Central Oregon - Mount Jefferson Wilderness - The BEST Three Fingered Jack Mountain Viewpoint Area

My goal of these wilderness trail videos is to 1) show reverence for the beauty of the land, and 2) give YOU actionable trail information that can assist you in planning your own hike here.

This was a day-hike in Central Oregon, Mount Jefferson Wilderness, starting at Pacific Crest Santiam Pass Trailhead to what I'm calling "Three Fingered Jack Viewpoint", an area not named on a map, but the natural turnaround point for the higher elevation alpine portion of this section. Total distance was around 14 miles roundtrip, I added an extra mile to explore the Climbers section of the trail. Started hike at 6:20 AM and completed around 1:20 PM, so around 7 hours total. Weather was low of 61 degrees, high of 88 degrees, was an overcast day with some smoke from regional wildfires. This was hiked on 8/14/2021, trail was completely clear of snow, and there were NO Mosquitoes! On Alltrails this hike is called "Three Fingered Jack Loop". As far as road conditions, the trailhead is a short distance after you turn off the Highway and is paved smooth, there should be no issues. A 4-Wheel Drive vehicle is certainly NOT required. As far as permits, the Pacific Crest Santiam Pass Trailhead DOES NOT require a Recreation.gov permit for a day-hike like I did here, but it DOES require one if you plan to overnight. Of course you still need to do a Self-Issue Permit at the Trailhead, but that doesn't require any advanced planning and is free.