Category: Trip report

Silver Falls State Park – Thanksgiving 2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date December 2, 2024
1 Comment on Silver Falls State Park – Thanksgiving 2024

With November quickly coming to an end we hadn’t managed to get out on a trail yet. We skipped the first two weekends due to poor weather and then spent most of the next week at theme parks in Southern California (post). While we got plenty of walking in at the parks, I didn’t consider those days as our monthly outing. Both Heather and I came down with head colds following our return home, so another weekend came and went without a hike. The forecast was dry for Thanksgiving which provided an opportunity to get a morning hike in. I was feeling better, but Heather was still dealing with a lingering cough, so I set out alone to check out the newest trailhead at nearby Silver Falls State Park.

The North Canyon Trailhead was opened in June 2023 followed by the North Rim Trail in July 2023. I was looking forward to checking out these new features, so I parked at the new trailhead and set off following pointers for the North Rim Trail.

The route I’d planned was to take the new trail 0.8-miles to the North Falls Trailhead then take a 0.6-mile out-and-back detour on the Upper North Falls Trail to visit Upper North Falls. After returning to the North Falls Trailhead I would take the Trail of Ten Falls down into the canyon passing behind North Falls and following this trail past Twin Falls to the Winter Falls Trail where I would turn left to visit Winter Falls and then climb out of the canyon to the Winter Falls Trailhead.

At the Winter Falls Trailhead I would again pick up the Trail of Ten Falls aka the Rim Trail where I would turn right and follow it past the Nature Store. Shortly after passing the Nature Store the Trail of Ten Falls heads down into the canyon again to pass behind South Falls. The trail is also known as the Canyon Trail between this point and where it heads into the canyon near the North Falls Trailhead. I would follow the Trail of Ten Falls/Canyon Trail behind South and then Lower South Falls on the South Fork Silver Creek. The trail eventually leaves the south fork behind and then later crosses the North Fork Silver Creek before passing Lower North Falls. A short spur trail just East of North Falls leads to Double Falls on Hult Creek. After crossing Hult Creek the Trail of Ten Falls passes Drake Falls followed by Middle North Falls. I would take another short spur trail leading behind Middle North Falls before continuing another half mile to a junction with the Twin Falls Trail. Finally I would take the Twin Falls Trail uphill a half mile back to the North Canyon Trailhead. This route resulted in an approximately 8.8-mile hike with close to 1000′ of elevation gain.

I chose the route because it included roughly 1.5-miles of trail that was new to me. The new-to-me trail included the North Rim Trail, Twin Falls Trail, and a short section of the Winter Falls Trail (between Winter Falls and the Winter Falls Trailhead). I chose the direction (clockwise) because the last two times I’d visited the waterfalls I’d been going the opposite direction, so I wanted a different perspective this time around.

Onward to the pictures!
The North Rim Trail heads left at a fork with the Twin Falls Trail a short distance from the parking lot.

I stuck to the North Rim Trail here leaving another (short) trail to do next time.

The Nature Play Area along the loop trail I didn’t take.

One of two bridges along the North Rim Trail.

Railing near the North Falls Viewpoint.

North Falls from the viewpoint.

North Falls

Map located at the North Falls Trailhead.

Upper North Falls from the Upper North Falls Trail.

Upper North Falls.

The split in the Trail of Ten Falls where the Canyon Trail heads down to North Falls.

North Falls

Trail behind North Falls.

Behind North Falls.

I will always take pictures of these large boulders in the creek.

Hair ice, a phenomenon that only occurs on rotting wood when the correct mix of moisture, atmospheric conditions, and temperature combines with the fungus Exidiopsis effusa. There were quite a few occurrences this morning.

Trail marker at the Twin Falls Trail junction.

Twin Falls

Twin Falls is a tough one to get a good clear view of the full waterfall. Recent rainfall had provided good flow for this fall which helps with the visibility.

This is Twin Falls on July 7, 2006.

All the rain had the side creeks and falls flowing as well.

Nearing the Winter Falls Trail and its bridge over the creek.

The view from the bridge.

Winter Falls from the Winter Falls Trail.

Winter Falls

It’s a steep couple of tenths of a mile climb from Winter Falls up to the trailhead which warmed me up enough that I removed my beanie, buff, and made a switch to lighter gloves shortly after I’d turned back onto the Trail of Ten Falls/Rim Trail.

The forecast had called for sunny skies, but we were also dealing with an air stagnation warning. For a brief moment I thought the fog might burn off, but that never materialized and by the time I arrived at South Falls more fog had rolled in.

There are some nice big trees scattered throughout the park.

Trail of Ten Falls/Canyon Trail above South Falls.

South Falls

Behind South Falls

For a short loop just to South Falls you can cross the bridge and return to the rim.

The trail below heading for Lower South Falls.

From behind Lower South Falls. I scared a poor woman so badly as I neared the falls. She was setting her phone up on a tripod for a selfie and didn’t see me coming nor could she hear me with the roar of the falls until I was just a couple of feet away. When I said that I was just going to sneak behind her she let out the loudest scream I’ve heard in a while.

Ankle deep pools behind the falls.

Lower South Falls

The mile long Maple Trail (right) allows for a shorter loop to both the falls on South Fork Silver Creek.

This is now the North Fork Silver Creek.

Unnamed falls on a side creek.

The footbridge over the North Fork Silver Creek.

Pool below the bridge.

Lower North Falls

Footbridge over Hult Creek and the spur trail to Double Falls.

Double Falls

Back on the Canyon Trail.

More fog.

Drake Falls

Middle North Falls

Spur trail (right) to Middle North Falls.

Behind Middle North Falls.

Splash pool

The Winter Falls Trail footbridge spanning the creek ahead on the right.

Chipmunk.

I saw a few birds (and heard several more) and saw a deer on my drive through the park, but this was the only wildlife that I managed to even try and get a photo of on the hike.

Twin Falls again which meant I was nearly to the Twin Falls Trail.

Twin Falls Trail junction.

It was another stiff climb out of the canyon. There was a bench at a switchback with a somewhat obstructed view of Twin Falls.

The Twin Falls Trail leveled out near its end.

Arriving back at the junction with the North Rim Trail.

I spotted several ruffed grouse as I was driving out of the trailhead.

I really enjoyed this loop. It began and ended with waterfalls and saved Middle North Falls, which I’ve decided is my favorite of the ten, until near the end. It was also a great time of the year to visit to see the falls full from the recent rains. This was my seventh visit to the park and even with my 2022 perimeter loop (post) there are still a number of trails I’ve yet to explore away from the waterfall area. I’m already looking at possible routes for the next visit. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Silver Falls State Park Thanksgiving

Hiking Mt. Hood Area Oregon Trip report

Devil’s Peak Loop (Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness) – 10/07/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 10, 2024
4 Comments on Devil’s Peak Loop (Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness) – 10/07/2024

I have a little more vacation time than Heather which means flying solo from time to time. For those solo outings I try and pick hikes to places we’ve already visited or hikes that Heather doesn’t mind missing out on. The latter tend to either be long hikes (14+ miles) or have significant elevation gains >3000′, or a combination of both. One such hike that I’ve had my eyes on for a while was a long loop in the Salmon-Huckelberry Wilderness combining the Salmon River, Green Canyon Way, Hunchback, and Kinzel Lake Trails.

