- Oregon County HP: #5
- Difficulty: ⭐️ (on a scale of 5)
- Summit Elevation: 6,871 feet
- Mountain Range: Ochoco Mountains
- Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla; Nüümü (Northern Paiute); and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Spanish Peak is located in the Ochoco National Forest approximately 85 miles east of Prineville, Oregon
When to Visit: Late spring to autumn. Spanish Peak sits within the remote Black Canyon Wilderness portion of the Ochoco National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service does not maintain the roads inside the national forest during the winter and spring, thus it is important to wait until the snow melts so the dirt road leading to the summit is dry before attempting a visit. The U.S. Forest Service may also close some land access between December 1st and May 1st each year due to the presence of bald eagles in the area.
Fees/Permits Required: None.
Getting There: Spanish Peak is most easily accessed from the south near the community of Paulina. Visitors with moderately high clearance vehicles can drive to top of Spanish Peak via National Forest (NF) roads. The Rim Trailhead is the most commonly used place to park if you wish to hike to the summit rather than drive to the top.
Directions from Prineville:
- From downtown Prineville, head east on OR-380 for 58 miles.
- About 4 miles past the town of Paulina, make a left turn onto Beaver Creek Road, and follow the signs toward the Sugar Creek Campground and Day Use Area in 8 miles.
- When you arrive at the Sugar Creek Day Use Area, you will see a brown USFS sign with an arrow point toward the Black Canyon Wilderness. Turn left here onto an improved gravel road (NF-5810) and head north toward the Boeing Field Trailhead.
- After driving 11 miles on NF-5810, you reach the four-way intersection with NF-38.
- Continue straight through this junction and onto a narrow dirt road (NF-200). The summit is 6.5 miles further north on NF-200.
- Note: There are no signs along any part of this driving route directing visitors to Spanish Peak.
Parking: A dirt turnaround atop Spanish Peak can accommodate up to four to six vehicles. If you wish to hike to the summit, there are also places to park near (or just north of) the Rim Trailhead on NF-200 approximately 1.5 miles from the summit.
The closest amenities to this high point are located at the Sugar Creek Day Use Area back on Beaver Creek Road. The Day Use Area has vault toilets, picnic tables, and a large group gazebo. The adjacent Sugar Creek Campground also has multiple hand pumps with potable water.
Pets Allowed: Yes.
Kid Friendly: Yes. However, visitors should pay careful attention to the steep, rocky drop-off on the north side of the summit where dogs or small children could wander into danger.
Hiking Distance: Visitors can drive to the summit of this high point. However, those beginning at the Rim Trailhead (like I did), will enjoy a 3-mile journey roundtrip.
The Summit: Spanish Peak’s summit is relatively flat and has room for four to six cars to park and/or turn around. The crest of the peak still has four concrete footings from the lookout tower that once stood atop it. A geodetic survey marker for Spanish Peak is embedded in a large rock approximately 75 yards south of the tower footings.
TRIP SUMMARY
Date Visited: July 10, 2023
Hiking Route Used: NF-200 from the Rim Trailhead – 3 miles round-trip
My visit to Spanish Peak was part of a two-day summer adventure to the Ochoco National Forest to bag the Wheeler County high point and the Crook County high point (Lookout Mountain) with my 9-month old dog. We departed Eugene mid-morning, and made it out to Prineville in time for a late lunch, with the only hiccup being the typical summer traffic jam in Sisters, Oregon.
From Prineville, the drive into the Ochoco Mountains was a true novelty for me. All my prior visits through central Oregon have taken me further south on US-20 through Burns, so I hadn’t experienced the rolling hills flat mesa, and gentle mountains in this part of the state before. What a difference from the prominent volcanic mountains of the Cascades!
About 25 miles east of Prineville on OR-380, I passed a sign telling me I was going through the hamlet of Post, Oregon, which is the geographic center of the Oregon. I was literally and figuratively in the middle of nowhere! But it sure was pretty!
It was another 30 miles to the next tiny town of Paulina, Oregon, but the scenery was quite eye catching with the Crooked River ran alongside the roadway most of the way. Four miles past Paulina, I made the turn off OR-380 and onto SE Beaver Creek Road for the final 8 miles of paved drive into the Ochoco National Forest and the Sugar Creek Day Campground.
When I reached the Sugar Creek Day Use Area, I decided to stop and avail myself of the vault toilets one last time. The rest of the journey was sure to be rugged and I didn’t expect to see any further amenities on my way to Spanish Peak.
As I was walking back to the car to get going again, I noticed a small SUV pulling a tiny teardrop trailer pulling into the adjacent USFS campground, and I tucked that information away. I still wasn’t sure where I was going to spend the night tonight. I’d brought a tent for our evening accommodations, but this was the dog’s first time camping and I wasn’t sure how far she might wander. Perhaps staying in a USFS campground would be a better choice than trying dispersed camping with her in the national forest tonight.
I still hadn’t see any signs fro Spanish Peak, but that wasn’t a great surprise. I doubted the mountain was a major draw for visitors. It’s the second highest peak in the Ochocho Mountains, but there isn’t even a hiking trail to the summit. It’s just the county highpointers who seem interested in heading out to see it.
What I’d follow instead was the brown USFS sign pointing me to turn left onto the improved forest road (NF-5810) that headed north toward the Black Canyon Wilderness. It was time to say goodbye to pavement and head into the backcountry.
