Broken Top, Stratovolcano in Deschutes County, US

Broken Top is a glacially eroded complex stratovolcano in the Cascade Range, reaching 2,797 meters. Its multi-peaked massif of reddish-brown rock has jagged crests on the left and a ridge stepping down rightward into rounded summits. Snow patches fill gullies on the upper slopes, sparse gray-green vegetation mottles the slopes below, and dense dark green forest covers the base.

The volcano formed through multiple eruptions beginning around 300,000 years ago and remained active until roughly 100,000 years ago. This extended period of eruption shaped the mountain's current structure.

The name Broken Top comes from the volcano's shattered profile: glaciers have cut the cone open so its layered interior is exposed. The surrounding Three Sisters Wilderness, designated by Congress in 1964, holds 260 miles of trails, and the Three Sisters and Broken Top make up about a third of its Alpine Crest Region.

Climbing requires good fitness and careful footing on rocky terrain with exposed sections along the way. Summer months are best for visits when snow and ice are minimal and weather conditions remain more stable.

Broken Top's summit cone has been so eroded by glaciers that its interior is exposed and the crater can be seen from outside the summit area. Two glaciers remain on the peak, named Bend Glacier and Crook Glacier. The volcano sits about 20 miles (32 km) west of Bend, Oregon, in the Three Sisters Wilderness.