Tag: Gold Lake Trail

Bobby Lake – 08/22/2026

Due to the number of wildfires and corresponding smoke this summer we have been waiting until the day or two before a hike to decide where we will be going. A favorable forecast for the Cascade Crest led us back to the mountains. Our destination for the day was Bobby Lake, located two and a quarter miles east of the Waldo Lake Road (Forest Road 5897).

A 4.5-mile hike isn’t quite long enough to warrant a 2:30 drive to the trailhead so I had come up with a loop incorporating several trails in the area including the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) which passes within a quarter mile of Bobby Lake.

We’d visited Bobby Lake in 2019 after hiking up The Twins (post). We’d started that hike from the Twin Peak Trailhead. For today’s hike we had planned to start at the Bobby Lake Trailhead however there didn’t appear to be any open spaces so we parked across the road at the Betty Lake Trailhead (Betty Lake 2024 ).

The Bobby Lake Trailhead across Waldo Lake Road from the Betty Lake Trailhead.

Trailhead ambassador (Canada jay).

We crossed the road and picked up the Bobby Lake Trail.

We followed this trail for 0.4-miles to a 4-way junction with the Gold Lake Trail.

Coming up on the junction.

From the 4-way junction loops are possible in either direction. On our previous visit to the lake we’d headed north on the Gold Lake Trail to return to the Twin Peak Trailhead. Today’s loop would be incorporating the southern portion of the Gold Lake Trail. We had decided to save the visit to Bobby Lake for later in the day, so we turned right onto the Gold Lake Trail and followed it downhill 1.7 forested miles to a junction with the Mount Ray Trail.

Aster

Sickletop lousewort

Trail sign ahead on the right for the Mount Ray Trail.

Up to this point the hike had been on new trail for us with the exception of the Bobby Lake/Gold Lake Trail junction. In 2025 I had been to this junction during my Mount Ray/Island Lakes loop (post) so the next 1.7-miles were new only to Heather. This section of the Gold Lake Trail crosses Ray Creek then passes along Gold Lake Bog and Gold Lake before reaching a junction with the Fuji Mountain Trail.

Entering the Gold Lake Bog Natural Research Area.

Ray Creek

Aster

Mushroom

Fireweed

Monkshood

Skunk cabbage

Gold Lake Bog from the trail.

The northern end of Gold Lake through the trees.

The only blooming lupine we spotted.

Bunchberry

The Fuji Mountain Trail junction.

It was 0.2-miles from the Fuji Mountain Trail junction to the end of the Gold Lake Trail at Gold Lake Campground.

We’d been here in 2024 when we visited the Gold Lake Shelter and Marilyn Lakes (post).

We walked up Gold Lake Road (FR 500) for 0.6-miles to the Maiden Peak Trailhead.

Crossing Salt Creek, the outlet of Gold Lake.

Looking toward Gold Lake from the bridge.

Salt Creek

Gold Lake Shelter

Leaving the campground.

The Maiden Peak Trailhead. There was room for a small number of cars on the opposite side of the road.

We turned up the Maiden Peak Trail and followed it uphill a total of 2.4-miles to the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail gained a total of 650′ and was mostly well graded. It did steepen over the last quarter of a mile where it gained 200 of the 650′.

Like most of the trails in this area it passed through a mature forest which limited views.

Fuji Mountain to the left and Mount Ray to the right through the trees.

The Merlin app says Hammond’s flycatcher.

Skyline Creek

Just beyond Skyline Creek we passed a junction with the Skyline Trail.

Signs at the Skyline Trail junction. The area is a popular area for cross-country skiing.

Chipmunk

Canada jay

The Pacific Crest Trail junction.

The PCT junction was another junction that we’d been to before. In 2016 we had come down the Maiden Peak Trail to the junction after summiting Maiden Peak and turned south onto the PCT (post). Today, after a short break to recover from the final steep climb, we turned north. It was 2.3 gradual downhill miles to the Bobby Lake Trail. Again, the trail passed through a lovely forest which provided a peaceful hike but no views to speak of.

This snake was the only other trail user we passed on the PCT.

This may have been the chillest snake we’ve come across. It never moved as we passed around it.

The Bobby Lake Trail junction.

We turned right onto the Bobby Lake Trail and followed it a quarter of a mile to the lake.

There is a large rock outcropping on the lake shore approximately 0.2-miles to the south of where the trail arrives at the lake while the Moore Creek Trail continues east along the northern end of the lake. Our previous visit had been in September, and we’d had the rock outcrop to ourselves. Today there were already several people on the outcrop, so we took the Moore Creek Trail and found a different spot for a break.