The 11-mile journey up NF-5810 was easier than I’d expected, and I was able to easily drive 25+ mph the entire way. The only time I really had to slow down was on the curves as there was limited room to pass other vehicles. Yet this wasn’t much of a concern. The only oncoming traffic I encountered out there were the three white USFS trucks that were heading back toward Sugar Creek. Other than that, I was 100% alone.
At the 10 mile mark, I made it to the Boeing Field Trailhead – though the destination wasn’t immediately apparent because the metal sign announcing the trailhead was facing the opposite direction. This trailhead marked the western edge of the Black Canyon Wilderness Area, an untouched 13,400-acre stretch of sagebrush and ponderosa pine trees where visitors can potentially spot black bears, mountain lions, elk, rattlesnakes, and even wolverines!
Just a mile further up from the Boeing Field trailhead, I reached a four-way intersection where NF-5810 ended. Another nice, improved road (NF-38) that crossed over my path. But I wasn’t turning left or right onto it. Instead, I needed to continue straight ahead for another 6.5 miles onto a lousy-looking dirt lane (NF-200) to get to my destination.
It took me nearly 45 minutes to drive the next few miles up this narrow, curvy road. Rocks and potholes dropped my speed to the 5-10 mph range as I slowly made my way uphill. Luckily, the route was now free of snow and my Toyota RAV4 had high enough clearance, so my only real concern was the ridiculously slow speed that I had to drive to keep from bottoming out.
After five frustrating miles on NF-200, I made it to a wide open meadow with lots of sagebrush. A small wooden sign on my left marked the Ochoco Mountain Trail #823 and a brown vertical road marker told me this was NF-202. I’d made it to the Rim Trailhead that I’d reconnoitered on my maps prior to this journey. It was time to find somewhere to park so I could get out and hike the remaining 1.5 miles to the summit.
There wasn’t much room to park or even maneuver here without driving into the sagebrush and scratching up my car, but my GPS showed bypass road just another 0.1 miles further ahead on the left. Surely, there was a good place to park there nearby.
My fickleness turned into the smart choice. Not only was there plenty of room to maneuver on the bypass road, but there was even a lovely dispersed campsite where I could park in the shade of some tall trees while I set off to hike the remainder of the way.
As I mentioned earlier, there is no dedicated foot trail leading up to Spanish Peak. I’d have to walk the dirt road (NF-200) instead. But at least I didn’t have to worry about traffic. The dog and I were the only two souls out here for as far as either of us could see or hear.
Barely a quarter mile up the road, we hit our one patch of snow for the day on a shady slope hidden from the sunshine. Heidi was in heaven, trying to bite the cold mound like it was her own personal sno-cone!
Meanwhile, I was more focused on the wildflowers that lined the edges of the dirt road. Everything seemed to be in peak bloom. I could see smooth blue asters, daisies, purple lupine, Indian paintbrush, buttercups, and more!
Then we crested as small rise ahead of us, and I could finally see the summit of Spanish Peak with its craggy rocks and trees in the distance.
The walk toward it was surprisingly easy, and the road to the summit was in much better condition here than it have been the five miles I’d driven up in the car. I was making good time, and before I knew it, I was approaching the final hairpin turn where the rocks towered above me and provided enough shade to be a respite from the warm July sunshine.
As I rounded the final bend, I could see some sort of radar tower up ahead to my left. But unlike so many other similar sights, this one wasn’t resting atop the mountain’s summit. It sat perched on the western slope instead.
The panoramic views to my north soon opened right before my eyes. Off in the distance, I could see the round shape of Rock Creek Lake nestled in the green trees of the Ochoco National Forest.
The summit itself was flat and simple. The most dominant item pulling my eyes were the four concrete blocks with metal braces still jutting upward from there. Clearly the USFS had some of fire lookout tower resting up here to monitor conditions back in the early 20th century. But it was now long gone.
(Note: Historical photos of the three different towers that once stood atop Spanish Peak can be seen by clicking here.)
As Heidi and I explored the area, we walked to the northern edge of the summit, where craggy cliffs dropped off and provided excellent views of central Oregon, including the John Day river valley.
After taking it all in, we went in search of the geodetic survey monument that was undoubtedly around the summit somewhere. I traipsed through the yellow grasses and dry brush until I finally found it about 75 yards south of the former tower. It sat over near a pile of rocks and a geocache jar just waiting to be discovered.
After 10 minutes of rest and getting the dog to drink some water, I knew it was time to pack it in. The afternoon was slipping into early evening and we still needed to drive back down toward where we’d begun this journey if we wanted to set ourselves up for a second day of highpointing on the opposite side of Prineville.
The Sugar Creek Campground that we’d passed on our way up here was sounding better and better by the moment.
BONUS MATERIAL
Camping nearby:
- Sugar Creek Campground is located immediately adjacent to the Sugar Creek Day Use Area on Beaver Creek Road and offers 17 campsites on a first-come, first-serve basis. This developed USFS campground is open from May to November, and it has two vault toilets, two hand pumps with potable water, plus picnic tables and fire rings at each campsite. Cost: $8 per campsite/vehicle, plus $3 for each additional vehicle (cash payment only) via envelopes at the campground entrance).
Resources:
- Highpointing Spanish Peak (Peakbagger)
- Ochoco National Forest (USFS website with current fire info and warnings)
- Maps of Ochoco National Forest
- Sugar Creek Day Use Area and Campground (USFS)