I began the loop at the Salmon River West Trailhead and started the loop clockwise on the Salmon River Trail.
Not having light until after 7am is rough for someone who likes to get an early start.

The Salmon River Trail is located next to this interpretive sign near the trailhead.

A flash was necessary as I set off.

We’d been on this section of trail in 2015. I followed this level path for half a mile to the Green Canyons Campground, another potential starting point for this hike.
There was a very brief road walk along this section.

There was also plenty of time along the Salmon River.

I veered right at this picnic table to cross into the campground.

The day use area at the campground.

I walked through the day use area to the campground entrance then crossed Salmon River Road to find the start of the Green Canyon Way Trail.
Water spigot at the day use area.

It was hard to read the date for this cougar sighting, it appeared to be from June, but I couldn’t make out the year.

The Green Canyon Way Trail gains 2400′ in 3.2-miles to reach the Hunchback Trail, a 9.1-mile-long trail traversing Hunchback Ridge. Green Canyon Way was in pretty good shape, with just a few smaller trees to step over. The climb was well graded which kept it from ever feeling too steep.
Entering the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness

One of the downed trees, this one covered both sides of a switchback.

A rare viewpoint along the forested trail.

A level stretch along a narrow ridge.

A healthy looking paintbrush.

The Sun rising above Hunchback Ridge.

It was going to a be a bluebird day.

Sign ahead marking the Hunchback Trail junction.

We had hiked a 5.6-mile section of the Hunchback Trail in 2020 starting at the trails north end at the Lower Hunchback Trailhead. I turned SE (right) at the junction and followed the trail up and down (mostly up) along Hunchback Ridge for 2.4-miles to a junction below Devil’s Peak.

One of the “downs”.

This trail was also in good shape with just a few easy obstacles.

I did not go investigate the source of the “water”, it could have been a trap (there is a spring shown on the map).

Signs at the junction below Devil’s Peak.

I detoured uphill to the right for 100 yards to the Devil’s Peak Lookout.

We were here back in 2018 when the lookout was still open to the public for use. I took a short break here to take in the views before continuing the loop.
Mount Jefferson

Olallie Butte (post) and Mt. Jefferson

The lookout from the Mt. Jefferson viewpoint.

Mt. Hood from the lookout.

You can’t see Mt. Jefferson from the lookout due to trees.

I continued on the Hunchback Trail passing the Cool Creek Trail in another 105 yards and began a 1.25-mile descent to the Devil’s Peak Trailhead. Note that the drive to this trailhead requires traveling nearly 10 miles on an awful road that Sullivan describes as a “nightmare”.
Trail signs at the Cool Creek Trail junction.

Lookout Mountain(post), Gunsight Butte (post), and Bonney Butte (post) along the far ridge.

Mt. Hood from the Hunchback Trail.

Arriving at the trailhead on FR 2613.

It’s hard to make out in the photo but that is a giant pothole (crater) in the middle of the road seen from the trailhead.

A short walk along the roadbed led to the Kinzel Lake Trail on the right.
That is the trailhead at the end of the road on the right.

I turned down the Kinzel Lake Trail and after a third of a mile came to an unsigned junction with a spur trail to Kinzel Lake on the left.

I turned down the spur trail which dropped steeply then made two more steep up and downs before arriving at an old campground at the small lake in a little over a quarter mile.

After checking out the lake I climbed back up to the Kinzel Lake Trail and continued downhill another two miles where I turned right on the Salmon River Trail.
There were some nice Fall colors along the Kinzel Lake Trail.

There were also a few obstacles that were trickier than anything on the other trails involved in this loop.

Salmon Butte (post)

Nearing the Salmon River Trail.

Trail sign at the Salmon River Trail junction.

I turned right on the Salmon River Trail. We had hiked this section of trail during an overnight trip in 2018

It was approximately 6-miles from the junction back to the trailhead. I bypassed most of the viewpoints this time since we’d visited them on previous trips, and this was already a long enough hike without adding more detours.

There wasn’t much water at all in any of the side creeks.

There are several viewpoints just over 3.5-miles from the trailhead.

The furtherst hump in the center is Huckleberry Mountain (post).

Wilderness kiosk along the trail. There were self-issued permits here, but none at Green Canyon Way so I stopped and filled one out even though I was almost done with my hike (and out of the wilderness).

Salmon River

There were a couple of good-sized fish in the pool here.

The trail arriving back at the trailhead.

The first people I saw all day had been camped along the river near Goat Creek, and in total I saw less than 20 people, nearly all in the last three and a half miles. The hike itself showed 16.5-miles on the GPS and included over 4350′ of elevation gain.

This was a challenging but nice loop. My only wish is that it had been 15 to 20 degrees cooler. Clockwise was definitely the way to go in order to get the bulk of the climbing over with during the cooler morning hours. The Kinzel Lake Trail also seemed slightly steeper than the Green Canyon Way Trail making the climb up to Hunchback Ridge a little easier. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Devil’s Peak Loop

Tags Devil's Peak, Devil's Peak Lookout, Green Canyon Way Trail, Green Canyons Campground, hiking, Hunchback Ridge, Hunchback Trail, Kinzel Lake, Kinzel Lake Trail, Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon, salmon river, salmon river trail, Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness

High Cascades Hiking Mt. Hood Area Oregon Trip report

Boy Scout Ridge – 10/06/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 7, 2024
No Comments on Boy Scout Ridge – 10/06/2024

We try and get to the Mt. Hood Wilderness at least once a year and this year’s visit kicked off our October hikes. The one area where we hadn’t really been on the mountain was the SE side along the White River. The Pacific Crest Trail climbs on the mountain on that side crossing Highway 35 near Barlow Pass and following Boy Scout Ridge joining the Timberline Trail in approximately 3.75 miles and continuing on to Timberline Lodge. We weren’t planning on going quite as far as Timberline Lodge this time, but we were planning on a loop in the middle of the hike utilizing the Yellowjacket Ski Trail and Upper White River Trail.

It was a little wet, and 35 degrees Fahrenheit (2 Celsius) when arrived at the nearly empty Barlow Pass Trailhead.
We had also parked here in 2021 for our Barlow Butte hike (post).

The PCT passes just east of the parking area and can be accessed behind the signboard near a picnic table or as it crosses the Barlow Wagon Road which is where we hopped on this time.

We followed the trail for a quarter mile through forest before joining an old roadbed where we turned right to reach the Highway 35 crossing.