Maiden Peak and the rock outcrop from our break spot.

Maiden Peak. The rock outcrops on this peak make it one of the more identifiable peaks in the Cascades.

Damsel fly

After a good break we headed back to the Bobby Lake Trail and followed it 2.25-miles back to the Betty and Bobby Lakes trailheads. The 1.6-mile section between the PCT junction and the Gold Lake Trail junction seemed to be a continuous up and down.

This loop came in at 12.5-miles with approximately 1300′ of elevation gain.

This was an enjoyable loop despite the lack of any big views. It provided quite a bit of solitude and a lot of nice, unburned forest. Bobby Lake was obviously the highlight and is said to be one of the best swimming lakes in the Cascades.

There are no restrooms at either the Betty or Bobby Lake Trailheads, so we made a quick stop at Salt Creek Falls (post) on the way back to Eugene to use the facilities there and to give Heather a chance to see the falls since she wasn’t with me earlier this year when I’d visited.

Happy Trails!

Flickr: Bobby Lake

Tags Bobby Lake, Fuji Mountain Trail, Gold Lake Bog, Gold Lake Shelter, Gold Lake Trail, hiking, Maiden Peak Trail, Mount Ray Trail, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, Skyline Creek, Skyline Trail, Trail

High Cascades Hiking Oregon Trip report Waldo Lake Area

Mount Ray / Island Lakes Loop – 09/18/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 23, 2025
2 Comments on Mount Ray / Island Lakes Loop – 09/18/2025

After spending Wednesday in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness revisiting parts of a 2010 hike (post) I headed south to the Waldo Lake area to revisit our 2013 hike to Fuji Mountain (post). In order to not have this be an exact repeat of that hike I decided to add the Mount Ray – Island Lakes Loop which utilizes a 3.5-mile section of the Fuji Mountain Trail.

I had originally planned on starting at the Mount Ray Trailhead and hiking the loop counterclockwise with a possible detour to the summit of Fuji Mountain, but after studying the topographic map it made more sense to start at the Fuji Mountain Trailhead at Gold Lake where we had begun the 2013 hike. By starting here I could avoid ending the hike on the uphill from the Gold Lake Trail to the Mount Ray Trailhead.

Looking back at the Fuji Mountain Trail across Waldo Lake Road from the trailhead.

To find the Gold Lake Trail I walked toward the Fuji Mountain Trail looking for a path downhill on the left that would lead me to the Gold Lake Trail. There was a trail marked on the map right across from the Fuji Mountain Trail, but I knew if I couldn’t find that I could walk down Waldo Lake Road about 150 yards and take the path down that Heather and I had taken just last year on our Marilyn Lakes Loop hike (post).

As I walked back along the long trailhead parking area I spotted a small sign on a tree below and then noticed a faint patch heading down to it.

I’m not sure if these three rocks were meant to be a cairn or they just happened to be there, but this is where the path was. It slants down back to the left.

The trail sign I’d spotted from the road above. (I was once again starting before sunrise so there wasn’t much light available for photos for the first 20-30 minutes.)

The path led me to the obvious Gold Lake Trail where I turned left.

The Gold Lake Trail climbed very gradually along the hillside above Gold Lake and the Gold Lake Research Bog, both of which were mostly hidden by trees.

Old mushroom

This was one of the best views available through the forest.

Wet section near the bog.

Another old mushroom and a bead lily.

Coral fungus

Ray Creek

After following the Gold Lake Trail for 1.7-miles I arrived at a junction with the Mount Ray Trail.

Trail/Nordic signs at the junction with the Mount Ray Trail.

I turned left onto the Mount Ray Trail and was expected a decent climb for the 0.4-miles up to the Mount Ray Trailhead but was pleasantly surprised at how gradual it wound up being.

Mushrooms turned into the theme of the day as there were not only a lot of them, but some of them were huge.

The Mount Ray Trailhead is just up Waldo Lake Road from the trail itself. The person at the pickup was the only one I saw all day until I was back at the Fuji Mountain Trailhead.

I crossed the road and continued to follow the Mount Ray Trail as it gradually climbed through the forest.

Wilderness permit box. The box didn’t have any self-issue permits inside, but I wouldn’t be entering the Waldo Lake Wilderness on this loop, so I didn’t need one anyway.

Small meadow on the flank of Mount Ray.

