Puck Lakes Backpack – 08/31/2024 & 09/01/2024

We hadn’t managed to get out on an overnight backpacking trip in 2024 due to a combination of weather, fires, and being focused on finishing our goal of hiking at least part of 500 of William L. Sullivan’s featured hikes in his “100 Hikes” guidebook series (post). We’re now down to having just one featured hike left which we are planning to do as an overnight trip. We have that planned for September so we thought it would be a good idea to break out our backpacking gear for a test run first.

We chose the Puck Lakes in the Sky Lake Wilderness as our destination. These lakes are actually part of one of Sullivan’s featured hikes, but we had missed them due to having started at the Cold Springs Trailhead when we completed part of that hike (post). On that trip we’d combined his featured hike from that trailhead with a loop around Luther Mountain which Sullivan listed as an option for the featured hike from the Nannie Creek Trailhead. Starting at the Nannie Creek Trailhead would allow us visit the Puck Lakes and complete the remainder of Sullivan’s “Sky Lakes via Nannie Creek” hike. With the Puck Lakes being under 2.5-miles from the trailhead they provided a relatively short hike in with our full backpacks, then we could continue on to the Snow Lakes Trail and Margurette Lake which had been part of our loop during our earlier trip.

It was a 4-hour drive to the trailhead from Salem, so we got a later start than we normally would. It was a little before 9am when we set off and already warming up quickly. The forecast was for temperatures at the Puck Lakes to push 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Nannie Creek Trail gradually climbs for the first 1.6-miles making good use of switchbacks to keep the trail from ever feeling steep.

There were hundreds of dragonflies along the trails which were much more welcome than the mosquitos that are a problem here in July and early August.

The trail entering the wilderness.

After gaining approximately 500′ of elevation the trail leveled out for a bit before descending 100′ to the Puck Lakes.
To the left through the trees is Mt. McLoughlin (post).

The currently dry outlet creek of South Puck Lake.

South Puck Lake from the Nannie Creek Trail.

Just under 2.5-miles from the trailhead we turned right toward South Puck Lake at an unsigned junction with the former Puck Lakes Trail.
Someone had taken it upon themselves to craft their own sort of sign for the Puck Lakes Trail.

The Puck Lakes Trail has long since been abandoned but at one time it had covered around 6.5-miles connecting the Nannie Creek Trail and Sevenmile Trail (post). We followed this trail a little over 200′ to South Puck Lake then continued around the western side of the lake looking for a suitable campsite.

The southern end of the lake was closed to camping for site restoration.

South Puck Lake

Use trail around the lake. The alignment of the former Puck Lakes Trail is further back from the lake.

Two of three common mergansers that seemed to be calling the lake home for now.

Our campsite for the night.

We appeared to be the only ones currently at the lake. We’d passed a couple hiking out shortly after starting our hike who mentioned that there had only been one other person at the lake the night before, and then a little later that gentleman passed us. With it being Labor Day Weekend we suspected that the privacy wouldn’t last, but it was an encouraging sign that maybe it wouldn’t be too busy. After getting camp squared away, and starting a list for Hidden Lake of things that we had forgotten, we returned to the Nannie Creek Trail and continued toward the Snow Lakes Trail.

The Nannie Creek Trail made a small climb over the first 0.9-miles from the lake then began a mile long, 400′ descent to the Snow Lakes Trail.

Just after the trail began its descent it crossed a talus field.

Mt. McLoughlin behind Luther Mountain.

Shale Butte and Lucifer Peak (double hump is Lucifer).

Pelican Butte straight ahead with peaks in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness (post) behind to the right.

A faint Mt. Shasta through the haze.

Agency Lake

The trail made a couple of switchbacks through the shale before reentering the forest where we began to encounter a fair amount of blowdown.

A good representation of the trail conditions between the talus slope and the Snow Lakes Trail. Nothing was overly problematic, but it did mean more effort on our part which in turn made it feel even warmer.

Rock cairn marking the junction with the Snow Lake Trail.

Looking back at the hillside we’d descended.

We turned left onto the Snow Lakes Trail and followed it a little under 2-miles to a trail junction between Margurette and Trapper Lake. We were familiar with this trail having hiked the first 1.4-miles as part of our loop around Luther Mountain.

