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Climb the 3 Sisters Mountains in Central Oregon
Hiking North, Middle & South Sister
Experiences You Should Have Podcast Show Notes
Nestled in Central Oregon near Bend and Sisters are three breathtaking mountains, South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister. Each of these mountains are over 10,000 feet and for many Oregon climbers, it is a dream to climb all of them.
Listen above to this podcast episode on Experiences You Should Have we are talking about climbing the 3 Sisters mountains. I interviewed four athletes, three of whom are brothers: Jon, Dave, and Joe Rasca as well as their close friend, Ken Reed who in 2021 set out to climb the 3 sisters mountains… in 24 hours.
Hiking the 3 Sisters Mountains in Central Oregon
Climbing and Hiking North Sister, Middle Sister & South Sister in 24 Hours
The Rasca brothers and Ken Reed set out to hike the 3 Sisters in 24 hours. It was a dream that started when they were boy scouts and in the Summer of 2021, they achieved their dream. They started with North Sister as that requires more technical knowledge followed by middle sister then South sister. The 3 Sisters mountains are really unique from each other. North is extremely jagged, Middle is a perfect cone and then South is a huge behemoth with giant ridges on it.
The full distance is close to a Marathon, around 25 miles, which is why this is dubbed the 3 Sisters Marathon. Note that there are 10,000 feet of elevation up and down 3 times. They hiked it in this order, knowing that South Sister was the easiest of the three and would be easier to come down at night after a long day of hiking.
They started the trek at 3:45 in the morning feeling great, started below the timberline, with a few switchbacks, and gave their bodies a chance to wake up. Started out freezing cold, but knew what was ahead of them, so they were wearing shorts and light clothing. They ended the hike around 2 AM, about 23 hours later. After summitting South Sister (their last mountain) they took their time coming down in the dark.
Dave Rasca, Jon Rasca, Joe Rasca, and Ken Reed hiking the 3 sisters mountains
Climbing North Sister
North Sister is considered a technical climb and this shouldn't be done blindly. Ken and the Rasca brothers decided to do an approximate or "almost" summit where they hiked just below (in view of the summit) as they didn't feel good about ascending the Bowling Alley, the final steep loose scree approach to the final summit. Many choose to hike North Sister with ropes for additional safety. Anyone doing this section should wear a climbing helmet and have experience in mountaineering. Additional information can be found at Summitpost.
Climbing Middle Sister
This is the shortest of the 3 Sisters with an elevation of just over 10,000 feet. Hiking middle sister doesn't require technical skills, but you should be familiar with mountaineering and hike at your own risk. Additional trail information can be found from Alltrails.
Hiking South Sister
South Sister is the most popular of the 3 sisters to hike as it doesn't require technical skills and provides jaw-dropping views. It's the third tallest mountain in Oregon, coming in at 10,358 ft. If hiking the 3 sisters sounds too daunting, then South Sister would be the one to hike. It is 11.6 miles round trip with 4,900 feet in elevation gain but can be done in one day on its own.
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By Gail Lovelace MenascoHiking North, Middle & South Sister
Experiences You Should Have Podcast Show Notes
Nestled in Central Oregon near Bend and Sisters are three breathtaking mountains, South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister. Each of these mountains are over 10,000 feet and for many Oregon climbers, it is a dream to climb all of them.
Listen above to this podcast episode on Experiences You Should Have we are talking about climbing the 3 Sisters mountains. I interviewed four athletes, three of whom are brothers: Jon, Dave, and Joe Rasca as well as their close friend, Ken Reed who in 2021 set out to climb the 3 sisters mountains… in 24 hours.
Hiking the 3 Sisters Mountains in Central Oregon
Climbing and Hiking North Sister, Middle Sister & South Sister in 24 Hours
The Rasca brothers and Ken Reed set out to hike the 3 Sisters in 24 hours. It was a dream that started when they were boy scouts and in the Summer of 2021, they achieved their dream. They started with North Sister as that requires more technical knowledge followed by middle sister then South sister. The 3 Sisters mountains are really unique from each other. North is extremely jagged, Middle is a perfect cone and then South is a huge behemoth with giant ridges on it.
The full distance is close to a Marathon, around 25 miles, which is why this is dubbed the 3 Sisters Marathon. Note that there are 10,000 feet of elevation up and down 3 times. They hiked it in this order, knowing that South Sister was the easiest of the three and would be easier to come down at night after a long day of hiking.
They started the trek at 3:45 in the morning feeling great, started below the timberline, with a few switchbacks, and gave their bodies a chance to wake up. Started out freezing cold, but knew what was ahead of them, so they were wearing shorts and light clothing. They ended the hike around 2 AM, about 23 hours later. After summitting South Sister (their last mountain) they took their time coming down in the dark.
Dave Rasca, Jon Rasca, Joe Rasca, and Ken Reed hiking the 3 sisters mountains
Climbing North Sister
North Sister is considered a technical climb and this shouldn't be done blindly. Ken and the Rasca brothers decided to do an approximate or "almost" summit where they hiked just below (in view of the summit) as they didn't feel good about ascending the Bowling Alley, the final steep loose scree approach to the final summit. Many choose to hike North Sister with ropes for additional safety. Anyone doing this section should wear a climbing helmet and have experience in mountaineering. Additional information can be found at Summitpost.
Climbing Middle Sister
This is the shortest of the 3 Sisters with an elevation of just over 10,000 feet. Hiking middle sister doesn't require technical skills, but you should be familiar with mountaineering and hike at your own risk. Additional trail information can be found from Alltrails.
Hiking South Sister
South Sister is the most popular of the 3 sisters to hike as it doesn't require technical skills and provides jaw-dropping views. It's the third tallest mountain in Oregon, coming in at 10,358 ft. If hiking the 3 sisters sounds too daunting, then South Sister would be the one to hike. It is 11.6 miles round trip with 4,900 feet in elevation gain but can be done in one day on its own.