Snow on Cache Mountain (Sisters)

Cache mountain is morphing from a spectrum of fall colors into a stark world of black and white, as snow covers the low-growing ground covers between the blackened tree trunks left after the 2002 Cache Mountain fire. Blasts of color from Oregon Grapes and Maple Vines still peek through, making for amazing photos, so bring your camera when you head out on this trek. Start out in hiking boots, but bring snowshoes to strap on when you hit the snow. To get there, turn off Hwy 20 (Santiam Hwy) onto Forest Road 2070, marked with a sign to Suttle Lake. Go past the lake and veer left onto Rd 2066. Parking spots are just above Scout Lake, which is just a mud-hole in fall and winter; the trail starts on the far side of Scout Lake.