One of several grouse that crossed the trail in front of us.

Entering the fire scar from the 2014 “790 Fire”.

Northwestern Rabbit-tobacco

Martin Lake

Pair of Lewis’s woodpeckers.

One of the Snow Lakes below Luther Mountain.

One of the Snow Lakes.

After 1.4-miles we came to a junction with the Donna Lake Trail on the left. (Deep Lake is the lake visible below through the trees.) We’d turned down that trail on our previous visit, so we stayed right this time.

One of several small, unnamed, bodies of water between the Donna Lake Trail junction and Margurette Lake.

Blue beetle

Hardhack

Margurette Lake

Unsurprisingly there were several people at Margurette Lake so instead of taking our break there we turned left at the junction with the Sky Lakes Trail and continued on.
Margurette Lake

Coming up on the junction.

The Sky Lakes Trail.

This trail descended for 0.2-miles past the end of Trapper Lake to a junction with the Donna Lake Trail.

Trapper Lake

The Donna Lake Trail to the right.

We turned up the Donna Lake trail and climbed gradually for a quarter mile to Donna Lake.

Donna Lake

We didn’t see a shaded spot at Donna Lake where we could take a comfortable break, so we continued another tenth of a mile to Deep Lake.

Luther Mountain from Deep Lake.

There were several unoccupied campsites at Deep Lake, and we picked one with some shade to set up our chairs and finally take a break.

Tiny western toad

It was a lot warmer than we’d have liked so we spent over ninety minutes resting and refilling our water supply. We had considered cooking our dinner there as well, but another pair of backpackers came along, and we didn’t want to be prepping food anywhere near where others might be camping. We left deep lake a little after 3:30 and continued on the Donna Lake Trail to the Snow Lakes Trail.
Signs of Fall.

Lousewort

There was a slight chance of showers/thunderstorms between 5PM and 11PM and it had begun to cloud up while we were at Deep Lake. The clouds continued to build as we made our way back along the Snow Lakes Trail.

Young grouse

Martin Lake

Back at the Nannie Creek Trail junction.

We had been looking for an open flat area where we could stop to cook dinner but didn’t have any luck until we’d traveled 0.4-miles back along the Nannie Creek Trail. After eating our Mountain House yellow curry we began the climb back up through the talus slope.

The cloud cover had increased even more which helped keep the heat from feeling too oppressive.
It was increasingly looking like a shower or two might happen.

A deep zoom in at Mt. Shasta.

We returned to the trail to the Puck Lakes and after a brief stop at camp we continued on to visit North Puck Lake. We were surprised to find that we were still the only people at the lakes.

Pine white

Spotted sandpiper

The three resident mergansers.

The abandoned Puck Lakes Trail.

A dark cloud passing over the Puck Lakes (no rain).

North Puck Lake

North Puck Lake

After visiting North Puck Lake we headed back to camp and enjoyed the views that the still water and passing clouds created.

We turned in hoping to get a good night’s sleep, but neither of us had much luck for the first few hours. It was still a little too warm to be comfortable, but we eventually dozed off. It didn’t rain and we never heard any thunder which we were thankful for.

I woke up a little after 4am (that counts as sleeping in for me) and started prepping for our hike out. Heather got up about 5am and did the same.
Heather in the tent packing up.

A sliver of the Moon reflecting in the lake at 5:48am.

6:06am

North Puck Lake at 6:22am as we set off.

Luther Mountain from the Nannie Creek Trail in the morning.

We arrived back at the trailhead at 7:45am.

Day one of our trip came in just under twelve miles with a little over 1500′ of elevation gain. Day two was just 2.7-miles with less than 150′ of elevation gain.
Dark blue = day one, magenta = day two, light blue = previous visit.

This was a good test run for our first backpack this year. The heat made it much more challenging than it should have been and provided a good reminder that we’ll need to carefully consider that before heading to Hidden Lake later this month (hopefully). We were also able to make a list of things that we forgot to bring with us so we won’t forget them for that trip. Finally, it gave us a chance to try out our new water filtration system, the Sawyer Squeeze, which has replaced the pump filter that we previously used. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Puck Lakes Backpack