's party favored the Union cause as the country moved toward civil war, and they chose a name they hoped would last.

Snow can cover the lower trail from autumn into early summer, and the upper route may hold snow into late July; timing varies by year. Backcountry water is scarce, and sources can dry by late July or early August. Park guidance recommends carrying at least a gallon per person; no dependable refill point was documented for this route. No on-route food stop or restroom was found in the sources checked.

Leashed pets may use the official PCT, but the Union Peak spur is not on the park's permitted-trail list. Dogs therefore cannot complete this summit route.