Thunder Mountain to Chimney Rock Trail Preview

Should you hike Thunder Mountain Trail to Chimney Rock Summit? What the film settles

A long traverse, then one hard climb at the end.

The traverse is most of the film. From the trailhead the route crosses cairn-marked slickrock below Capitol Butte, then narrow single track through manzanita and juniper. The traverse tops out at 25:00 with Chimney Rock still a long way off; a rocky stretch under the cliffs follows at 33:10, and the formation comes into view across the slabs at 49:30. Following cairns on bare rock is the skill here: navigating the cairn-marked route.

The climb starts at the junction. At 1:05:50 the film reaches the junction below Chimney Rock. From there loose, rocky steps on the use trail lead up the cone, and the steepest section, close under the rock, comes at 1:22:10. Watch it before you decide whether everyone in your group goes up; see Chimney Rock difficulty and hike time.

The saddle, and the start of the way down. The film reaches the saddle at 1:26:40, with the pillars right beside you, and keeps going down past the formation until 1:38:00, so you can see what the loose footing is like in the downhill direction too.

Skip the final climb if loose, steep ground is not for you. The traverse has no single destination, so you can turn around anywhere; Thunder Mountain difficulty and hike time

What the full film shows, chapter by chapter

Timestamps read from the full 1:38:39 film. Owners can jump straight to any chapter.

1. 0:00 Thunder Mountain trailhead The fence and the wide dirt start; about 4,560 ft.
2. 8:40 The bench below Capitol Butte Cairn-marked slickrock and juniper (0.5 mi).
3. 16:50 The traverse Narrow single track through manzanita and juniper (0.9 mi, about 4,715 ft).
4. 25:00 Sunrise on the high bench The high point of the traverse, 1.2 mi and about 4,820 ft; Chimney Rock still a long way off.
5. 33:10 Rocky stretch under the cliffs Loose rock and short ups and downs (1.5 mi, about 4,740 ft).
6. 49:30 Slickrock with Chimney Rock ahead The formation comes into view across the slabs (2.2 mi, about 4,750 ft).
7. 57:40 Down to the low point The traverse drops toward the Chimney Rock loop (2.7 mi).
8. 1:05:50 The junction below Chimney Rock: the climb begins 3.1 mi and about 4,640 ft — from here it is 420 ft up in 0.8 mi.
9. 1:14:00 Up the cone Loose, rocky steps on the use trail (3.5 mi).
10. 1:22:10 The steep final climb The steepest section, close under the rock (3.8 mi).
11. 1:26:40 Chimney Rock saddle: the high point 3.9 mi and 5,062 ft on the overlay; the pillars right beside you.
12. 1:30:20 Beside the pillars: the way down begins The descent starts past the base of the formation (4.0 mi, about 4,925 ft).
13. 1:38:00 End of the film 4.3 mi and about 4,695 ft, part-way down; the walk back to the trailhead is not shown.

Not in the film: the rest of the descent and the walk back to the trailhead.

Planning the real hike? Read the full Thunder Mountain Trail to Chimney Rock Summit trail guide for difficulty, parking, permits and route-finding details.