Valerian

There was one short, steep section near the middle of the 2.2-miles from the road to the junction with the South Waldo Trail.

Squirrel on the log.

Aside from a lot of birds I didn’t see a lot of wildlife during the hike. A few chipmunks and squirrels were it although there was plenty of deer sign around.

The trails were by and large clear of any obstacles which isn’t surprising given they are open to mountain bikes. It seems like those open to bikes are well maintained, if they are regularly used by mountain bikers.

The trail entered Pothole Meadows near the source of Ray Creek.

The creek bed is to the left. It was basically dry at this point, but the meadow was damp.

Aster

Blue diamond marking the trail leaving the meadow.

The trail steepened a bit beyond the meadow as it made the final climb to the South Waldo Trail junction.

The 4-way junction with the South Waldo Trail.

Heather and I had been to this junction during our South Waldo Loop hike in 2015 (post).

I turned left at the junction on the South Waldo Trail following an Island Lakes pointer.

The trail climbed steeply at times gaining 400′ in 0.6-miles before starting to descend toward the Island Lakes.

Small creek that wasn’t shown on the maps.

Mount Ray

This woodpecker was too busy to bother with looking at me.

Maiden Peak (post)

This little meadow was at the high point of the trail.

Bleeding heart

After another 0.6-miles downhill I began seeing smaller unnamed lakes and ponds through the trees and after another quarter of a mile spotted Upper Island Lake on the right.

Upper Island Lake through the trees.

We had visited both Upper and Lower Island Lakes in 2013 so I wasn’t sure if I would detour to either this time around. Upper Island was close enough to the trail (and level enough) that I wound up detouring around a small pond to visit the lake.

The pond.

Upper Island Lake

After looping around the pond I returned to the trail and after looking down at Lower Island Lake decided not to revisit that one.

Sign for Lower Island Lake.

Beyond the Island Lakes the South Waldo Trail continued to descend to a junction with the Fuji Mountain Trail, a little over two miles from the Mount Ray Trail.

One of several more unnamed lakes/ponds along the trail.

Signs at the junction with the Fuji Mountain Trail.

With the visibility being pretty good considering the Emigrant Fire was burning less than 15-miles to the SE I decided to make the 2.2-mile climb to the summit of Fuji Mountain so I turned right at the junction. For the first mile the trail made a series of ups and downs netting a gain of just 300′ but there was a good deal more uphill involved.

Golden-mantled ground squirrel

After the mile I arrived at a junction with a spur trail arriving from the Fuji Mountain Trailhead at Road 5833. The junction was just inside the 2022 Cedar Creek Fire scar.

I turned right here and began the final 1.2-mile climb to the summit. Initially the trail was right along the border of the fire scar.

Fireweed

Mount David Douglas

Eventually the trail veered into the fire scar to begin a series of switchbacks to the summit.

Diamond Peak. The Emigrant Fire is to the right and behind the mountain.

Just ahead the trail gained the ridge at a viewpoint.

The ridge to the left is Bunchgrass Ridge (post).

The flat mountain in the center is Mount David Douglas. Directly behind (and way back) in the distance is Bohemian Mountain and Fairview Peak (post).

Looking up the ridge beneath the summit.

Viewpoint at the final switchback before the summit.

The final push.

Chipmunk

The former lookout site atop Fuji Mountain.

It looked a lot different this time given the massive 2022 Cedar Creek Fire combined with the fact that it had been snowy in 2013 and there was definitely haze from the wildfires in the air today .

The pointy Mt. Thielsen (post) behind and to the left of Diamond Peak.

Cowhorn Mountain (post) is the leftmost pointy peak followed by Howlock Mountain, Mt. Thielsen, Sawtooth Mountain (post), and finally the hump in the distance to the right is Llao Rock along the rim of Crater Lake.

Looking down at the fire scar.

Similar view in 2013.

The Husband, Middle Sister, South Sister (post), Broken Top, and Mt. Bachelor (post)

Due to the haze Mt. Hood wasn’t visible at all this time and Mt. Jefferson was a struggle to see. Three Fingered Jack and Mt. Washington were visible to the naked eye but the camera had a hard time making them out.

Mount Ray with Crane Prairie Reservoir and Paulina Peak (post) behind.

Maiden Peak to the left with Odell Butte behind Odell Lake.

After a nice break at the summit I headed back down. It was 2.2-miles back to the South Waldo Lake junction and then another 3.6-miles down to the trailhead where I was parked. The lower 3.6-miles had its own set of ups and downs which I had conveniently blocked from my memory so instead of a nice long downhill section there was a fair amount of short climbing involved.

