Crook County Highpoint Trip Report
Lookout Mountain (6,926 ft)
Date: September 10, 2005
Author: Jeff Macey
From Prineville up to the Ochoco Ranger station it rained on and off. Just past
the ranger station it quit. Parked at the lower parking lot to extend the hike.
I took trail 808 on the right instead of 808A after reaching the upper lot.
Noticed an extraordinary amount of animal poop on the trail that required
constant vigil to avoid. Just past the mine where the trail makes a switchback
upwards, I saw what looked like a large group of people on the trail. Then I
realized it was about 10 cows hiking the trail. I mooed at them and they sped
up and started leaving more fresh poop on the trail. About 1/2 mile from the
top they finally turned off the trail and moved away. A quarter mile more I saw
three deer to the right of the summit. Normally don’t see this many animals on an
Oregon hiking trail.
The summit view looks like it would be spectacular on a clear day, as it was it
was clear in some areas mixed with rain clouds in surrounding areas. Walked the
road from the top lot to the bottom lot on the way down and saw a cow on the
road -- mooed at him and he trotted off. Then I saw a field of cows by some
abandoned buildings, so I mooed at them and one of them mooed back so we
exchanged moos for a couple of minutes and they started up the hill and bunched together.
Not more than a hundred feet later I saw four deer take off up the hill.
At the trailhead my Jeep’s thermometer read 47 F.
My guidebook said it was 3.8 miles each way from the bottom lot and 2.8 miles
each way from the upper lot using right hand 808. It says 1.8 miles each way
from the upper lot using 808A.