On the far side of the highway the trail climbed gradually through a nice forest arriving at the Yellowjacket Trail junction in just under 2-miles.
The colors of Fall.

Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain (post) catching the morning Sun.

Mt. Hood teased an appearance a couple of times along the lower portion of the PCT. It was enough to see that there was a dusting of fresh snow on the mountain.

The signed junction with the Yellowjacket Trail.

We turned right onto the Yellowjacket Trail and followed the faint tread nearly a mile down to the White River.

The wet brush had me whishing I’d worn boots.

The Yellowjacket Trail passing a small meadow.

Makeshift footbridge along the trail.

The trail came to a muddy track used to access a set of powerlines where we turned right. We followed the muddy track downhill and crossed the South Fork Mineral Creek on a metal bridge.

We stayed on this roadbed until we reached a road junction at the river where we turned left. Here we had a pretty good view of the mountain.

New snow on Mt. Hood.

The roadbed followed a levee along the river’s debris plain providing spectacular views.

The valley is the result of an eruption around 250 years ago.

Pacific lupine

At the end of the levee the route climbed a moraine then continued its gradual ascent to the Timberline Trail.

Dark-eyed junco. There was a good variety of birds along the moraine, but this was the only one that sat still long enough to have its picture taken.

Frost on a log. It was really nice to be hiking in the crisp cool air.

Boy Scout Ridge from the moraine.

The unsigned junction with the Timberline Trail.

We turned left on the Timberline Trail and made a fairly steep 0.4-mile climb to Pacific Crest Trail at a junction in a meadow.
Mt. Hood from the junction.

Sign for the PCT nearly absorbed by the tree.

Lupine (broadleaf?)

A few remaining blooms on the goldenrod.

Signpost at the PCT junction ahead.

We turned right on the PCT heading for a viewpoint described on Oregonhikers.org. It was a scenic three quarters of a mile to the viewpoint. Along the way we spotted a coyote hunting in the meadows below the trail.

The coyote with Mt. Hood looming behind.

Mt. Jefferson to the south with the Three Sisters behind to the left.

The Three Sisters and Mt. Jefferson

The round peak along the far ridge is Gunsight Butte (post) and Bonney Butte (post) is along the broad rise to its right.

We’d lost sight of the coyote until it ran across the trail not too far in front of us.

More lupine

A few remaining aster blossoms in the foreground.

Timberline Lodge across the Salmon River Canyon.

Looking back down the White River Valley. Barlow Ridge is the near hump on the right.

Another look at Timberline Lodge.

Despite all the cars at the lodge we would only encounter a half dozen other trail users until we were back at the Barlow Pass Trailhead.

Small waterfall below the ridge.

Heather stopped at the viewpoint, which was at a high point above the waterfall. I continued on a short distance just to make sure that was indeed the viewpoint described in the Oregonhikers Field Guide.
I turned around here where the Timberline Trail headed across the Salmon River drainage. The Silcox Hut is straight ahead on the side of the mountain.

Looking back at the high point where Heather had stopped.

I headed back to Heather and after a short break we started back down the PCT.
Mt. Hood’s summit.

The waterfall looking pretty small far below the mountain.

It took us a moment to decide what the dark rounded peak straight ahead in the distance was. We eventually correctly identified it as Black Butte (post).

Olallie Butte (post) in front of Mt. Jefferson.

Birds on mountain ash.

The Timberline Trail junction.

We stayed straight on the PCT leaving the Timberline Trail and descending through the mountain forest past the Yellowjacket Ski Trail and back to Highway 35.
Beargrass meadow, there hadn’t been any blooms this year.

Lousewort

It was nearly 2-miles between the Timberline and Yellowjacket trail junctions.

We were shocked to see a bunchberry that still had some petals, even if they were in sad shape.

Mushrooms and fungi are not surprising this time of year.

Highway 35

We had no problem dashing across the highway and then made our way back to the now nearly full Barlow Pass Trailhead.
Arriving at the Barlow Road.

The hike came in just over 11-miles for me with close to 2000′ of elevation gain. Stopping at the viewpoint would have put the hike around 10.7-miles.

This was a great Fall hike. The views were amazing, and the cool temperatures helped it from getting too hot during the exposed climb. It was also really nice to get a track on the map to fill in the blank area around Mt. Hood.
Our various hikes around the mountain. There are still a few areas where we could add a track or two. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Boy Scout Ridge

Tags Barlow Road, coyote, hiking, Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood National Forest, Mt. Hood Wilderness, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail. Barlow Pass Trailhead, PCT, Timberline Lodge, timberline trail, Upper White River Trail, White River

Hiking Middle Santiam Old Cascades Oregon Trip report

Chimney Peak – 09/28/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 30, 2024
No Comments on Chimney Peak – 09/28/2024

A project at work had Heather occupied so I headed out on a rare solo hike to visit Chimney Peak in the Middle Santiam Wilderness. This would be just my second visit to this wilderness with the first being an overnight trip to Donaca Lake (post) in 2014.

For this outing I started at the McQuade Creek Trailhead. This is the shortest route to Chimney Peak.
I actually parked on the shoulder of Forest Road 1142 and walked a tenth of a mile down a spur road to the start of the trail.

A note stating that access from the eastern side of the wilderness was still closed due to the Pyramid Fire.

The 5-mile long McQuade Creek Trail gains approximately 1600′ before ending at the Chimney Peak Trail. The trail is well graded, and as of my trip, free of any significant downed trees. The trail however is narrow, rough, and was overgrown in numerous places. Views are limited along the trail, but the forest is lovely. This combination is likely why I didn’t see another person all morning despite it being a warm, sunny day.
It was early when I started so there wasn’t a lot of light and even on the way back there was a lot of shade.

A short distance from the trailhead is a crossing of West Fork McQuade Creek.

A third of a mile from the West Fork the trail crosses McQuade Creek.

Reportedly this crossing can be quite tricky early in the year, but there wasn’t much water this time of the year.

Based on trip reports from 2023 and recent cuts seen along the trail it appears that a trail crew passed through this year.

There are just 3 or 4 trees about this size left across the trail.

Big trees near a rock outcrop.

A good representation of the rough tread along parts of the trail.

A reminder that Fall is here.

The McQuade Creek Trail hidden by the underbrush.

Lousewort

Huckleberries

Views were limited to the nearby ridges and hillsides.

Chimney Peak straight ahead.

Vine maple along a rocky slope.

Pika watching me from behind some cover.

Flagging along a bit of a washout.

The damaged section of trail pictured above started a 0.4-mile stretch of overgrown trail which included devil’s club, currant, and other thorny bushes. It was by far the least enjoyable part of the hike.

Looking back at the final section of the overgrown trail.

The trail beyond the really overgrown section.

A little under half a mile later I entered the Middle Santiam Wilderness at the junction with the Chimney Peak Trail.

