Larches in Oregon! Metolius Preserve
- Kati Cooke
- Oct 25
- 6 min read
For years I've seen "larch madness" posts online, and told myself I'd make the long drive up to the North Cascades to see these famous trees. Unfortunately 7 hours each way is a big commitment when you have a full time job. This fall, I promised myself I'd finally see the larches, but was dismayed to find I would be traveling to Montana during the "golden" window of opportunity.
I don't give up easily, so I did my research and found that all was not lost... there is another species of larch tree that actually grows in Oregon! And their leaves change color later in the season than their northern cousin! With this information, I planned my mid-October larch madness weekend getaway.
Western vs. Subalpine Larch
If you are a member of any PNW hiking related Facebook group, you've undoubtedly heard of larch trees. The entire PNW hiking community flocks to the North Cascades and the Enchantments every October to see the golden needles of the famous Subalpine Larch.
Nerd Alert.... I've become a little obsessed with plants and trees so bear with me here.
What makes people drive 14+ hours round trip just for a tree?
The elusive larch is a deciduous conifer - two words I did not know could go together. A deciduous tree has leaves that turn orange, red, or yellow in the autumn, and fall off, just to grow back in the spring. A conifer is an evergreen tree - "ever green" denoting that the needles always stay green. Enter the larch... it's a beautiful conifer who's needles turn bright yellow in the fall, drop, and grow back in the spring.
Why would a larch lose its needles when most evergreens don't? The simplest explanation I found is that larches live in such cold climates, they save energy by dropping their needles in the fall so they don't have to perform photosynthesis throughout the winter.
The most famous larches you'll see on social media are the Subalpine Larches. These only grow at 4,900-9,500 feet above sea level, meaning that you have to hike quite a ways to see them. The difficulty in finding these trees adds to the appeal - you'll have to drive across the state and hike for miles, at the exact right time of year, to get the payoff.
For most of us, this kind of travel just isn't feasible. So I was thrilled to find out about the Western Larch! It is still a very rare tree. It only grows near the Columbia River in Canada, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. However, it likes lower elevations: 2,000-6,500 feet above sea level. It is also much larger than the Subalpine Larch - up to 170 feet tall compared to only 70 feet. It's leaves turn more of a greenish yellow, while the Subalpine Larch is quite golden. They're both incredibly beautiful trees and I would love to finally see the Subalpine Larches in the North Cascades next fall!
How to Find Western Larches in Oregon
Once you know what to look for, larches are easy to spot in Oregon. They're found in the Blue Mountains, the east side of Mount Hood, central Oregon, and southern Oregon. They turn color later in the season, around mid to late October (perfect for those who saw their friends' North Cascade pics a little too late...)
I chose to visit the Metolius Preserve this year, so I'll discuss that in more detail shortly. Here are some other great locations to find larches in Oregon:
Blue Mountains (4-5 hours from Portland) - try the Umatilla Rim Trail or look for larches along highways near Baker City
Central Oregon (2-3 hours from Portland) - hike in the Metolius Preserve or in Shevlin Park
Mount Hood (1-2 hours from Portland) - anything near Timothy Lake! I actually saw several larches right off US-26 on our drive back from Bend this past weekend
Southern Oregon (5 hours from Portland) - there is supposedly a small concentration of larches on Clover Creek road by Klamath Falls
The Metolius Preserve
My husband and I decided on the Metolius Preserve for our larch trip. It is close to Bend, so we made a weekend getaway out of it, also visiting the city of Bend, some ghost towns (including Shaniko!), Kah-Nee-Tah hot springs, and Mount Hood.
The Metolius Preserve is operate by the Deschutes Land Trust. It is close to the beautiful Camp Sherman, and contains 3 miles of Lake Creek (a tributary of the Metolius River). In addition to Western Larches, the preserve has ponderosa pines, Douglas firs, vine maples, and the Peck's penstemon - a wildflower that only grows in this part of Oregon.
There are two trailheads: North and South. Both have parking areas and there are no fees!! Another unusual perk - dogs (on leashes) are allowed!! The preserve is essentially flat, with dirt and gravel trails and some bridges. We saw several people biking and I'm dying to go back and bike all 10+ miles of trails.
We hiked the Larch Trails (in orange on the map below), because it sounded the most promising for larch sightings! Our total hike was about 3-miles. You can find the full-size map here.
Even as we started driving into the preserve, we could see larches by the road. As we hiked, it was mostly ponderosa pines, with larches dispersed. There were also stunning sections of mostly vine maples, with incredible fall color. I think we were a little early for peak larch color, as the trees were more of a lime green than a bright yellow - still absolutely beautiful.
Fun Activities Nearby
If you want to make a whole weekend central Oregon trip out of your larch hunting, there are so many underrated spots in this area. Here are a few of my favorites from over the years:
Suttle Lake - 8 minutes away: The lake might be too cold for swimming this time of year, but it's still a beautiful spot for hiking. There is a dreamy log cabin lodge with a very fancy (expensive) restaurant.
Sisters OR (Sno Cap Drive In) - 17 minutes away: Sisters is a western town with only 3,000 residents. There is a small but cute downtown area. Sno Cap Drive In is famous for their huckleberry milkshakes (Rainn Wilson from The Office has been known to eat here - he lives nearby!)
Camp Sherman - 7 minutes away: It's hard to explain what exactly Camp Sherman is... I would call it a small neighborhood of cabins along the shore of the Metolius River, with a post office and a general store. Absolutely worth stopping at! The river is stunning and the cabins are so charming. You can hike, relax by the river, or fly fish. I don't know much about fishing, but I've been told the Metolius River is world-renowned.
Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery - 16 minutes away: I really like to visit fish hatcheries and see fish up close. This one is known for resident bald eagles that swoop down to eat the fish. We sat and watched one hunt for several minutes, and unfortunately he didn't catch anything, but it was still fun to watch him dive. However, as we were walking out, we saw a common crow easily pick up a salmon fry from one of the other ponds!
Head of the Metolius - 12 minutes away: There is a very short walk from the parking lot to the head of the Metolius River. It was less dramatic than I expected, but still cool to see. The river bubbles up from underground springs. There's an observation deck and picnic tables.
Black Butte - 34 minutes away: It's been 7 or 8 years since I've hiked Black Butte, but I remember it being one of my favorite hikes ever. It is very steep, and 4 miles roundtrip from the upper trailhead. The summit has a panoramic view of Mount Jefferson, the Three Sisters, and Mount Hood, and a historic fire lookout.
Happy Larch Hunting!
It's the tail end of Larch Season in the PNW, so I hope you're able to get out and find some before the needles drop! I plan on visiting the Metolius Preserve again in a few weeks with my bike, and hopefully catch the peak color (as I was a little early for this trip).
The irony of my whole trip, is that we drove almost 3-hours to find Western Larches. However, on the drive back home, we took the highway on the east side of Mount Hood (by Timothy Lake). And what else would be right off the road, then several golden-yellow Western Larches! After all my research and travel, I found the elusive larch in a place I've visited several times. I considered it a small bonus sighting to cap off an incredible weekend.
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