Sutton Mountain Wildflower Hike (Part of the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge)

We are back! We're trading our skis for hiking shoes and hitting the trail. Sutton Mountain is a remote beauty near the tiny town of Mitchell, Oregon and the Painted Hills unit of the John Day Fossil Bed National Monument, and this Mother's Day weekend hike is a perfect time to view the wildflowers.

This moderate hike is a steady climb to the high-point of Sutton Mountain. We will climb 1,600 vertical feet over 3.5 miles to the 4,692' summit, then retrace our steps to the trailhead for a total of 7 miles over 3-4 hours (get our detailed trail guide).

Our plan is to meet arrive at the trailhead at 8:00am and begin hiking at 8:15am. The trailhead is not marked, so follow the driving directions in the detailed guide linked above. It's about a 90-minute drive from Bend.

Bring 1-2 liters of water, snacks, sun protection, and layers. The trail offers little shade or protection from the wind.

Afterwards, we are headed to Mitchell and Tiger Town Brewing for lunch and a cold beverage (maybe the namesake Sutton Mountain IPA?).
After lunch we head home, or take an optional side trip to the Painted Hills.

This hike is the first in the 2022 Central Oregon Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge -- we will have info and can answer any questions you have about the challenge at the hike. You can check out recent trip reports from other challengers to get a feel for the hike.

Friendly dogs are allowed; I will be bringing my two labradoodles Farley and Lucy.

We will start together and regroup at three points along the trail. If your goal is the FKT, you can skip this event. 😉