Fireweed

The South Waldo Trail junction.

Pinesap

There were two named lakes and several unnamed lakes/ponds along the lower 3.6-miles.

Verde Lake

Birthday Lake

The second of two nordic ski trails that left to the right. Both were very faint as far as tread goes indicating that they are not used much when there isn’t any snow.

California tortoiseshell

Pond

There were some areas where the mountain bikes had worn a good grove in the trail making it hard to land flat footed.

Maiden Peak through the trees.

I see cars!

Just like the previous day’s hike my GPS showed 15.3-miles when I was back at the car. As far as elevation gain goes, I am estimating it was around 3000′ when all the ups and downs are included.

Skipping the summit would have saved a little over 4.5-miles and around 1200′ of climbing leaving a moderate 10.8-mile loop with and estimated 1800′ of elevation gain. It’s hard to skip the summit given the Mount Ray – Island Lakes Loop lacks any major views. That being said the forest is very nice with the meadows and lakes providing some variety of scenery. I don’t know how busy the loop gets on weekends but not seeing another person on the trails was another plus for this hike. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Mount Ray – Island Lakes Loop

Tags birthday lake, Cedar Creek Fire, fuji mountain, Fuji Mountain Trail, Fuji Mountain Trailhead, Gold Lake, Gold Lake Trail, hiking, Lower Island Lake, Mount Ray - Island Lakes Loop, Mount Ray Trail, Mount Ray Trailhead, Oregon, Pothole Meadows, South Waldo Trail, Upper Island Lake, Verde Lake

Hiking

Marilyn Lakes and Betty Lake Trails – 10/19/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 21, 2024
3 Comments on Marilyn Lakes and Betty Lake Trails – 10/19/2024

Snow returned to Cascades earlier in the week with the white stuff falling at elevations down to 4000′. While it didn’t stick around on the roads, we suspected enough snow fell for there to be some on the forest floor at lower elevations heading into the weekend. We tested our hypothesis by driving Highway 58 to Forest Road 5897 (Waldo Lake Road) for a pair 5+ mile hikes.

Our first stop was for the Marilyn Lakes Trail. There are several potential starting points for the hike to these two lakes. Hike Oregon recommends starting at the Gold Lake Sno Park for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in the Winter. Sullivan recommends starting at the Gold Lake Campground for the hike. (Gold Lake Road, aka FR 500, to the campground would be inaccessible due to snow in Winter.) We however chose to begin off of FR 5897 at a small pullout on the right just under 2-miles from Highway 58 where a pair of small signs marked a ski trail.
The pointer is for Gold Lake & Highway 58.

The pullout along FR 5897.

We set off on this trail and quickly came to the junction with the Gold Lake Trail where we turned right.
We were pleased to find that there was more snow left than we’d expected.

Coming up on the Gold Lake Trail.

Trail signs at this well marked junction.

The Gold Lake Trail lost a little elevation as it descended for 0.2-miles to a parking area at the end of FR 500.
Campsites on the right at the Gold Lake Campground.

Looking back up the Gold Lake Trail.

We walked up FR 500 and crossed Salt Creek.

Downstream several miles Salt Creek flows over Salt Creek Falls (post).

On the far side of Salt Creek was the day use area (and start of the Marilyn Lakes Trail) to the right and the Gold Lake Shelter on the left.

Signs ahead for the Marilyn Lakes Trail.

The trail was a bit overgrown in spots but being a ski trail there were plenty of blue diamonds to help keep us on the right path.

After 0.4-miles we came to a junction where we turned right following a pointer for Marilyn Lakes.

The left-hand fork led up to FR 500. We took this fork on our way back.

Heading toward the lakes.

We came to a second junction in just 400′.
The right-hand fork is the start of the Lower Marilyn Lakes Trail.

We went right again and in another 400′ got our first glimpses of Lower Marilyn Lake.

The trail followed the lake for a third of a mile providing a couple of nice views.

Lower Marilyn Lake

The trail veered away from Lower Marilyn Lake and passed the SW end of Upper Marilyn Lake in an overgrown meadow. It was clear that the area between the lakes would be extremely wet/boggy in late Spring/early Summer. Mosquitos are a real problem that time of year throughout the Waldo Lake area making it a less-than-ideal time for a visit.
A lot of downed trees had been logged out.

We lost the trail briefly in this area and simply headed for the diamond in the distance.

