Jefferson Wilderness - Spring Backpacking

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abrown024
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Location: Eugene. OR

Jefferson Wilderness - Spring Backpacking

Post by abrown024 » April 25th, 2017, 9:25 am

Hi everyone,

I am thinking about doing either a two day or three day trip in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness this May. Does anyone know what the snow levels might like up there at that time? I was thinking about going to Pamelia Lake or Marion Lake (assuming Jefferson Park is under snow - I would prefer to do that).

Thanks everyone!


Consumed by wanderlust, fueled by PB&J
Consumed by wanderlust, fueled by PB&J

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CampinCarl
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Joined: June 17th, 2011, 7:41 am
Location: Salem

Re: Jefferson Wilderness - Spring Backpacking

Post by CampinCarl » April 25th, 2017, 12:12 pm

It's tough to say. Checking some snotels in the area it looks like anywhere from 1 ft on the ground at Marion Forks snotel (elevation 2590ft), 2 ft at Daly Lake Snotel (Elevation 3690ft), and, gulp, 7 ft on the ground at Little Meadows snotel (Elevation 4020 ft). Pamelia Lake is at about 3950ft and Marion is at 4130ft.

Keep an eye on the snotel data here:

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nr ... 2p2_046181

And a great interactive snow level map of the area from NOAA here:

http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/interactive/ ... &js=1&uc=0

I'm planning to go on a day hike to Marion Lake in early June so will be curious what you find out if you decide to go.

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arundodonax
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Re: Jefferson Wilderness - Spring Backpacking

Post by arundodonax » April 25th, 2017, 8:55 pm

This is a high snow year--both lakes will likely not be accessible without snow travel until mid-June at the earliest, I'll bet.

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mattisnotfrench
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Re: Jefferson Wilderness - Spring Backpacking

Post by mattisnotfrench » April 26th, 2017, 9:39 pm

abrown024 wrote:Hi everyone,

I am thinking about doing either a two day or three day trip in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness this May. Does anyone know what the snow levels might like up there at that time? I was thinking about going to Pamelia Lake or Marion Lake (assuming Jefferson Park is under snow - I would prefer to do that).

Thanks everyone!


Consumed by wanderlust, fueled by PB&J
To be perfectly honest neither of those locations are likely to be functionally snow-free in May. They usually are, but likely not this year. Last I saw that area had something like 150% snowpack.

If you want to do a backpack near Jefferson I'd recommend hiking along the Metolius River, east of the mountain. It's gorgeous, it will be snow-free and there are tons of campsites. If you want a view of Jefferson...well, I'm not sure what to tell you. This is a bad year to visit the region, at least this early in the season.
Author of Extraordinary Oregon!, PDX Hiking 365, 101 Hikes in the Majestic Mount Jefferson Region, and Off the Beaten Trail. Website: www.offthebeatentrailpdx.com

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cunningkeith
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Location: Portland

Re: Jefferson Wilderness - Spring Backpacking

Post by cunningkeith » April 29th, 2017, 5:34 am

If you want to check snow depths, I recommend the National Snow Analysis 3D Interface.

http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/earth/

It is updated daily (you need google earth installed). But it is pretty cool to play around and check your favorite area for a rough guess at snow depths (it is not 100% accurate).

Today it shows Pamelia under about 90 inches.

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retired jerry
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Re: Jefferson Wilderness - Spring Backpacking

Post by retired jerry » April 29th, 2017, 6:12 am

"it is not 100% accurate"

when I was hiking on the Metolius a month ago it said the snow had just melted off, but when I got there, there were occasional 2 foot snow drifts on the road

it seems like the road can accumulate more snow so it melts off later, even though all around in the forest the snow is melted

I don't mind hiking on a little snow, so I figure if it says the snow has melted, it's okay. Maybe wait a couple weeks. If it says there's a foot of snow or more, then probably more than I'm really into.

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