Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Series - 3 Sisters Challenge

The Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Series events present an exciting opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to participate in a multimedia adventure blogging contest. These self-supported/unsupported events are open to trail runners, backpackers, fastpackers, and hikers, and each event features a unique and defined route which participants must complete on foot and in one push. Unlike traditional endurance races, there are no course markings or aid stations along the way, providing participants with the freedom to create their own adventure. It’s all up to you! Participants can choose to tackle the route solo or with a couple friends. There are no cutoffs, so participants can take as much time as they need to complete the route without pressure. This unique event is not just about the physical challenge or exploring wild and beautiful places, but also about the opportunity to capture and share the beauty of the wilderness through captivating multimedia content.

After finishing your route, share your trip report about your experience. You can do this by posting in the Facebook group, tagging us in an Instagram post, making a YouTube video, creating a photo album, or any other artistic endeavor you can imagine. Submit your time via the event page on Ultrasignup. If you have a GPS track, please include it. If you happened to get the FKT for the year, you must provide GPS proof. Each year a meetup will be held in Seattle to wrap up the previous year, kick off the next year, make any big announcements about new routes or changes, and hand out patches, awards, and prizes for the previous year’s participants. If you are unable to attend the event, arrangements can be made to mail your patches to you. We strongly encourage all entrants to join the CWES Facebook Group and/or follow the @CascadianWildernessEndurance Instagram to ask questions about the routes, gather and share trail beta, connect with other participants, scope out the competition, and keep up to date on the most recent news, information, and general goings on.

This contest is brought to you by the Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Company LLC.

Route Description

There are no trailheads located on the figure-8 proper at all, so regardless of what trailhead you start at, the loop will require a short approach (which range in distance from 1.5 to 5-6 miles). The GPX listed starts at the shortest possible approach from a car accessible trailhead, which is Pole Creek, located at the end of Forest Road 1524 southwest of Sisters, Oregon. From Pole Creek TH, it is about 1.5 miles to reach the trail to start the loop. Another advantage of starting at Pole Creek is that it does NOT require a day use permit (as of this writing). Please check with the forest service to determine if this is still true before you set out. This route is also prime for a multi-day backpacking trip, which may require a backcountry permit. Start at Pole Creek TH and head toward Green Lakes Trail #4070. From here, you may choose to go either direction, but the slightly shorter route is to make a right and head north. Follow trail #4070 until it ends at Scott Pass Trail #4068. Make a left and go westbound on Scott Pass toward the PCT. Head south on the PCT for about 12.9 miles. Here you will make a left onto an unmaintained trail near Separation Creek and head up to the saddle between South and Middle Sister. Follow the unmaintained trail to Camp Lake. At the lake, this trail begins a more maintained section that you will follow as you head down the saddle and return to trail #4070. Now turn south and #4070 will eventually turn into trail #17, which you will follow to Green Lakes. Continue until you hit a junction where trail #17.1 splits off to the west toward Marine Lake. Take this trail and follow it until you reach a junction with Wickiup Plains Trail #14.3. Head north/west on this trail towards the PCT, then take the PCT northbound. Eventually you will come to a junction with the unmaintained Separation Creek Trail and climb up and through the saddle a second time as you head back toward Pole Creek Trail #4072. Take this back to the trailhead. Side trips abound along this loop if you are up for the extra mileage. Options include summitting South Sister or Broken Top, enjoying one of the many alpine lakes, or taking a trip to the Obsidian Cliffs (requires a special access permit).

Why should you pay $20 to complete one of the endurance challenges? A small part of the fee will go to cover website maintenance and domain registration, as well as getting patches made and other small goodies/swag. The majority of this fee will be donated to trail maintenance organizations. Why are we even doing this? To get people out into the wonderful wilderness areas that we have here in the Northwest and to build the community of adventurous people! The trip report is just as important as actually finishing the route, and we love it when people come up with creative ways to share their experience. Information isn't always readily available for these areas, and maps can be scarce and not always reliable (especially the Pasayten and Frank Church/Selway Wildernesses.) That can intimidate some that aren't as experienced outdoors-people. The goal is to empower people to get out into these wilderness areas and hopefully to protect them into the future.