The Mount Jefferson Wilderness Stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail Has Reopened After Two Years

Even though a wet, chilly spring delayed the start of repairs, crews finished the work two weeks early.

Pacific Crest Trail Willamette National Forest Photo courtesy of Willamette National Forest.
By Andi Prewitt

A fire-damaged stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness has finally reopened following a two-year closure.

This week, the U.S. Forest Service announced that hikers could once again access the affected 12-mile segment of the route through Central Oregon.

That area was marred in 2020 after lightning sparked the Lionshead Fire. The burn actually broke out on Aug. 16, just a few weeks before the headline-grabbing Labor Day blazes. However, the historic Sept. 7 windstorm ended up spreading that fire, too, and it traveled west from Lionshead Canyon on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation into the Willamette, Deschutes and Mount Hood national forests.

The fire closure for the area was actually lifted this month, but the trail remained off-limits until repairs could be made. It took six crews with the Forest Service, the Pacific Crest Trail Association, and Cascade Volunteers to remove logs and other debris, reinforce and replace the trailhead, and improve drainage along the path.

That restoration was delayed due to wet, chilly conditions that persisted through June—workers couldn’t even get to that section of the PCT in July since it remained buried in slow-melting snow. Despite that setback, crews completed the project two weeks ahead of schedule.

Trailheads that provide access to the northern portion of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness remain off-limits within the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires closure. To access the newly opened stretch of PCT and Jefferson Park, visitors will need to use the Pamelia Lake or Bingham Ridge trailheads, which requires a Central Cascade Wilderness Permit.

Other trails within the northern portion of the wilderness area are also now accessible from the PCT, but use caution while exploring: There may still be logs and other barriers along the route.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.