The McQuade Creek Shelter used to be located near here, but it had collapsed years ago, and I didn’t see any signs of the remains.

From the junction Donaca Lake is a little over 6-miles (left) while Chimney Peak is three-quarters of a mile in the other direction (right).
Pointer for Chimney Peak.

I turned right on the Chimney Peak Trail which climbed gradually along a ridge for the first 0.2-miles before steeping significantly in the next half mile culminating in a brief class 3 scramble to reach the former lookout site atop Chimney Peak.

Looking up from the trail.

Mt. Jefferson

The trail heading steeply uphill towards the Sun.

The trail passing beneath the cliffs.

Initially I forked right here because the left hand fork didn’t appear to go anywhere.

I assume these are remains from the former lookout.

I followed a use trail to the end of the cliffs thinking that the scramble route up might be at the far end but it was not.

I headed back to the area where the fork I’d ignored earlier was and headed uphill toward the rocks.
The start of the scramble route. The crack was too narrow to use but once I got to the top of this rock the route became much clearer.

Looking down at the first part of the route from above.

The top is in sight.

Clouds over Green Peter Lake.

Mt. Hood in the distance.

Zoomed in on Mt. Hood and some haze.

Mt. Jefferson

There was no sign of the 1934 lookout on the rocks where I’d come up, but there appeared to be another set of rocks to the east hidden by a tree and some brush.

After fighting my way through I popped out at the lookout site.

The Three Sisters

Three Fingered Jack to the left behind the Three Pyramids (post) and Mt. Washington (post) on the right.

Mt. Jefferson zoomed.

The view of the mountains would be better later in the day when the Sun would be more overhead or behind Chimney Peak, but that’s the price of getting an early start. I took a break at the summit and spent some time dealing with hot spots on my feet. I had worn a newer pair of boots, and the rough, uneven trail tread had created some issues. After putting on some blister aids, reapplying glide, and changing socks I headed back.

It was a pretty uneventful hike out, although the views were a little better along the McQuade Creek Trail now that there was more sunlight.

West Fork McQuade Creek

Back at the trailhead.

This hike came in at 11.8-miles with around 2500′ of elevation gain.

It was an enjoyable hike, but it felt harder than the stats would indicate. I believe the trail tread had a lot to do with that combined with it being a fairly warm and humid (by Oregon standards) day. It was encouraging to see that the trail had seen recent maintenance. Maybe that will encourage a little more use. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Chimney Peak

Tags Chimney Peak, Chimney Peak Trail, hiking, McQuade Creek, McQuade Creek Trail, McQuade Creek Trailhead, Middle Santiam Wilderness, Oregon, West Fork McQuade Creek, Willamette National Forest

Clackamas Hiking Mt. Hood Area Oregon Trip report

Pyramid Lake, Anvil Lake, and High Rock – 09/21/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 23, 2024
No Comments on Pyramid Lake, Anvil Lake, and High Rock – 09/21/2024

Despite hiking regularly for a dozen years there are still plenty of places and trails close enough for a day trip that we’ve yet to make it to. We’ve made it a priority for our outings to involve such places when possible and was the purpose of our most recent outing. Matt Reeder’s “Off the Beaten Trail” (2nd edition) includes an entry for Black Wolf Meadows and High Rock (hike #39), a pair of short hikes in the Clackamas Foothills off of Forest Road 58. Combined, these hikes total right around 4-miles which prompted us to look for another stop we could add and landed on Pyramid Lake which I found using the Oregonhikers.org Field Guide.

We decided to start with the hike to Pyramid Lake and parked along FR 140 whish was the suggested trailhead in the Field Guide entry. This road is narrow and overgrown so expect to pick up some scratches from brush if you decide to drive it.
We parked on the shoulder here and road walked three quarters of a mile to the official trailhead.
This is a good example of why we parked where we did.

The official trailhead.

It’s just 0.2-miles to the lake from this trailhead, but the initial climb is pretty steep. The lake is located within the Roaring River Wilderness. This would be just our second time hiking in that wilderness area joining our 2013 Shellrock & Rock Lakes hike (post).

A pair of Barrow’s goldeneye ducks enjoying a morning swim on the far side of the lake.

We attempted to follow a use trail around the lake, but it quickly petered out in the brush so we called it good and headed back to our car.
The use trail

Mushroom along the road walk back to the car.

This stop came in at 2.6-miles with a little over 300′ of elevation gain, primarily in the initial steep climb from the official trailhead. After returning to FR 58, where we turned left, we continued 1.2-miles to a sign for Anvil Lake. We turned right onto spur road 5800-160 and followed this narrow gravel road 0.4-miles to a pullout on the left at a closed road just beyond the signed Anvil Lake Trail.
The somewhat obscured sign for the Anvil Lake Trail along spur road 5800-160.

The pullout where we parked.

The Anvil Lake Trail was historically part of a Native American route from the Cascade crest to the Estacada area. The trail is fairly level to start and reaches Black Wolf Meadows near the half mile mark.

Old growth cedar along the trail.

There was a variety of large mushrooms on the forest floor along the trail.

There was also a bit of blowdown to climb over.

The edge of Black Wolf Meadows.

Earlier in the year the meadows are rather wet, but today the only moisture was from the morning dew.

Explorers gentian. There were many of these gentians in the meadows, but they all appeared to have finished blooming weeks before.

The trail leaving the meadows.

Soon after leaving the meadows the trail began a gradual descent before reaching a signed junction with a short spur trail to Anvil Lake.

More mushrooms

Rough-skinned newt

Old sign near Anvil Creek.

The dry bed of Anvil Creek.

Coral fungus

The sign for the spur trail ahead on the left.

Pointer for Anvil Lake. According to the Oregon Hikers Field Guide this sign is likely over 50 years old based on the reference to S-502 which is currently known as FR 5820 which is another potential trailhead for this hike.

We turned down the spur trail which dropped somewhat steeply before arriving at the lake in just over 100 yards.

Anvil Lake

Wood duck house reflecting in the lake.

There is just one small campsite at the lake. We’d seen a gentleman heading toward FR 5820 just as the junction with the spur trail had come into view, but there was no one at the lake now. After a brief break we headed back. It was interesting to find that in the short amount of time that had passed since our first trip through Black Wolf Meadows nearly all of the dew was now gone.

This stop was just slightly longer than the hike at Pyramid Lake, coming in at 2.7-miles. The elevation gain was just 190′ and a lot more gradual than it had been at Pyramid Lake.

We hopped back in our car, returned to FR 58, and turned right to continue another 0.6-miles to a signed junction where we veered right following a pointer for High Rock. After another paved mile we turned into a large unsigned pullout for our final hike of the day to High Rock.

Mt. Hood from the pullout.

We started up a rough road on the eastern side of the pullout.

While open the road is rough and 4wd is almost certainly a must (there was one pickup up at the end of the road and Heather saw a Subaru turn around and head down while I was exploring the rock outcrops.)

