Tam McArthur Rim Trailhead — Attraction in Sisters

Visited here Monday 7/20/2020, arrived at 1:50 am, there were 9 cars. There is no parking area for this TH, you just park on the side of the road. No bathrooms here either unless you drive to one of the campgrounds.no handicap parking and not handicap accessible. Might be ok for young children there are steep drop offs at the rim and on parts of the trail, as well as some rocky areas of the trail close to the TH. Trail is in good condition. Make sure you have an America the beautiful pass ($80), Northwest Forrest pass ($30) or pre purchase a day pass ($5) before you arrive as there is no fee box here. Make sure you also have a map of the area. No cell reception at TH. Road in is gravel, potholed, rocky and washboard, any car can make it with cautious driving. Had the rim all to ourselves for Sunrise. Beautiful Sunrise up there. We continued on to see if we could get to no name lake. Make sure you have a map of the area.the trails can get a bit confusing. At one point you have to scramble over boulders. There are 2 snow fields before broken hand that are not hard to pass, the 3rd snowfield before broken hand is steep, you can go around it or cross it. Might need micros. The snow was pretty soft when we were out there. We saw a backpacker before the scramble camping in the middle of the trail. At broken hand there is a large, steep looking snowfield to get to before no name lake the access to snowfield looked a bit sketchy. My friend and I checked out the trail that goes around the east side of BH, but it ends with trees smashed up to the rock wall and we did not feel safe getting through with our big packs on. We decided not to cross the snow field as my friend was low on energy, so we turned around here. Bring sunscreen and bug spray. There's not much shade here and there were bugs up high (mosquitoes). Bring plenty of water as well. Think we saw 30 people total most of them at the rim or heading up to the rim. Got back to our cars at 1:30 pm and it was busy. Lots of people enjoying the lake on a hot day. 10.35 miles w/1816ft Elevation gain. Campgrounds were open...

Beautiful hike. Views of the Sisters, Broken Top, Three Creeks Lake, amazing trails and elevation just 25 minutes from Sisters, OR. 5/5 rating and will absolutely hike it again.

Note: when the road turns from pavement to gravel be prepared for some SERIOUS washboarding. Not bumpy, literal WAVES in the gravel road that rock the car from side to side like you just drove into the ocean. Decent suspension is a must. I would not go up there in a Prius, but an Audi A4 was parked up there, couple CRV's, if you take it slow it's fine but you're not getting a Smart Car up there or a lowered street car.

Note: It was my own mistake, but I got a really solid sunburn on that hike from the altitude and general exposure up there. The first mile or so is wooded but once you're up to the Rim and beyond its rocky and exposed. Wide hat, lotion, whatever you have to do, make sure you bring something to shield the sun. It is also very dusty/silty up there in places, almost like beach sand so low cut shoes will be filled with dust and dirt rapidly. Boots recommended. Very windy from the Rim to Broken Top so don't lose your hat, glasses, etc.

Note: There is a dead elk in No Name Lake (at the base of Broken Top) so that water is a NO. GO. Beautiful for pictures but do not drink...

Among my most favorite hikes in Oregon, this can be done as a day hike from Portland or Eugene while still leaving plenty of time to enjoy the views from up top and stop in Sisters for an early dinner on the way back.

This hike should be on the "must-do-at-least-once" list for anyone who loves the Oregon outdoors and is up for the trek up some switchbacks to reach the top of the rim. Stay hydrated during this hike, as there aren't many shady spots atop the rim.

There is no cell-phone coverage at the trail head or lake below, but the signal is surprisingly good at the Mac Point overlook when you reach the top. Send someone a photo to make them jealous of where you are and what you can see from up there. The view is truly spectacular and worth...