Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.

Let’s be honest – we’ve all had relationship issues before. Struggles, sadness, breakups, etc. How do you counteract those moments in life? You can take a wild guess at how I did – SOLO HIKING TRIP!!

This is my solo trip I took to Oregon back in October 2016 [this blogpost was created in 2026]. Like many of my early hiking adventures, you’ll see quite a few self-pics here (sorry, lol). I hiked several of the hikes on my bucket list on this trip: Mount Scott, Misery Ridge, Rope-a-Dope, Tam-a-Lau and St. Perpetua. Some of these I’ve yet to complete a blogpost for – so stay tuned!

Something I should always be in the practice of doing, here is a picture of me at the trailhead sign (not always available)…

The following is the start-of-hike video I made for Mount Scott. I should do more of these, huh? …

If you’d like a little glimpse of what the hike looks like, check it out…

The weather was pretty cool (at least for this Southern boy) and it became increasingly cooler as you climb the mountain to higher elevation (who would’ve thought? lol). As I made my way up to the top, I spotted a cool creature that I’ve never seen before.

Pretty damned cute, huh? I thought so. For ages, I thought this was a pika for some reason. I’ve seen an actual pika since then, and they basically look like a mouse with large, rounded ears and a same color coat (at least the ones I have seen). In fact, I have a picture of one on Hike #489 (Cascade Canyon Trail). Here’s a picture of the golden mantled ground squirrel as it scurried away…

Like most mountain hikes, this one is mostly straight up and wrapping around the mountain until you get towards the top. The spot below is where the hike mellows out elevation-wise but is quite cold…

I absolutely love this picture because it provides a glimpse of the firehouse, the icy vegetation at the top and the background of the flat terrain on the east side of Crater Lake. As I made it to the top, it was cold and quite windy but oh.my.god… look at the views…

Forgive me for the botch job on the panoramic around the edges. Phone camera technologies have evolved since then and so have my picture-taking skills. And I consider this one of my more iconic top-of-mountain videos. Here goes…

What an absolutely special place – Crater Lake AND Mount Scott. I can see myself coming back here one day during the summer and eating lunch at the top on a clear day. Of course, being here on a clear day is part luck unless you’re hanging out nearby (or live nearby) and pounce at the right time.

The clouds were moving quite swiftly (similar to Neahkahnie Mountain hike on the Oregon Coast). But patience pays off. The clouds mostly cleared out for an amazing view of the lake, the icy vegetation and the road/parking lot that led me to Mount Scott…

Wow, what a special place. And this picture shows you the ridgeline close to where the trail is located…

And per my earlier-days protocols – lots of self-pics! But hey, I’ve been told the pictures you remember are the ones you are included in because it ties well to your memories. You’ve probably noticed that I lean towards just taking beautiful pictures of things as is these days.

And if you’d like to see the much flatter, long-range views east of Crater Lake, here is your perspective…

Another great idea that I’m doing less of these days… a post-hike report! If I were to make this a regular thing on each hike moving forward, what information would you find helpful?

As I was driving back to Crater Lake Lodge, I had to pull over and snap a “YEAH I HIKED THAT” picture of Mount Scott. Warning, it’s small and grainy. The original was lost years ago…

Total Distance/Time: 4.4 miles in 1 hr 41 min
Calories Burned: 636
Trail Type: Out-and-back
Trail Features: Mountain, long-range views, lake views, mountain views, squirrels, firehouse
Best Time to Hike: July-September
Difficulty Rating: 8/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 42.929268, -122.029732
Trail Tips:

• Parking. My proverbial parking tip. 🙂 I had zero issues parking at the parking lot hiking this place in October. In fact, I had the entire hike all to myself. But I suspect during peak season (summer) the parking lot may fill up pretty quickly.
• Layers: Bring layers. It’s almost certain to be cold and windy at the top.
• Where to Stay: Crater Lake Lodge isn’t cheap but wow, a one night’s stay there is quite special. When I stayed, they had an old-fashioned lock-and-key. Even this cybersecurity professional can appreciate the beauty in that. 🙂