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Sunrise from Tumalo Mountain | Bend, Oregon

Antonina PattizAntonina Pattiz · Updated
Snow-covered pines and Mount Bachelor under a pink sunrise sky from Tumalo Mountain near Bend

Let’s talk about the day we hiked Tumalo Mountain for sunrise, shall we?

Our alarm goes off at 4:30 in the morning and we reluctantly find ourselves trying to get up in the dark. The cold mountain air isn’t helping at all. Add that to the very steep hike of 4 miles and 1,400 feet of elevation gain that awaits and I’m using all the womanly sorcery I can muster to convince Will we should just hit snooze.

“The mountain isn’t going anywhere, right?”

But Will is no stranger to my shenanigans and I can tell I’m getting nowhere. I know I can’t get out of the hike, so I lace up my shoes and hope for the best. Once we reach the summit, Will asks if the early morning wake up was worthwhile.

Absolutely. The views are unforgettable. Well, you better believe I won’t let the effort of this hike be in vain! I’m tagging you all along for the ride.

So, let’s talk about our chilly (and stunning!) sunrise ascent of Tumalo Mountain near Bend.

sunrise at tumalo mountain peak

We started the hike in the dark and quickly realized our naivety.  Neither of us have hiked this trial before so we resorted to doing what we do best. We got lost. In fact, we got lost within 15 minutes! Our little snafu set us back and we had to make up for lost time.

Oh, remember when I mentioned the elevation gain earlier?

Now imagine 1,400 feet of elevation gain in 2 speedy miles because you took a wrong turn (and Lord knows the sun isn’t waiting for you). Yeah, it was tough! But it’s funny, no matter how hard something is in the moment, it’s impossible to relay the emotions in a story after the fact. Just know that I was beat, but we had a job to do!

Hiking Tumalo Peak

  • Tumalo Mountain is a volcano that lies northeast of Mount Bachelor. The trail starts at Dutchman Flat Sno-Park and follows a steep ascent to the summit. It’s worth noting that the trail is not visible when there is snow on the ground. We figured we couldn’t get lost if we just kept going up.
  • As you climb, your back will face Mt. Bachelorso make sure to turn around and give ‘er a wink every once in a while. About a mile into the hike the forest begins to thin and gives way to views of the summit.
  • From the top, you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of Mt. Bachelor, South Sister and Broken Top. A lot of people choose to ski down the east side of the mountain. It’s beautiful!
sunrise from tumalo mountain peak

So up the steep mountain we went. Half the team (of which there were two members) persevered and reached the summit for sunrise. Will then had to come down and find me because I got lost (again).

We had a great time though and the views were worth the rude awakening. We soaked in the views, split a granola bar and made our way down to the car. From there, we popped into town and enjoyed a well-deserved brunch.

This hike was so worthwhile, cold and all. There’s something spectacular about catching a sunrise and hiking 4 miles before most of the west coast wakes up. And I guess there’s something special about 9:30am naps as well – ha!

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Antonina Pattiz

Antonina Pattiz

I’m from Portland and I write Oregon Essential, which is just me, my camera, and a lot of trips I actually took. Every photo here is mine. Every pick is one I’d give a friend. More about me →

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