Williamson Peak is a nice day hike in the Cascade Lakes region west of Bend - located in the Three Sisters Wilderness area near Lava Lake. The best way to reach the mountain is from the Lucky Lake Trailhead, just off Cascade Lakes NS Byway/Lava Lake Road. From there the hike up to the summit is a little under 4 miles via the Senoj/Six Lakes Trail. The trail grade varies from near flat to moderate with a total elevation gain of around 1600'.
Much of the hike is on established NF trail except the last half mile, which involves a moderate cross county climb up 350’ to the summit. The map below shows the basic route I took. Lucky Lake is along the way and offers a very nice water break - great for swimming during the summer.
The summit is forested with a large activation zone. There’s plenty of trees to hang a wire, etc. I had good cell phone (voice) service from Verizon, but data was very slow and inconsistent. Thankfully I was able to self spot, but it took multiple tries. APRS worked mainly on the summit, very spotty along the trail.
The summit offers filtered views of the “Sisters”, Mt Bachelor, and surrounding cascade-volcanic landscape. Overall, it’s an enjoyable activation trip when the weather is nice.
