Central Cascades Day-Use Permit (PCT McKenzie Pass)

PCT McKenzie Pass: what makes it different

PCT McKenzie Pass is a dirt lot beside Highway 242 near the gate for Dee Wright Observatory, where the Pacific Crest Trail heads north across a fresh-looking lava flow into the Mount Washington Wilderness. It sells 28 day-use people and 3 overnight groups a day, and it is also the permit door for two retired access points.^1,3,2

Getting to the start

The Willamette National Forest page says to drive 19 miles east on Highway 242 from the Highway 126 junction to just below the top of McKenzie Pass, near the gate before Dee Wright Observatory. Just northeast of the gate, turn hard left into the dirt lot. The page lists the Pacific Crest Trail #2000 as the only trail from here.³

Two Bulletin pieces put the trailhead about a half mile west of the observatory, on the right side of Highway 242, and 15.3 miles west of Sisters. A hiking site counts 15.5 miles and says the lot is dirt, holds roughly 10 to 12 vehicles and has no toilet; the nearest is a pit toilet in the observatory lot.^7,6,9

The Forest Service lists no restrooms and no drinking water at the lot, and says the trail is open to foot and horse travel only, with weed-free feed required. Bicycles and motor vehicles are not allowed.³

Dee Wright Observatory itself sits at 5,187 feet. The Civilian Conservation Corps finished it in 1935, and the Forest Service lists vault toilets and no fee.⁴

Highway 242 is closed in winter, and a hiking site gives November through June as the usual closed period. Recreation.gov adds that before the gates open, people can walk or bike the road but cars cannot use it.^3,9,5

The first leg

The trail starts in forest, then crosses an exposed lava flow between two wooded hills. The junction for the Little Belknap Crater spur comes at about the 2-mile mark by one count and about 2.5 miles by another, followed by a quarter-mile climb to the top.^9,6

A 2012 Oregon Hikers poster called the lava stretch to Little Belknap scrunchy, tedious, rugged and lonesome, at about 2.5 miles.¹⁰

Terrain and difficulty

This is the lava trailhead. The Bulletin describes sharp, loose rock from a massive flow that is hard on feet, and the trail turns from dirt and sand to lava rock after the forest. A 2014 column found open lava tubes along it, one with a drop of about 30 feet to snow below.^7,6

For distance, the Little Belknap Crater out and back is 5 miles by the Bulletin. Belknap Crater is 7.6 miles round trip with 1,831 feet of gain according to a hiking site that rates it strenuous. That site warns the lava is exposed with no shade, can burn on a hot day, and that summit winds were fierce.^6,9

North, the Pacific Crest Trail runs about 19.6 miles to Santiam Pass by one columnist's estimate. Its first two to three miles cross broken lava, so he advised stiff-soled shoes.¹¹

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at PCT McKenzie Pass, day use: 28 people a day. The Forest Service splits it 11 permits at the 10-day release and 17 at the 2-day release.¹
• 2026 daily quota at PCT McKenzie Pass, overnight, PCT McKenzie Pass (Mount Washington): 3 groups a day. One group a day comes from the full-season release and two from the 7-day release.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

Two Mount Washington access points, Dry Creek and Hortense, were dropped from the system in 2026. The Forest Service FAQ says anyone who still wants to use them must get a permit from the nearest trailhead, naming this one and the PCT trailhead at Big Lake.²

Hikers with a Pacific Crest Trail Association long-distance permit for 500 miles or more do not need a Central Cascades permit; camping then is limited to the trail corridor. Recreation.gov notes that travel between wilderness areas is allowed only at Pacific Crest Trail trailheads, and this is one.^2,5

Where it leads

Little Belknap Crater (6,305 feet) and Belknap Crater, with views of North and Middle Sister, Mount Washington, Mount Jefferson and Black Crater. Further north the trail passes Coldwater Spring at about 5,200 feet, which the Nugget columnist called little more than a wet spot in a tiny meadow, and reaches Big Lake with its youth camp.^6,10,11

What trip reports say

A 2014 Bulletin hike took about three hours to the little crater and back. Wildfire smoke hung near Green Ridge and below Mount Jefferson, the day was mostly overcast, and other hikers on the trail were struggling with the rock too.⁶

In July 2012 a hiker and his wife went north from McKenzie Pass to Little Belknap on a 70 degree, windy day, skipped Belknap Crater because it was getting late, and called the trail lonesome.¹⁰

The 2012 Nugget columnist walked the pass-to-pass stretch and said there isn't much water until Big Lake. A fire closed the trail for the rest of that year a few days after his hike.¹¹

When to go from here

Cooler days suit this lot because the lava has no shade. The hiking site that logged Belknap Crater did it in October. The road is the limit at both ends: closed roughly November through June.⁹

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lava Camp: Lava Camp Lake is on a gravel spur off the same highway and sells 50 day-use people against 28 here. Its trails go south toward the Matthieu Lakes, and the Pacific Crest Trail from this lot goes north.^1,8,6
• Scott: Scott sells only 16 day-use people a day and shares its overnight pool of 7 with Obsidian. This lot has 3 overnight groups of its own.¹
• Benson/Tenas: Benson/Tenas, the other Mount Washington door, sells 33 day-use people and 4 overnight groups a day. This lot sells 28 and 3.¹

Sources

1. Central Cascades Wilderness Permit System: Quotas for Day Use and Overnight, Deschutes and Willamette National Forests, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Central Cascades Wilderness Permit System: Frequently Asked Questions, Deschutes and Willamette National Forests, USDA Forest Service, March 2026. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Pacific Crest Trailhead at McKenzie Pass, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Dee Wright Observatory, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Mt. Washington - PCT McKenzie Pass Trailhead, Central Cascades Wilderness Permit (Day Use), Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Hiking near McKenzie Pass, The Bulletin (Bend), July 2014. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Little Belknap Crater, The Bulletin (Bend), July 2016. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Matthieu Lakes loop hike is a relatively easy trek in the Three Sisters Wilderness, The Bulletin (Bend), August 2022. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Hiking Belknap Crater in the Mountain Washington Wilderness, SoCalHiker. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Little Belknap Crater 7/30/2012, Oregon Hikers Forum. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Hiking the PCT between McKenzie and Santiam passes, The Nugget Newspaper (Sisters), July 2012. Read 2026-10-15.
12. Central Cascades Wilderness Permits, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a PCT McKenzie Pass permit