At the 0.4-mile mark the road turns sharply left while a jeep track launches steeply up a hill (where it really shouldn’t).

The road continuing to the left.

Mt. Jefferson, the tops of the Three Sisters, and Three Fingered Jack from the road.

Olallie Butte (post), Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, and Three Fingered Jack.

I decided to head straight uphill on the jeep track to see what the view was like from the rocks here while Heather continued on the road to the former lookout site.
Mt. Hood with Mt. Adams behind to the left.

The view south toward Mt. Jefferson.

View along the rocky ridge.

I followed use trails along the ridge eventually gaining a view of the outcrop where the lookout site had been.
Heather is the orange dot climbing up the side of the outcrop.

I had to drop down to a saddle where the road had ended. The pickup was parked here near a camp a couple of gentlemen had set up.
Mt. Hood from the saddle.

I climbed up a fairly steep and rocky slope to join Heather at the former lookout site where we took a break and enjoyed the 360-degree view.
Signal Buttes is the pointy peak on the left and Salmon Butte (post) is the rounded peak hump on the right.

Salmon Butte now in the middle with Linney Butte the hump on the right of the double humps in the foreground and Devil’s Peak (post) the high point to the right of Linney Butte.

Linney Butte, Devil’s Peak, Mt. Adams in the distance, and Mt. Hood.

Wolf Peak in the foreground which is above Black Wolf Meadows.

Mt. Jefferson from the former lookout site.

Peaks in the Bull-of-the-Woods and Opal Creek Wilderness areas in the distance to the left and Fish Creek Mountain (post) in the distance to the right behind a ridge.

The remains of the lookout on High Rock.

A zoomed in shot of Mt. Adams.

Mt. Rainier rising behind Devil’s Peak.

When it was time to head back we located a more gradual trail down to the saddle.

I stopped to take a picture of the golden-mantled ground squirrel posing on the large boulder. As I was taking the photo I noticed a pika dashing across the rocks. The pika is just barely visible below the lark dark rock to the left of the tree when zoomed in far enough.

The ground squirrel watching us as we passed below.

Skipper along the road on the way down.

Aster

Red huckleberry leaves with Mt. Jefferson beyond.

The GPS read 1.3-miles for my hike here with a little under 350′ of elevation gain. This made the total for the day 6.6-miles with right around 850′ of elevation gain.

These hikes offered a nice variety of scenery free of crowds. Combining them provided a moderate day with enough hiking to warrant the 90+ mile drive from Salem, and now we can add three more places to the list of where we’ve been. We were treated to an unexpected post hike scene when a young black bear crossed Highway 224 near Promontory Park. At 11:30am we weren’t even considering that a bear might be crossing the road, but that made the third bear I’ve seen in the last 30 days and Heather’s 2nd. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Pyramid Lake, Anvil Lake, and High Rock

Tags Anvil Lake, Anvil Lake Trail, Black Wolf Meadows, High Rock, hiking, Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon, Pyramid Lake, Pyramid Lake Trail, Roaring River Wilderness

High Cascades Hiking Mt. Jefferson Area Oregon Trip report

Woodpecker Trail to Jefferson Park – 09/13/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 16, 2024
1 Comment on Woodpecker Trail to Jefferson Park – 09/13/2024

Our first visit to Jefferson Park was way back in 2011 and it made such an impact on us that we revisited yearly up to 2017 when the lightning sparked Whitewater Fire forced us to skip a year. We returned in 2018 (post) and then decided to take a break from our yearly visits. Then in 2020 the Lionshead Fire, driven by strong easterly winds, raced through the area before combining with the Beachie Fire on 9/7/20. There are still closures in effect due to that fire, but the Woodpecker Trailhead has since been reopened and we thought it was time to revisit an old friend.

We had used the Woodpecker Trailhead for our 2016 visit (post) prior to either of the fires impacting the area. This was also before the Central Cascade Wilderness Permits were enacted. Currently the Woodpecker Trailhead only requires a free self-issued permit for day-use which can be obtained at the trailhead. Overnight permits are required for the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness regardless of which trailhead is used from 6/15 to 10/15.

Heather and I had set different goals for the day. I had my sights set on finally visiting Sprague Lake which is located just below Park Ridge (post) and requires off-trail navigation. Heather had set a more sensible goal of stopping at Scout Lake which is the first lake that you reach when entering Jefferson Park from the SW. Given our different goals we established a meeting spot on the west side of Scout Lake and set off at our own paces.
Another reminder that overnight permits are required in the wilderness.

Due to the two recent fires having burned over the entire route of our planned hikes the vast majority of the trails up to Jefferson Park are devoid of any tree cover. Luckily for us it was in the upper 30’s when we set off and the highs were set to be in the upper 50’s in Jefferson Park and low 70’s at the trailhead. It was also forecast to be mostly clear skies as recently cooler temperatures combined with rain and even some snow at higher elevations had helped to suppress the numerous fires currently burning in other parts of the Cascades and eastern Oregon.
Low clouds in the valley.

Mt. Jefferson through some of the snags with a few surviving trees on the right.

After an initial steep climb the trail levels out then descends slightly into a patch of trees that survived the fires. At the 1.2-mile mark it enters the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.

Just under a half mile later the trail climbed to an unsigned junction with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
Mt. Jefferson from the junction, note the rock cairn on the left marking the PCT.

The cairn at the junction.

We turned left on the PCT and followed it through the fire scars for 2.6-miles to a crossing of Russell Creek.
Triangulation Peak (post) getting hit with sunlight with Whitewater Lake (lower right) in Mt. Jefferson’s shadow.

Whitewater Lake

Triangulation Point and Bocca Cave (Trailheads still closed.)

Tarn 0.3-miles from the junction.

Mt. Jefferson reflecting in the tarn.

Ducks on the tarn.

The Sentinel Hills with Park Butte behind to the right. The Whitewater Trail (post) traverses the hillside below the Sentinel Hills, but that trailhead is also still closed.

The fires did open up fairly consistent views of the mountain.

A few remaining penstemon blossoms.

Heading down to the Russell Creek crossing.

This can be a tricky crossing at times, but there was a makeshift bridge which made it fairly easy this time.

Aster and pearly everlasting near the creek.

Beyond Russell Creek the PCT climbed for half a mile to a junction with the Whitewater Trail where we turned right sticking to the PCT.

We started seeing more trees that had survived the fire as we got closer to Jefferson Park.

Gentians and aster

Grass-of-parnassus

From this junction it was just under a mile to the first of several signed trails leading to Scout Lake off the PCT.
There were patches of burned forest along this stretch.

Approximately 0.4-miles from the junction the trail crosses Whitewater Creek.

From the other side of Whitewater Creek the views of Mt. Jefferson are amazing.

Based on the barred sides I believe this is a black-backed woodpecker.

