The 1st Oregon Volunteer Infantry in 1865 established Camp Polk three miles northeast of present-day Sisters. Camp Polk was a military camp intended to protect miners and settlers from Native Americans but lacking actual conflict, it was soon abandoned. The area was subsequently homesteaded in 1870 with a store and post office, the latter being moved 3 miles south. The city grew from a sheepmen supply station to a lumber town and was officially founded in 1946. The lumber industry dried up in the 1960s and Sisters transitioned to retail and recreational tourism as an economic driver. History buffs might enjoy this virtual tour of historically significant sites in Sisters.

Black Crater is a steep-sided shield volcano in the Cascade Range. Ice age glaciers carved a large cirque into the northern flank of the mountain making the shield volcano somewhat difficult to recognize. From here you get one of the best looks of Black Crate in Central Oregon.

A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior’s shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava erupted from a stratovolcano. Repeated eruptions result in the steady accumulation of broad sheets of lava, building up the shield volcano’s distinctive form. [Wikipedia]

On September 9, 2012 lightning struck the surrounding areas burning about 41 square miles, the largest Central Oregon fire in 2012. The area remained closed until mid-May 2013, when enough of the downed trees were cleared to re-open the trails. Pole Creek was known as an area thick with lodgepole pines and subalpine firs, not very scenic because the thick cover blocked distant views. Today, the mountain views from the area are jaw-dropping.

Around mile 21, the route starts to descend a wide gravel road alongside a cliff with BIG views of Tam McArthur rim and North Sister. This is about the start of the descent so it is worth stopping for a moment to see the views from the top before descending back into some covered areas.

Prior to the arrival of American settlers in the Upper Deschutes Basin in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Whychus Creek was a source of fish and water for the native tribes who lived and traveled through the region. Then settlers came. Irrigation diversions were established and the summer months would see the creek occasionally run dry as irrigation demands increased. By 1912, a dry creek was a regular occurrence. Between 1960 and 1999, two out of every three years saw the creek run dry in summer.

In 1999, changes in the way the creek was viewed led a collaboration of farmers, government officials, and conservation organizations to start working together to bring back summer streamflow to the creek. That was the beginning of a massive effort spanning the next 20 years to restore the creek to health in order to support the reintroduction of fish migrating up river from the ocean to spawn in freshwater. [The Nugget Newspaper]

Without access to Skyline Forest, this route as is would not be possible. Skyline Forest is under threat of development. Listen to the podcast in the right side panel to the to learn more or give this a read.

The 2010 Rooster Rock Fire burned 6,134 acres south of Sisters primarily on private land in the Skyline Forest, then owned by Fidelity National Timber Resources. Nearly 1,000 firefighters worked to contain the blaze. While hotspots still smoldered after containment, the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry began restoration efforts on the affected public land, limiting efforts on the private land to repairing damage due to fire suppression efforts.

Caution! It is easy to miss these turns into the Peterson Ridge Trail System. It is quite shaded through the trees and low in technical difficulty. But flowy, slightly downhill, and fun! “The Peterson Ridge Trails in Sisters were originally constructed in 1989 as a mountain bike trail network consisting of a combination of single-track and old forest service roads. In 2008, a major expansion of the network increased the amount of single track to over 20 miles and included signage and trail markers to aid riders in navigation.” [Bend Trails]