The Wife

Overview

The Wife is located in the Three Sisters Wilderness about four miles southwest of South Sister. The Wife is the remnants of a stratovolcano, which has been greatly eroded by glaciers, and has a cliff on its east face. It is composed primarily of andesite.

This area has received some media attention in the past few years due to a growing bulge detected in the earth here, thought to be associated with intrusion of magma far below the surface. For more information about this development, please visit the USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory website.

There is no trail to the top, but it is a very easy scramble, and on a clear day views stretch from Mount Thielsen to Mount Hood, with particularly excellent views of South Sister, Middle Sister, The Husband and Rock Mesa. The shortest route is from the Devil’s Lake trailhead. The round trip distance is a little less than nine miles, and has an elevation gain of 1600 feet.

Getting There

From Bend, drive west on Century drive, this turns into the Cascade Lakes Highway (46). Continue for 28.7 miles to the Devil’s Lake campground. It will be on the left.

Red Tape

A Northwest Forest Pass is required to park. They cost $5 for a daily pass or $30 for an annual pass. Another alternative is the $80 Interagency Annual Pass.

Images

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