Black Butte rises cleanly from the forest northwest of Sisters, a dark volcanic cone that is easy to pick out from much of Central Oregon. The summit trail is short by mountain standards but steep enough to feel earned, climbing through pine and open slopes to a lookout area near the top.
The reward is a wide Cascade panorama: the Three Sisters, Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and the dry country rolling east. Start early in summer, carry water, and expect sun and dust on the exposed upper sections.