Distance, 4.22-miles round trip. Elevation gain, 1,058 ft.
A. Starting at A, the first section passes through oak savannah, with views across an open basin. In winter, rivulets run across the trail in charming stonework channels.
B. Here, you reach an open meadow with a three-way trail junction. To the north, see East Springfield, and from East Springfield, you can see this meadow.
C. On northern and eastern slopes, scattered oak woodlands lie within a temperate rainforest of Douglas-fir, bigleaf maple, sword ferns and moss. This section provides welcome shade on hot summer afternoons.
D. Looking up the powerlines, this is the steepest slope in the Bufford Rec. Area.
E. Avoid most of a steep climb by jogging east from a section of gravel road. On the jog, pass an old fence marking the Buford Rec. Area boundary.
F. Following the upper end of the Main Route, climb Pisgah's summit ridge, mostly through oaks and maples. Flat farm fields spread-out 1,000 ft below, showing how high you have climbed.
G. The summit features a sighting pedestal that helps familiarize you with your surroundings. To the SE, Diamond Peak rises on the crest of the Cascade Range. To the west, and a little south, Spencer Butte’s summit is 500 ft higher than the summit of Pisgah. Both right on the top, and just to the south, benches provide top-of-the-world views of the surrounding geography.
Y. Alternately, starting at Y instead of A, the first section, on Trail 17, is similar to starting at A, but lacks views across the open basin, and it doesn’t have charming stonework that guides rivulets across the trail. On the other hand, this trailhead has heated restrooms. Plus, for folks without an annual parking permit, this trailhead is where you can purchase daily parking.
Z. The Main Route to the summit is shorter than my favorite route, but includes several sections that climb quite steeply, and it is more exposed to the summer sun.
Happy Trails!