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East Boulder Lake Loop Hike

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

East Boulder Lake (B. Hope)
View of Mt. Shasta from the PCT (B. Hope)
View of the Middle Boulder Lake basin from the PCT (B. Hope)
Map of the East Boulder Lake Loop hike (B. Hope)

Contents

Hike Description

This hike is on decent trails past several lakes in the northern Trinity Alps Wilderness. This area is part of the "red" Trinities, with most of the rock Siskiyou-like peridotite or serpentine (as opposed to the better known "white" Trinities, composed of granite). The hike can be done as a moderate day hike or as an easy overnight backpack. Note that cows may be present during the summer months. If you plan to backpack, get a free California Campfire Permit at the USFS ranger station in Fort Jones, California.

From the East Boulder Trailhead, it is two miles and a thousand feet in elevation up East Boulder Creek to East Boulder Lake. This area is under grazing permit, and you may sees cows and their sign here in the summer. The trail crosses the low dam wall at the lake's outlet and then skirts the west shore of the lake. From the lake, it is another 1.2 miles up to a pass at 7,100 feet. Note that the trail up to the PCT crosses a meadow just south of East Boulder Lake and may be a little hard to follow here - just keep going southeast and up and you'll find it again. You'll get views down to three other lakes at the head of the East Boulder drainage, the largest known as Upper Boulder Lake. The trail crests at a divide and then drops down to a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

From the PCT, you'll have a great view of Mount Shasta to the east. Follow the PCT southwest for 2.2 miles along the rocky ridge, south of the crest. Along the way, you'll pass above the head of the Eagle Creek valley and get more views to Mount Shasta, Black Butte, and Mount Eddy. You'll reach another pass at 7,420 feet with a "Middle Boulder Lake" sign - you can see the lakes in the basin below, with Middle Boulder Lake the largest and lowest.

Descend 0.5 miles on an open slope, and look for a faint trail contouring off to the right. There's an "East Boulder Lake" sign here attached to the end of a fallen tree, but it is not immediately obvious. Follow this tie trail for 1.6 miles through sagebrush, along the base of a rock slide, and around a ridge back to East Boulder Lake. Then take the trail down East Boulder Creek back to the trailhead.


Fees, Regulations, etc.

  • Information kiosk
  • Self-issued wilderness permit; California Campfire Permit needed for overnight stays
  • Cows may be present during the summer months
  • Wilderness regulations apply

Maps

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this destination

  • Hiking California's Trinity Alps Wilderness by Dennis Lewon
  • Day Hiking: Mount Shasta, Lassen & Trinity Alps Regions by John Soares
  • Trinity Alps & Vicinity by Mike White
  • 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Southern Oregon & Northern California by William L. Sullivan
  • Marin to Crescent City to Mt. Shasta: Northwest California's Best Day-Hikes by Art Bernstein
  • 100 Classic Hikes in Northern California by John R. Soares & Marc J. Soares

More Links


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Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

Hiking is a potentially risky activity, and the entire risk for users of this field guide is assumed by the user, and in no event shall Trailkeepers of Oregon be liable for any injury or damages suffered as a result of relying on content in this field guide. All content posted on the field guide becomes the property of Trailkeepers of Oregon, and may not be used without permission.