Central Cascades Day-Use Permit (Tam McArthur Rim)
Central Cascades Wilderness · Oregon
Tam McArthur Rim is the permit for the trailhead beside Three Creek Lake, south of Sisters. It buys a 5-mile day hike to a high rim that faces Broken Top and the Three Sisters, and it is also the usual start for the Broken Top loop. It sells 90 day-use people a day.
Get an alert when Tam McArthur Rim opens on your dates.
When it opens
- 10 days
- First come, first served from 10 days before your entry date40% of the permit quotaYou book on the agency's site.
- 2 days
- First come, first served from two days before your entry datethe remaining 60% of the permit quotaYou book on the agency's site.
Source: fs.usda.gov
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Tam McArthur Rim were gone within 45 minutes.
Tam McArthur Rim reservation dates
- Season
- June 15 to October 15
- max group size
- 12people
How to get a Tam McArthur Rim permit
As of October 2026, Tam McArthur Rim in Central Cascades Wilderness, Oregon requires a permit issued via reservation. Tam McArthur Rim is a high-demand permit, rating 7/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Canceled Tam McArthur Rim permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens. The permit season for Tam McArthur Rim runs June 15 through October 15.
- Type
- Day Use
- Location
- Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon Central Cascades, OR
Step 1: Create an account before permits drop
Find this permit on the managing agency's booking system and set up an account with your payment info ready.
Step 2: Know the release schedule
Permits release on a rolling basis. Check the release time for your dates.
Step 3: Be ready when permits drop
Log in a few minutes early. Have your dates, group size, and payment ready to go.
Step 4: Monitor for cancellations
If your dates are sold out, people cancel all the time. Set up PermitSnag alerts to catch openings instantly.
More on Tam McArthur Rim: Live availability activityWhen Tam McArthur Rim permits open upChance of an opening
Guides: Tam McArthur Rim permit guideTodd permit guideDuffy Lake permit guide
Tam McArthur Rim: what makes it different
Tam McArthur Rim is the permit for the trailhead beside Three Creek Lake, south of Sisters. It buys a 5-mile day hike to a high rim that faces Broken Top and the Three Sisters, and it is also the usual start for the Broken Top loop. It sells 90 day-use people a day.1,2,3,7
Getting to the start
The Deschutes National Forest page puts the trailhead 16.4 miles south of Sisters on Forest Road 16, at Three Creek Lake. Oregon Hikers has you turn south from town on Elm Street, which becomes Road 16, and says the last two miles are gravel that can be rough but that sedans can manage slowly.2,4
The trailhead is on the left as you reach the lake. Turn toward Driftwood Campground and park in the lot on your right. Oregon Hikers lists the trailhead at 6,550 feet. The Forest Service page lists no drinking water and no restroom information.4,2
Parking is thin on busy days. Two trip reports, from 2021 and 2025, say cars park along the road and that the Little Three Creek trailhead across the road has better parking. A volunteer was checking permits at the Tam McArthur trailhead in August 2021.7,8
The first leg
The trail climbs steeply at first, levels through the middle, then climbs again. It enters the Three Sisters Wilderness about 0.7 miles in and reaches the rim plateau near 2.5 miles. The first 0.75 to 1 mile is wooded, and a 2016 backpacker advised carrying a map and GPS because the tread fades in and out above that.3,5
Terrain and difficulty
Oregon Hikers rates the rim moderate at 5.0 miles round trip with 1,200 feet of gain, rising from 6,550 feet to 7,730 feet at the main viewpoint. It warns that the open sections get very windy and wet, and that this is not a good rainy-day hike.3
Past the rim the walk gets harder. A 2016 forum report put the maintained trail's end at about 2.5 miles and followed 2 more miles of unmaintained but well-worn path to Broken Hand. That day's round trip was just over 11 miles with about 2,300 feet of gain.6
Quota at this entry point
- 2026 daily quota at Tam McArthur Rim, day use: 90 people a day. The Forest Service splits it 36 permits at the 10-day release and 54 at the 2-day release.1
- 2026 daily quota at Tam McArthur Rim, overnight: 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
Central Cascades permits are required from June 15 to October 15 for day and overnight use. The Forest Service page caps groups at fewer than 12 people and 12 head of stock, bans bicycles and drones, and asks for campfires at least 100 feet from water.2
One 2025 trip report notes no camping within half a mile of No Name Lake. Oregon Hikers does not list camping at the rim itself and points to Driftwood Campground nearby.8,3
Where it leads
From the rim you look down on Three Creek Lake and Little Three Creek Lake, with Mount Bachelor, Broken Top and the Three Sisters in view. A 2016 backpacker who camped near the rim also saw Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood on a clear day.3,5
Oregon Hikers describes a user trail along the ridge to Broken Hand, the Bend Glacier viewpoint and No Name Lake. The 2021 and 2025 reports both used it as the start of the Broken Top loop, about 4.7 miles and 2,000 feet to Broken Hand by the 2025 writer.3,7,8
