The summit of Iron Mountain in the Willamette National Forest affords 360-degree views of the Central Cascades. (Janay Wright/The Bulletin)

It’s strange to come across a wooden lookout with benches and informational signs after climbing over a thousand feet to the top of a mountain. But the platform atop Iron Mountain allows visitors to safely soak in the surrounding peaks with a 360-degree view, about an hour and a half drive west from Bend.

The platform was built in 2009 on the footprint of structures built by the U.S. Forest Service that were used as a vantage point to detect wildfires.

The first lookout was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, according to one of the signs.

The top of the mountain was flattened with 200 sticks of black powder and building materials were hauled to the top with the help of mules. The lookout collapsed in 1975.

The current standing structure allows for epic views of the Central Cascades.

A fellow hiker guessed we could see as far as 70 miles on Sunday, when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A circular table in the center of the platform mapped the majestic peaks that surrounded us and included Cone Peak, Echo Mountain, Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington and the Three Sisters.

A staircase leads to an overlook from the lookout platform with another fenced-in vista.

Three parking lots

Iron Mountain is 5,440 feet high and accessible via the Iron Mountain Trail. Three parking lots surround the peak, making it possible to adjust the length of the hike.

I parked at the trailhead off of Forest Road 15 just south of Highway 20 for a 3.5-mile hike with 1,368 feet of elevation gain.

The shortest distance to the top, at 2.4 miles round trip, is from the Civil Road Trailhead west of the peak. From Bend, pass the turnoff mentioned above, turn right on Forest Road 035 and drive 2.6 miles to park at this trailhead.

It’s also possible to extend the journey to 6.6 miles by including the Cone Peak Loop, which is accessible from all three lots, the third of which includes the Tombstone Pass lot.

My husband, my dog Juno and I were plenty challenged by the moderate hike and accidentally extended our 3.5-mile trip to 4 miles after making a wrong turn along Santiam Wagon Road. But the rewards we reaped in mountain views and wildflowers made our efforts more than worthwhile.

Wildflower mecca

Iron Mountain is known as a habitat to more than 300 species of flowering plants, according to the Forest Service. We’ve entered the prime time for wildflowers to bloom, which stretches from about mid-June to mid-July, according to “52 Hikes for 52 Weeks,” a hiking guide by Franziska Weinheimer.

Shortly after departing on the trail, we were greeted by vanilla leaf, a spring wildflower with long skinny flowers that look like white pipe cleaners. We passed more wildflowers than I could keep track of throughout the length of the hike, passing bunchberry and bleeding hearts and Western trillium.

Approximately the first half of our route was protected from the sun as we passed through dense forest. Occasionally, we’d pass through open meadows. The last section of the hike is composed of a series of switchbacks with steep drop offs in sections, but continuous views that become more and more gratifying and culminate in the vista from the summit.

We saw wildflowers representing all the colors of the rainbow. A few tired purple Western trillium and pink bleeding hearts and closer to the top, fields of purple larkspur with touches of fiery red paintbrush here and there.

About a half mile from the summit, we passed a patch of snow partially covering the trail. It was a welcome reprieve for Juno, who was overheating in her warm husky coat. She plopped down in the snow, taking a few bites out of the snowdrift.

Permit required

A Northwest Forest Pass is required for this hike. The $30 annual pass may be purchased online on the Forest Service’s website or at one of the many vendors in Bend, which are listed on the website.

The list came in handy after I realized my pass had expired the evening before I was planning to head to the trail. REI in the Old Mill District was out of stock, so I purchased a pass at Newport Avenue Market. Passes are also sold at a total of 18 locations in Bend, including Sun Country Tours, Gear Fix and Big 5 Sporting Goods, according to the list.

For those who’d prefer to purchase a day pass, there’s the option to pay $5 through the Recreation.gov smartphone app right from the trailhead by scanning a QR code and filling out and small paper receipt. Bring a pen to fill out the receipt, as none were provided at the parking lot along Forest Road 15.