BEGINNER BACKCOUNTRY: KWOLH BUTTE

A butte that every Bend, Oregon local looks at on a regular occasion, but few venture up. With a charming caldera just waiting for your first tracks, this begginner backcountry adventure to Kwohl Butte is a day trip you won’t forget.

Details:

• Distance: 9 miles
• Time: 6 hours
• Elevation gain: 3200+ ft (including the chairlift up)
• When we went: March 11, 2022; 11:30
• GPS for trail start: Turn in where the Cat Tracks merge
• Can you ski back to the car?: No
• Route Finding Difficulty: Intermediate
• Physical Exertion Difficulty: Intermediate
• Map

Getting there: 

We parked at the Sunrise Lodge of Mt. Bachelor, and took the Sunrise lift and then Summit lift to start this adventure. If you don’t have a lift ticket, you can access Kwolh Butte via Edison Sno-Park. Mt. Bachelor has in the past allowed backcountry access by skinning up the East Catch Line but at the time of writing, that is closed. Always double check the current rules on their website.

Whether you’re cruising down the backside, or skinning up the East Catch Line, you will enter into the backcountry in the same place. We headed in right around here. From here it looks like you may want to start skinning, but if you just came down the backside, just walk a few hundred feet carrying your board and you will get to more downhill. Hike around to the left of Tot Butte and you’ll find yourself on a small ridge. From here strap into your snowboard and have a blast! Continue to bear to your left as you head down so that you can arrive easily at the base of Kwolh. You will end up in a flat area and need to put your skins back on to get to the base of Kowlh Butte and then prepare for the up. 

Hiking Up Kwolh Butte:

This short hike up is not to be underestimated. It gets very steep and we highly recommend bringing crampons for your splitboard, and also crampons for your boots for the top. We did this trip without them, but it was much slower than it needed to be for that reason.

Once you do the final short boot pack to the summit, the views will be worth your effort. The caldera is nothing short of a blast! We had completely untracked snow as we jumped off the rim into the caldera. Do as many laps as you want, it’s just a short hike back up.

Getting back to the car:

When you’re ready to head out for the day, choose your line down the butte, and if you stay to your left, you’ll run into the snow covered forest road where you can skin up and prepare to head back towards the resort.

This part of the day will take the most route-finding skills, and you’ll want to head back towards Mt. Bachelor’s get back trail.

See our map for our exact line of choice. When you hit the get back trail, if it’s before 3:30 and you have a ski pass for the day, cruise down the get back trail to Cloudchaser lift and hit up one more run. If arriving after hours, you’ll have to walk out from Cloudchaser lift back to the Sunrise Parking lot. Don’t worry, there’s a well maintained snow covered road to take you there.

PROS:

• Beautiful Views
• Easily accessible, especially with a lift pass. 
• Backcountry Beginner Friendly

CONS:

• Some route-finding skills will be needed 
• A very steep section of ascent up the Butte

THE SPLIT DECISION:

Jay’s Take: “Definitely one of my favorite backcountry days. Not too much skinning, no one else around, and the stunning view of the caldera at the top is unforgettable. If I was to introduce a friend to backcountry adventures, this is where I would take them.”

Tyese’s Take:  “I absolutely loved this day! It felt like we had a backcountry playground all to ourselves, and popping back to the in-bounds of the resort felt like we had an epic secret day that nobody else knew about.”

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Jay's Current Backcountry Gear

Tyese's Current Backcountry Gear

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