Unofficial use trails are an issue in Jefferson Park which has prompted the Forest Service to install a number of “Closed for Rehabilitation” sign such as the one on the left side of the trail.

They’ve also added quite a few signs to indicated sanctioned trails. Typically in wilderness areas the Forest Service tries to keep signage to a minimum, but overuse has led them to add additional signs.

Another sign with Park Butte in background.

Since I was headed for Park Ridge I ignored the trails to Scout Lake for now and continued on the PCT for three quarters of a mile beyond the first sign for Scout Lake to a sign for Russell Lake on the right side of the trail.

The last of the pointers for Scout Lake.

PCT heading for Park Butte and Park Ridge.

Russell Lake pointer.

Tags hiking, Jefferson Park, mountain goat, Mt. Hood National Forest, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, Park butte, PCT, Russell Creek, Russell Lake, scout lake, Sprague Lake, whitewater creek, whitewater trail, Willamette National Forest, Woodpecker Ridge, Woodpecker Trailhead

Hiking Oregon Trip report Wallowas

Hidden Lake (Eagle Cap Wilderness) Backpack – 09/09 & 09/10/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 13, 2024
4 Comments on Hidden Lake (Eagle Cap Wilderness) Backpack – 09/09 & 09/10/2024

After delaying the start of our planned backpack to Hidden Lake by a day (post) due to a Fire Weather Warning we had a two-day window of sunny, but smokey, weather before the next chance of thunderstorms was forecast to roll in. That was all the time we needed though to allow us to finish the 100th featured hike from William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes Eastern Oregon” (2022 1st edition).

It would also mark the culmination of our goal of hiking at least a portion of all 100 featured hikes from a single edition of each of the five areas Sullivan splits his guidebooks into: Eastern Oregon, Central Oregon Cascades, Oregon Coast & Coast Range, Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington, and Southern Oregon & Northern California (post). We set our sights on that goal way back in 2016, but we started using Sullivan’s guidebooks six years earlier. We will be covering completing the Eastern Oregon book and completing our goal in separate posts later, but first we needed to hike the East Eagle Trail.

Our plan was to begin at the East Eagle Trailhead and follow the East Eagle Trail to the Hidden Lake Trail (approx. 7 miles) where we would look for a campsite not far after crossing East Fork Eagle Creek. We had been told that there was a spot or two there by a fellow hiker we’d run into during our Maxwell Lake hike in August (post). While camping at the lake sounded nice climbing 1000′ in 1.4 miles with full packs on didn’t.

We arrived at the trailhead to find a few cars parked along the turnaround loop. After filling out a free wilderness permit we followed a pointer for the East Eagle Trail.

The first 0.2-miles followed a rough spur road.

The trail starting at the 0.2-mile mark.

The trail quickly entered the Eagle Cap Wilderness as it gradually climbed, with a few short downhills, along East Fork Eagle Creek.

It was evident that Winter avalanches are common in this valley based on the amount of downed and damaged trees. Despite that the trail was in pretty good condition although there were a few obstacles to detour around.

There were still a few flowers blooming along the way.
An aster or fleabane

Nettle-leaf giant hyssop

Haze from wildfires burning in the Pacific Northwest.

A little over 2.5-miles from the trailhead we passed small corkscrew falls.
Corkscrew Falls

One of the few trees that proved a little tricky.

We also had to be wary of falling fir cones. The resident squirrels were busy dropping them to the ground to add to their Winter stores.

Smoke hanging over the East Fork Eagle Creek Valley.

Penstemon

The different shapes and colors of the peaks in the Wallowa Mountains never cease to impress.

This section of trail appeared to have fallen victim to an avalanche that came down from the far side of the creek then up this one.

Paintbrush

Unnamed waterfall along East Fork Eagle Creek.

The view improved a little as the day progressed.

Coneflower along the trail.

Fireweed

Last of the mountain coyote mint.

California tortoiseshell

Fritillary butterfly

Post marking the junction with the Hidden Lake Trail.

We turned down the Hidden Lake Trail and rock hopped across the creek. After navigating through some more downed trees we spotted an established campsite a little off the trail.

After setting up camp we switched to our day packs and started the climb up to Hidden Lake.

View back across the East Fork Eagle Creek Valley.

More obstacles were present along the Hidden Lake Trail.

More trail damage.

A mile and a quarter from our camp we arrived at Moon Lake.

Gentians

After a brief break at Moon Lake we followed the trail steeply uphill to a pass.

Looking back down at Moon Lake.

The trail leveled out for a bit at the pass and a short spur trail on the left led to an unnamed lake.

On the other side of the ridge is Eagle Lake which we visited in 2023 (post).

Beyond the pass the trail descended briefly to an unnamed creek.

Sullivan’s description said to follow the trail to its end at the creek then cross the creek and head right over a small ridge to find Hidden Lake. I had gone ahead of Heather from Moon Lake so I arrived at the creek first and was a little confused to find a clear trail heading across but an even clearer tread continuing on the near side of the creek.

Since the Hidden Lake Trail didn’t appear to end here I thought the trail to the right simply went to a campsite and continued along the creek.
The Hidden Lake Trail continuing along the unnamed creek.

The trail followed the creek through a meadow then curved away from Hidden Lake and petered out with a view of another unnamed lake.

There were still a few mountain heather blossoms.

The unnamed lake.

I took a quick look at the GPS and realized that I was almost past Hidden Lake now so I cut cross country and found myself on a ridge about 50′ above the lake.
Heading cross country looking for the path of least resistance.

My first view of Hidden Lake.

I made my way steeply down to the lake and picked up a use trail which led me to a meadow at its western end.

Eagle Cap (post) on the left, Galcier Peak at center, and Hawkins Point to the right.

The views were amazing, but I quickly realized that Heather might have the same issue with deciding which fork to take when she arrived at the creek. We had planned to meet at the lake, but it was good sized with a network of user trails which would have made it pretty easy to miss each other. I hiked along the lake shore for a bit then cut away from the lake and made my way to the fork and waited there for Heather to arrive.

Luckily Heather had taken an extended break at Moon Lake so I hadn’t missed her. When she arrived we headed down to the lake together then I led her to the meadow so she could enjoy that view as well.

Monkeyflower

We’d brought our dinner with us so we picked out a spot along the lake where we could relax and possibly prepare dinner when it was time. We had seen two people coming off the Hidden Lake Trail near the junction with the East Eagle Trail, but we appeared to be the only people at the lake so we had our pick of spots.

We set up for the afternoon.

The lake looked to get pretty deep quickly.

View from our dinner area.

I followed a use trail to the eastern end of the lake before settling down.

Gentians

We spent a little over 2:30 hours at Hidden Lake before starting back to camp.
Last look at the lake.

Grass of parnassus

Hawkins Point on the left and Jackson Peak on the right.

Moon Lake

Big cricket

Doe

We got back to camp at a quarter to six and relaxed there for a bit until we got too chilly and decided to turn in instead of adding more layers of clothing.
Unnamed creek near our campsite.