Upper Marilyn Lake

Beyond the upper lake the trail gained 200′ of elevation to reach a small parking area off FR 500.

Canada jay

The cold air and moisture started fogging up my camera lens.

The trail got very overgrown just before reaching the road. We were pretty damp after passing through this mass of huckleberries.

We turned left onto FR 500 and followed it just over three quarters of a mile to a short spur on the left that led to another signed parking area.

We picked the trail back up here and followed it downhill a quarter of a mile to Upper Marilyn Lake.

Not sure what is going on with this mushroom.

A bald eagle was circling over the lake hoping to catch a fish for breakfast.

We watched the eagle for quite a while. It swooped twice but came up empty both times.

I had about as much success getting a picture of the eagle in flight as it had fishing.

After watching the eagle for quite a while we continued on the trail which followed the lakeshore.

Common mergansers

Diamond Peak (post)

Diamond Peak and Mt. Yoran with a few of the mergansers flying overhead.

The best views of Diamond Peak were found near the northern end of the upper lake.

The eagle was now watching us.

A tenth of a mile beyond the lake we found ourselves back at the second junction we’d come to. We turned right and made our way back to the first junction.

We went straight here this time and followed this trail 0.4-miles to FR 500.

We turned left again on FR 500 and followed it a third of a mile to the Gold Lake Campground.

After crossing over Salt Creek we detoured to the right to visit Gold Lake before returning to the car. This was a 5.4-mile hike with approximately 300′ of elevation gain.
Gold Lake

We got in the car and drove another 3.5-miles up FR 5897 to the large Betty Lake Trailhead on the left.
More fogging on the lens.

The Betty Lake Trail began with a slight downhill to cross a dry creek bed then climbed briefly to a wide saddle before dropping to Betty Lake.
The dry creek bed ahead.

At an unmarked but obvious fork we veered left to visit the lake shore.

Bear tracks. We weren’t the only visitors to the shoreline.

We followed this use trail along the lake for a while before heading uphill to rejoin the official trail.
Mount Ray

The trail made another brief climb through the forest before beginning a gradual descent past a series of smaller lakes before arriving at a junction with the Jim Weaver Loop.

Howkum Lake on our left was the first lake we passed by.

Reflection in Howkum Lake.

Nearing the second lake on the left, Horsefly Lake.

Horsefly Lake

The third lake, Tiny Lake, was just off the trail to the right.

Tiny Lake

The junction with the Jim Weaver Loop was next to a small unnamed lake.

We turned left onto the Jim Weaver Loop passing the unnamed lake and following the trail four tenths of a mile to another junction near the shore of Waldo Lake.

A different bear had been wandering around this area.

We could tell it was a different bear because the prints were noticeably larger. (11 1/2 shoe size for reference.)

Signs at the junction.

We had passed this junction in 2015 during a lollipop loop into the Waldo Lake Wilderness. We started that hike from the Shadow Bay Day Use Area and used the Shadow Bay Shoreline Trail to reach the Jim Weaver Trail. There wasn’t a clear view of Waldo Lake from the junction, so we headed left on the Jim Weaver Loop to find a spot where we could access the rocky shore.
View from the junction.

I dropped down to the shore on the other side of this footbridge.

The longer hump to the right in the distance is Waldo Mountain (post). The west side of the lake and the wilderness were heavily burned in the 2022 Cedar Creek Fire.

Fuji Mountain (post) is just barely visible over the left shoulder of hump in the foreground.

After getting an unobstructed view we headed back. It was a pretty uneventful return. We dropped down to Betty Lake to hike the use trail along the shoreline instead of staying up in the forest.
Tree reflecting in snowmelt.

Betty Lake had some nice coloration.

Mount Ray from Betty Lake again.

There were about a half dozen cars at the trailhead when we got back, but we hadn’t passed anyone on the trails during either of our hikes. There had been a family loading up their car when we first arrived at this trailhead and one occupied campsite at the Gold Lake Campground, but the hikes themselves had offered solitude.

The hike to Waldo Lake and back came in at 5.3-miles with approximately 450′ of elevation gain which was very similar to the Marilyn Lakes stop.

This brought the days total to 10.7-miles and around 750′ of elevation gain.
A look at the two hikes proximity to each other.

Longer or shorter hikes could be done from either trailhead. With a number of other trailheads in the area as well it’s no wonder the Waldo Lake area is a popular destination. This was our seventh visit to the area and there are still many miles of trails we’ve yet to be on. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Marilyn and Betty Lakes