Rooster Rock, Menagerie Wilderness 7-13-08
Posted: July 14th, 2008, 9:09 am
Headed out east towards the cascades yesterday. I wanted to achieve a hike with some elevation but not something that was going to be extremely hot either. I chose Rooster Rock from William Sullivan's 100 Hikes book. This hike heads into the Menagerie Wilderness where good views of volcanic plugs stopped to make their home after an eruption. Many have said these plugs look like a zoo, according to Sullivan. I chose to take the shorter, but much steeper route, since I wanted some good exercise.
At 1.6 miles you come to a fork, which is with the Trout Creek Trail. This trail is a lot easier, but also a lot longer. From here it's 0.5 miles to the top. The trees are so badly over grown that views of all the rock pillars are about nothing. I had a great view of Iron Mountain and the North and Middle Sister though. Here are a few pics:
Iron Mountain:
North and Middle Sister:
I was very disappointed with this hike. I liked the exercise but the views were no good. William Sullivan described another trail that led to what they call Rabbit Ears, a popular rock climbing pillar. I found it but it was so faint and full of over growth that it wasn't easy to follow. I don't recommed this hike at all. Sullivan described good views of many rock pillars, but that might of been 10 years ago. So, if you like exercise and don't care about what you see, this is a hike for you. -Jen
At 1.6 miles you come to a fork, which is with the Trout Creek Trail. This trail is a lot easier, but also a lot longer. From here it's 0.5 miles to the top. The trees are so badly over grown that views of all the rock pillars are about nothing. I had a great view of Iron Mountain and the North and Middle Sister though. Here are a few pics:
Iron Mountain:
North and Middle Sister:
I was very disappointed with this hike. I liked the exercise but the views were no good. William Sullivan described another trail that led to what they call Rabbit Ears, a popular rock climbing pillar. I found it but it was so faint and full of over growth that it wasn't easy to follow. I don't recommed this hike at all. Sullivan described good views of many rock pillars, but that might of been 10 years ago. So, if you like exercise and don't care about what you see, this is a hike for you. -Jen