Black Crater is a steep-sided shield volcano in the Cascade Range of central Oregon, located north of the Three Sisters and east of McKenzie Pass. Ice Age glaciers carved a large cirque into the northern flank of the mountain, and snow often lingers in its shady depths until late summer. A United States Forest Service fire lookout tower was built on the summit in 1925, but was eventually destroyed and only remnants of the foundation remain today. A 3.7-mile (6.0 km) trail leads for the summit from the northwest on Oregon Route 242, eventually wrapping around to the northeast side for the upper part of the ascent.[4]

Black Crater
The mountain seen from the Dee Wright Observatory
Highest point
Elevation	7,257 ft (2,212 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	1,411 ft (430 m)[2]
Coordinates	44°15′58″N 121°44′55″W[1]
Geography
Location	Deschutes County, Oregon, U.S.
Parent range	Cascade Range
Topo map	USGS Black Crater
Geology
Age of rock	Late Pleistocene[3]
Mountain type	Shield volcano
Volcanic arc	Cascade Volcanic Arc
Climbing
Easiest route	Trail hike

References

Further reading

• Harris, Stephen L. (2005). Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes (3rd ed.). Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87842-511-X.
• Wood, Charles A.; Kienle, Jürgen, eds. (1990). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43811-X.
• Kresek, Ray (1998). Fire Lookouts of the Northwest (3rd ed.). Historic Lookout Project. ISBN 0-87770-632-8.

External links

• "Black Crater". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
• "Black Crater". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-06-28.