Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail

Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail (#161) is a long ridge-focused hike in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, running north-south along the Warner Mountains and continuing into California. The northern and middle sections are often rugged, and the north face of Crane Mountain may not be snow free until July.

Plan for moderate-to-difficult terrain with steep, rugged hiking—especially on and around Crane Mountain. The trail uses ground surface (“Standard/Terra Trail” character) and includes remnants of an old fire lookout near the summit area of Crane Mountain.

Trail length for this #161 route is about 31 miles point-to-point, with the north end at lower elevation and the south end higher. An 8.3-mile portion between the summit area and Forest Road 3915 is in the Crane-Bidwell Semi-Primitive Motorized Area.

For seasonal timing, late July through October is typically the most reliable window; lingering snow is a limiting factor on the northern portions in average seasons. Some sections, particularly on the north face, can hold snow well into early summer.

Use Lakeview, Oregon as the most common access base. Crane Mountain Trailhead is about 1 hour 15 minutes southeast of Lakeview via Oregon Highway 140 and Forest Service roads (3915 → 4011 → 015) to the end of the road.

There are multiple mid-trail access points for walking sections or doing longer day-to-day variations, including Walker Trailhead (about 30 minutes north of Lakeview off FS Road 3615) and Rogger Meadow Trailhead (about 35 minutes east of Lakeview off FS Road 3915).

Trail conditions can vary across segments due to past disturbance, and parts of the north and middle trail can be primitive or hard to distinguish because of post-fire and beetle-affected areas. On wet weather, commit to doing a quick scout/inspect of any questionable footing and surface transitions before you commit to that segment.

More information: Visitor information, Visitor information, Bull Prairie & Crooked Cr Sections of Crane Mt NRT - dirtmagnet