Coffin Lookout Trail

Located near the Mount Jefferson Wilderness area, this short but steep hike provides great views of the Cascade Mountains, Detroit Lake and Willamette Valley. Atop the coffin shaped formation at 5,771 feet sits an active lookout tower. The trail starts out from a small parking area located just off of a Forest Service road. After a few hundred meters the trail widens into a rocky area and appears to go straight, but in fact heads left and up around the bushes. After quickly climbing out of the forest, the trail opens up to a meadow. Wildflowers line the trail from late June through August, which is a beautiful sight, but which also means the trail is almost completely exposed to the hot summer sun. Be prepared with enough water to make it up and back. Closer to the top, the trail levels out near the lookout tower, which was built in 1984. Even though the lookout tower is staffed by the Forest Service during the summer months, there are no amenities for visitors to use. Please be respectful to the person living and working there if you're hiking during the summer months. For better views of Mount Jefferson, be sure to check out Bachelor Mountain, which is pretty close to the Coffin Mountain Trailhead and a hike with a similar distance. The Forest Service roads leading to the trailhead are part of an active logging area and can be a bit rough.