What trip reports say
A late-June 2016 backpacker on Photo Cascadia camped near the rim edge and had the place to himself. He found no water on a late-season trip, only a snowmelt runoff about a quarter mile from camp that soaks into sandy soil, and he suggests carrying water for an overnight. Mosquitoes were bad at the car and gone at camp.5
On an August 2016 hike the writer found a snowfield on the north branch at the base of Broken Hand and no easy way across. Replies in the thread suggested cutting south a few hundred feet before Broken Hand, and another hiker confirmed that south route over Labor Day.6
An August 2021 loop hiker went clockwise from the trailhead, found the trail past the official end in very good shape, met very few backpackers on the first day and more at Green Lakes, and had hazy and smoky skies on the last two days.7
A 2025 blogger parked on the roadside, took the right fork at Broken Hand and found the snow crossing there uncomfortable, then camped legally below No Name Lake on a trip she called well worth the effort.8
When to go from here
Oregon Hikers says August through October because snow keeps the road and trail closed until about August. The 2016 backpacker went in the last week of June and judged late June to early July the best window if the snowpack allows, so check road and trail snow before booking.3,5
Compare with nearby entry points
- Broken Top: Broken Top sells 45 day-use people a day against 90 here, and its road is a rough high-clearance drive past Todd Lake. This trailhead has a gravel road that Oregon Hikers says sedans can manage, and the 2025 blogger chose it to reach Broken Top by foot.1,4,8
- Todd: Todd sells 24 day-use people a day and 2 overnight groups, so Tam McArthur offers nearly four times the day permits and 3 overnight groups.1
- Crater Ditch: Crater Ditch sells 24 day-use people and shares 2 overnight groups with Broken Top. A Tam McArthur loop camper in 2021 filled water at Crater Creek springs on the way past.1,7
Rules every Central Cascades trailhead shares
- Permits are required June 15 to October 15. Day-use permits are needed at 19 of the 79 trailheads in the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington and Three Sisters wildernesses; every overnight stay in those three needs one.9
- Day-use permits are released in two windows, 10 days and then 2 days before the trip, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific. About 40% of overnight permits go on sale on the first Tuesday in April; the rest open 7 days before the start date.9
- The only cost is Recreation.gov's fee: $1 per person for a day-use permit, $6 per group for an overnight permit. Groups are 12 people at most.9
- You enter on the date and at the trailhead on the permit, the whole group starts the same day, and permits cannot be transferred. Forest Service offices do not issue them.9
Sources
- Central Cascades Wilderness Permit System: Quotas for Day Use and Overnight, Deschutes and Willamette National Forests, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Tam McArthur Rim Trailhead, Deschutes National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
- Tam McArthur Rim Hike, Oregon Hikers Field Guide. Read 2026-10-15.
- Tam McArthur Rim Trailhead, Oregon Hikers Field Guide. Read 2026-10-15.
- Tam McArthur Rim, Backpacking Trip, Photo Cascadia, October 2016. Read 2026-10-15.
- Tam McArthur Rim (8-19-16), Oregon Hikers Forum, August 2016. Read 2026-10-15.
- Broken Top Loop, Oregon Hikers Forum, August 2021. Read 2026-10-15.
- Letting Go of Middle Sister, kellbell blog, September 2025. Read 2026-10-15.
- Central Cascades Wilderness Permits, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
When to hike Tam McArthur Rim
Weather Forecast
Trailhead
Today
50°
35°
37%
Wed
46°
32°
Thu
48°
30°
Fri
51°
29°
Sat
49°
30°
25%
Sun
48°
28°
33%
Mon
57°
32°
Tam McArthur Rim rules, gear and safety
Safety & planning
Emergency Info
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Tam McArthur Rim.
Food Storage
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Tam McArthur Rim · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Tam McArthur Rim FAQ
How hard is it to get a Tam McArthur Rim permit?
It has one of the bigger Central Cascades day quotas: 90 people a day in 2026, 36 at the 10-day release and 54 at the 2-day release. Overnight is 3 groups a day.
Can I reach No Name Lake from the Tam McArthur Rim trailhead?
Yes, by a ridge user trail past Broken Hand. The 2025 blogger measured about 4.7 miles and 2,000 feet to Broken Hand, with a snowfield crossing on the right fork. Forum replies in 2016 say the south route skirts it.
Where do I park for the Tam McArthur Rim trail?
Oregon Hikers says to turn toward Driftwood Campground and use the lot on your right. Two trip reports say cars also park along the road, and the Little Three Creek trailhead across the road has better parking.
Tam McArthur Rim trail conditions and trip reports
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Trip Reports
Write ReportAlternatives to a Tam McArthur Rim permit
Where to stay near Tam McArthur Rim
- Driftwood Campground - DeschutesDeschutes National Forest
- Three Creeks Lake CampgroundDeschutes National Forest
- Three Creeks Meadow Horse CampDeschutes National Forest
- All Oregon campgrounds
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