This lesser-visited hike to the top of Bunker Hill features woodland wildflowers, a steep climb, and views over the Wind River Valley.

distance: 5.5 miles (roundtrip)
elevation gain: 1,310 ft.
difficulty: moderate
drive time from Portland: 1 hour 5 min.
parking pass: none
hike description: Oregon Hikers – Bunker Hill hike

Gaia GPS track

The hike to the top of Bunker Hill is not particularly popular, which made it a good choice for Memorial Day weekend when I wanted to avoid crowds while still getting in a solid workout. Part of the route also follows the Pacific Crest Trail, which appealed to me since I’ve been trying to day hike as much of the PCT in this area as I can.

We started at the Trout Creek Trailhead off Forest Road 43, where parking is limited. If you want a shorter hike with more parking, the Whistle Punk Trailhead is another option. Before we started the hike, we checked out the large bridge over Trout Creek.

The trail begins on the PCT, following a relatively flat section through a lovely forest before reaching the junction with the Bunker Hill Trail.

I was surprised to see beargrass already in bloom so early in the hike, especially at around 1,200 feet elevation. I usually associate beargrass with much higher elevations, closer to 3,500 feet. We also saw quite a few woodland wildflowers along this section, including Oregon anemones, candy flower, western buttercup, bride’s bonnet, bunchberry, and Solomon’s plume.

This trail crosses roads twice, so you need to look for PCT signs since the continuation is not directly across the road each time.

After 1.3 miles, we reached the junction with the Bunker Hill trail and took the uphill trail to the left.

Once on the Bunker Hill Trail, the climb becomes much steeper, gaining roughly 1,200 feet in 1.7 miles. The trail heads uphill through a series of 11 switchbacks. It’s a moderately steep climb, and hiking poles would definitely be helpful here, especially on the descent to make it easier on your knees.

There were a few blowdowns along the trail, with one larger one requiring a bit of a scramble to get around, though it was still manageable.

Bunker Hill itself is an igneous volcanic plug that pushed up through layers of lava flows and volcanic debris roughly 20 to 25 million years ago. At the 2,383-foot summit, a former Forest Service lookout once stood, though only the concrete foundations remain today. Trees now block most views directly from the summit.

The best views are from rocky outcroppings reached by a short side trail just before the top. From there, we had views looking out over the Wind River Valley. These rocky areas are extremely exposed, with sheer drop-offs, so be very careful near the edges.

We originally planned to stop there for a snack break, but there were hundreds of ants crawling over the rocks, so we changed plans and headed back down to the main trail for our break.

One thing I really liked about this hike was how quiet it felt. On the way in, we only saw two hikers finishing a section of the PCT. On the way back, we saw five more people, along with two horses and one dog.

On the lower section of trail, we passed by the beargrass again and I stopped to take a few closeups.

It was a warm day, and after sweating a lot on the uphill hike, we stopped at Trout Creek to soak our feet in the cold, refreshing water before heading home.

I’ve been testing a new pair of Salewa hiking shoes for a review, and wanted to see how well they would drain so I kept them on in the creek. They did drain the water as I hiked back to the car, but not as much as regular trail running shoes do.