Before we turned in we’d set up a trail cam that we’d finally remember to bring on a backpacking trip. Unfortunately we didn’t refamiliarize ourselves with how to operate it and we accidently switched it to “Test” mode instead of “On”. This turned out to be a real bummer because when nature called around 1:30am and I left the tent my headlamp picked up a pair of eyes at the far side of the small meadow that the camera was facing. It would have been fun to have gotten to see what was prowling around our camp, but at least we remembered to bring it this time.

When we got up at 5am there was no sign of the visitor as we began packing up for the hike out. It was quite a bit smokier as we set off.
View from camp in the morning. The eyes were looking at me from near the tree in the foreground to the left.

Recrossing East Fork Eagle Creek.

Heading into the haze.

A healthy looking paintbrush.

We spend a lot of time fruitlessly scanning terrain for wildlife, but every once in a while, it pays off. About ten minutes to 8am I spotted something crossing a granite outcrop across the creek. It was pretty far away, but it was clearly a black bear. I couldn’t explain to Heather where it was before it disappeared, but I did get a few very grainy photos.
The bear had been walking up the outcrop in the shade in the middle of the picture.

The bear is the black blotch on the rock in front of the tree at center.

The bear just before it vanished behind the outcrop.

That was the last of the excitement for the morning. The views got a little better as the morning progressed.

Hawk in a snag.

Corkscrew Falls

Granite Cliff

“Papa’s Camp” was located at the end of the 0.2-mile spur road.

East Fork Eagle Creek from an old bridge near Papa’s Camp.

Granite Cliff rising above East Fork Eagle Creek from the spur road to the trailhead.

It was 10:30am when we finished the 7-mile hike back to our car. My first day had been just over 12-miles with approximately 2670′ of elevation gain giving us a little over 19-miles for the trip.

This was a good trip with nice scenery and Hidden Lake was beautiful despite the hazy conditions. We can always count on a nice variety of wildlife in the Wallowas, and this trip was no exception. It was a great way to cap off our 500 featured hike goal. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Hidden Lake Backpack

Tags backpacking, eagle cap, eagle cap wilderness, East Eagle Trail, East Fork Eagle Creek, glacier peak, Hawkins Point, hidden lake, hidden lake trail, hiking, Jackson Peak, Moon Lake, Oregon, Wallowa Mountains, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

Blue Mountains - South Hiking Oregon Trip report

Panorama Point (Oregon Trail Interpretive Center) – 09/08/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 12, 2024
No Comments on Panorama Point (Oregon Trail Interpretive Center) – 09/08/2024

For the third time this year we made the long drive to NE Oregon to visit the Eagle Cap Wilderness on our quest to finish the 100 featured hikes in William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes Easter Oregon” (2022 1st edition). We were down to one final hike, Hidden Lake. At over 16-miles and 2650′ of elevation gain we had decided to make the hike a backpack which we had intended to start on Sunday, but a “Fire Weather Warning” due to possible dry lightning storms prompted us to delay heading out for a day. We booked a second night in our motel room in Baker City and decided to spend Sunday at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

We hiked a small portion of the trails located below the Center in 2023, but the Center itself had been closed for renovation. Our primary goal was to visit the exhibits inside the facilities and hoped to get in a little hiking as well if the weather cooperated. We arrived shortly after the Center opened at 10am.

It was already over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but there were no signs of immanent thunderstorms so we decided to hike first then go inside. We began at the “Wagon Camp” near the upper parking lot.

From the camp we followed the paved Flagstaff Hill loop downhill until we reached a pointer for the Ascent Trail.

Aster

We turned left on the gravel Ascent Trail and descended for a little over three-quarters of a mile to a kiosk.
The kiosk is straight ahead in the small gully.

Cottontail

In 2023 we had reached the kiosk from the Oregon Trail Ruts Trailhead along Highway 86.

Since it was already uncomfortably warm out and we’d seen the ruts during our previous visit we made a hard right at a junction near the kiosk on a paved trail heading uphill.

We followed this path, stopping to read the various interpretive signs along the way, to the spur path to Panorama Point.

We followed the short (0.1 mile) path to a covered viewing platform at Panorama Point where we took advantage of the shade and took a short break.

After cooling off a little we continued uphill toward the Center.

Looking back toward Panorama Point.

At a point for the Blacksmith Shop I veered off the paved trail to visit that building as well as the Stamp Mill. Heather continued on the paved trail on a quest for the water that we’d left in our car.

A set of stairs led uphill from the Stamp Mill back to the paved path near the Load Mine.

After checking out the mine I continued on the Flagstaff Hill Loop passing behind the center and climbing to a set of covered picnic tables where Heather, and the water, was waiting.

After another short break we headed into the Center and spent a couple hours taking in the exhibits.

The exhibits were informative and very much worth a visit. Our minds were blown multiple times as we took in the information and tried to process what it would have been like to have taken the Oregon Trail.

The hike was nice too, but it took a back seat in this case. It was just under 3-miles with a little over 350′ of elevation gain.
Dotted is this trip, solid is 2023.

While we didn’t see or hear any thunderstorms there were a couple of rain drops on our way to dinner at The Cabyn, a new restaurant that had recently opened in downtown Baker City. Trying new restaurants can be a bit of a roll of the dice, but The Cabyn did not disappoint. We tried the venison and beef birra tacos, chorizo stuffed mushrooms, and Philly eggrolls which came with a fondue dip. The food was wonderful and we both agreed that the stuffed mushrooms were one of the best things we’d ever tried. Hopefully they will have a long and successful run. I know the next time we’re that way we’d make it a point to eat there again. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Panorama Point

Tags Baker City, Covered Wagon, Flagstaff Hill, hiking, Oregon, Oregon Trail, Oregon Trail Wagon Ruts, Panorama Point. Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Stamp Mill, The Cabyn

High Cascades Hiking Oregon Sky Lakes/Mountain Lakes Area Trip report

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

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 3, 2024
3 Comments on 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

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

Tags backpacking, Deep Lake, Donna Lake, Donna Lake Trail, hiking, Luther Mountain, Margurette Lake, Martin Lake, Nannie Creek Trail, Nannie Creek Trailhead, North Puck Lake, Oregon, Puck Lakes, Sky Lakes Trail, sky lakes wilderness, Snow Lakes, Snow Lakes Trail, South Puck Lake, Trapper Lake

Hiking Oregon Trip report Wallowas

Aneroid Lake – 08/22/2024

For the final hike of our trip we’d chosen Aneroid Lake. This would be our 99th featured hike out of the 100 in William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes Eastern Oregon” 1st edition (2022) and our 499th out of the 500 featured hikes that we’ve been working on for a number of years now (post). Sullivan gives two options for this hike, a moderate hike gaining 1150′ of elevation in just under 4-miles (round trip) to a waterfall on the East Fork Wallowa River, or the difficult hike to Aneroid Lake gaining nearly 3000′ of elevation in what he lists as a 12-mile round trip. Other reports put the hike to Aneroid Lake at just over 13-miles RT but agree on the elevation gain. Our plan for the day was to once again split up and go our own paces with Heather’s goal being the waterfall and mine being the lake. Heather would return to the trailhead and then head to the Trailhead Coffee stand and do a little shopping in the Wallowa Lake community while she waited for me to get back. We figured that the hike to Aneroid Lake would take me anywhere from 6 to 8 hours depending on how long the hike really was and how well my legs were working after four days of serious hiking.

