Climbing
Trad climbing
Alpine climbing NCCS rating
Grade II
Elevation Gain
3,000.00 ft (914.40 m)
Distance
10.20 mi (16.42 km)
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Reaching up into the deep blue sky, Three Fingered Jack's eroded, jagged summit lures climbers in for a technical, fifth-class mountain climb on one of the most picturesque Cascade volcanoes.  A 7-mile approach along a section of the Pacific Crest Trail meanders through the white faced snags that are the remnants of the 2003 Booth Fire.  The forest is slowly on its way to recovery, and a healthy variety of wildflowers can be seen along the trail as late as August: look for lupine, paintbrush, sea aster, and Davidson's penstemon to name a few. The meadows of wildflowers extend into the nearly vertical rock faces that crumble with loose scree and flaky rock.

Be sure to bring your rope, your climbing rack, and your wits, as the exposure along “The Crawl” and its 1,000-foot drop can make the hardiest of climbers quiver.  From the summit on a clear day, you'll have views of Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, the Three Sisters, and Broken Top.  The hike and climb to the summit does take some time, so be sure to start your hike in before sunrise if you want to return to your car before sunset.  

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Summer
Fall

Congestion

Low

Parking Pass

NW Forest Pass

Pros

Fantastic views. Beautiful hike. Wildflowers. Great climb.

Cons

Technical climb requires training and gear.

Pets allowed

Allowed

Trailhead Elevation

4,840.00 ft (1,475.23 m)

Features

Backcountry camping
Big vistas
Wildflowers

Typically multi-day

No

Location

Nearby Adventures

Comments

08/26/2019
Hey - This is a real long shot... but my husband and son summited Jack yesterday via PCT (Hwy 22) and had to leave behind his nice rope on the last pitch coming down off of the top as they had some mishaps on the way up which caused them to be coming off the mountain in the dark (and he didn't want to be dumb and risk climbing back up in the dark... they'd already had one injury on the way up!). If you are up soon and would like to help get the rope back to its owner that would be soooooo cool.

Thought it was worth a try at least! This community is pretty cool.

Thanks all!

:)
08/01/2016
We did the 24 mile loop and thoroughly enjoyed it!!!!
08/31/2017
Quite a long approach, but certainly a fun climb!
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