We began at the Wallow Lake Trailhead which we’d started two other previous hikes from, a five-day backpacking trip (post) and a short hike to B.C. Creek Falls (post). For both of those hikes we’d taken the West Fork Wallowa Trail. Today we would be using the East Fork Wallowa Trail.

Map at the trailhead signboard and wilderness permit station.

Trail sign at the split of the East and West Fork trails.

The trail began by following a rocky roadbed uphill.

Trail sign for the East Fork Wallowa Trail at a junction with a gravel road.

The roadbed soon became a proper trail as it continued uphill.

Ghost pipe

Entering into the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

A little over three quarters of a mile from the trailhead I came to a junction with a connector trail to the West Fork Wallowa Trail used as a loop for horse tours.

Beyond the junction the trail passed through some rocky hillsides with views across Wallowa Lake.

Chief Joseph Mountain and Wallowa Lake

I never saw any but I heard a number of pikas in the rock fields.

Switchback

Rock clematis seed heads.

When Heather came through the rock fields she did spot a pika.

Bridge at the upper end of the access road that I had passed earlier.

The lower section of the waterfall from the bridge.

After checking out the lower portion of the falls from access road bridge I returned to the trail and continued up to a switchback with a view of the upper section of the falls.

The access road bridge from the switchback.

From the switchback the trail continued its steady climb arriving at a damaged bridge after a little over 2 miles.

East Fork Wallowa River Forebay

Interpretive sign at the forebay.

Aster

The trail entering the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

Shortly after entering the wilderness the trail passed through some small meadows with fireweed and various berries.

Elderberry and baneberry

As I was pondering which animals if any might eat the different berries I spotted something brown in the fireweed below the trail. It took a moment to register what I was seeing. I had my camera out and was zooming in to try and identify it, but as soon as it lifted its head I realized it was a bear.
Zoomed in photo.

It didn’t seem to notice me so I quietly and quickly continued on trying to put some distance between myself and it. I wasn’t too thrilled when the trail suddenly made a switchback and I was headed back toward where the bear was, albeit I was now higher up the hillside. I continued with a bit of a quicker pace until I felt that I’d gotten a decent distance away then slowed a bit to avoid missing the scenery. I passed a couple of hikers on their way down who I mentioned the bear to just in case it was still there.

Small meadow along the trail.

Aneroid Mountain in the distance.

Mountain larkspur

Pika underneath some raspberries.

Pika

A few lupine were still blooming along the trail.

Doe in a small meadow along the trail.

Tall mountain bluebells

The damaged footbridge.

While the climb had not been steep beyond the footbridge the climb became even more gradual. Just under a quarter mile from the bridge the trail split with inbound traffic staying right.

The inbound trail traversed an exposed hillside with views down to the East Fork Wallowa River.

East Fork Wallowa River

The inbound and outbound forks rejoining.

East Fork Wallowa River flowing through a meadow along the trail.

Goldenrod

Unnamed creek crossing.

American sawort

Another doe in a meadow.

A hazy view of Aneroid Mountain.

Pearly everlasting along the trail.

East Peak (post)

A closer look at East Peak.

I arrived at Roger Lake at what my GPS said was the 6-mile mark.

It was another half mile of climbing to reach Aneroid Lake.

Sullivan’s description said to ignore a use trail on the right leading to a campsite and to continue on to another fork that led to the private cabins at Camp Halton. I passed what I believed to be the right-hand fork Sullivan mentioned just before reaching a pair of wooden benches along the trail.
The benches.

Beyond the benches I came to a second fork which I mistook for the trail to the cabins. Sullivan mentioned that despite the cabins being on a small parcel of private land the caretakers accepted respectful visitors.

There were no signs posted at all at this fork, so I proceeded steeply downhill and wound up in a campsite.

I still wasn’t sure if this was the trail to the cabins or the one Sullivan had said to ignore so I continued to follow the trail to the lakeshore.
Groundsel along the trail.

A boat docked on the lakeshore in the distance.

I decided to follow the trail along the lake shore and eventually wound up at the boat dock. At that point I realized that I for sure had taken the wrong fork and backtracked.
An inlet creek to the lake near the boat dock.

East Peak from Aneroid Lake.

I followed a different use path that climbed up from the lake a bit more gradually and wound up on the path down to the private cabins.

I started down the trail but when I got into view of the cabins I decided not to bother anyone and took some zoomed in photos and headed back uphill.

Signs for Camp Halton at the actual junction with the East Fork Wallowa Trail.

I headed back on the East Fork Trail and detoured down the first righthand fork to visit the lakeshore one last time before heading back to the trailhead.

I kept a pretty quick pace on the way back down stopping for a few photos and to let a handful of uphill hikers pass.
Hammond’s flycatcher

East Peak

Lewis monkeyflower

Aneroid Mountain

Pollinator on a flower.

The split trail.

The outbound trail dropped quite steeply before meeting back up with the inbound trail.

The damaged bridge from the other side.

Fritillary butterfly

A comma butterfly

Golden-mantled ground squirrel

Mount Howard

Coneflower

Wallowa Lake

Quaking aspen

Arriving back at the trailhead.

According to the GPS my hike was 14-miles which lines up better with the reported 13.1-mile roundtrip vs Sullivan’s 12. The extra milage is mostly due to my taking the wrong righthand fork and then backtracking before heading down toward the cabins.

I finished in just over 6 hours and located Heather at the Little Alps Day Use Area near where we’d parked. After taking a break at the picnic table she was sitting at I changed my shoes and socks and we drove down to the Khao Neaow Food Cart to get some tasty Thai food to take back to our room.

This was yet another great hike in the Eagle Cap Wilderness which is easily our favorite wilderness area in Oregon. We’re excited that the final hike in our quest for the 500 featured hikes will be in this wilderness, hopefully a little later this year. Of course there are many other hikes in the Wallowas that we’ve yet to do so that won’t be the last time we visit. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Aneroid Lake

Tags Aneroid Lake, Aneroid Mountain, Bear, eagle cap wilderness, East Fork Wallowa River, East Fork Wallowa River Forebay, East Fork Wallowa Trail, East Peak, hiking, Khao Neaow Food Cart, Oregon, Pika, Roger Lake, Wallowa Mountains, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, William L Sullivan