Bull of the Woods Wilderness; Pansy, Big Slide, & Twin Lakes

[KLynnOutdoor]

7-16-17
Pansy Lake TH #551. A nice hike in to junction 558 (Mother Lode Trail). We headed east to the Lookout. Trail was good with views of Jefferson along the way. Not too many downed trees to climb over. The lookout was fantastic. Great views on a clear day. Continued on to Big Slide Lake. The hike down to the lake is about 0.6 miles, and all downhill. The lake is gorgeous. Great camp sites.
Next day we headed for Twin Lakes (back on 558, to 573 - Twin Lakes Trail). There were numerous downed trees. We counted 184 (give or take) and among the 184, we considered 28 of them to be "Mega" blowdowns, meaning you had to climb over or under or hike off trail to get around the downed tree. Along this hike we had awesome views of Mt Jefferson through a burned section. Oddly beautiful. Great camp sites at the north end of the lake. Lake was warm enough for a swim. It was sunny (hot when not is shade) cooling off nicely at night, with quite a few mosquitoes. We had entertained thoughts of camping at Pansy Lake on our last night, but it couldn't hold a candle to Big Slide or Twin Lakes and we opted to hike in for only a peek before heading home.

[xrp]

8-16-17
Pansy Lake TH #551. A nice hike in to junction 558 (Mother Lode Trail). We headed east to the Lookout. Trail was good with views of Jefferson along the way. Not too many downed trees to climb over. The lookout was fantastic. Great views on a clear day. Continued on to Big Slide Lake. The hike down to the lake is about 0.6 miles, and all downhill. The lake is gorgeous. Great camp sites.
Next day we headed for Twin Lakes (back on 558, to 573 - Twin Lakes Trail). There were numerous downed trees. We counted 184 (give or take) and among the 184, we considered 28 of them to be "Mega" blowdowns, meaning you had to climb over or under or hike off trail to get around the downed tree. Along this hike we had awesome views of Mt Jefferson through a burned section. Oddly beautiful. Great camp sites at the north end of the lake. Lake was warm enough for a swim. It was sunny (hot when not is shade) cooling off nicely at night, with quite a few mosquitoes. We had entertained thoughts of camping at Pansy Lake on our last night, but it couldn't hold a candle to Big Slide or Twin Lakes and we opted to hike in for only a peek before heading home.

Cool, a report from the future!

[RobFromRedland]

I was up there shortly after the fire, and it was pretty desolate, however there were some spots of recovery being seen (small seedlings and lillies popping up). How is the burned area recovering? I've got a bit loop on my todo list which I need to do, hopefully this summer.

The blowdown is unfortunate, however those trails see little in the way of maintenance unfortunately. I think the last time they had significant work was several years ago. Since it is wilderness it is all crosscut work which is very time consuming. I remember when the trail down from BOTW was literally matchstick blowdown - the trail was almost impassable - but that got fixed - I think during the "stimulus" work.

Anyway, thanks for the report. The Bull is a beautiful place. I love Big Slide Lake in particular.

[Smith]

Thanks for the report! I've been looking at doing a weekend trip out in the area. Which was a better place for camping Twin Lakes or Big Slide Lake? Also, how were the mosquitoes?

[greenjello85]

Great trip. I love that area.

There were numerous downed trees. We counted 184 (give or take) and among the 184, we considered 28 of them to be "Mega" blowdowns, meaning you had to climb over or under or hike off trail to get around the downed tree.

That's a bummer, that was pretty much clear last year!

[BaseCampBronco]

Thanks for the report! I've been looking at doing a weekend trip out in the area. Which was a better place for camping Twin Lakes or Big Slide Lake? Also, how were the mosquitoes?

The mosquitoes are better than I have experienced in past years – however past years have been borderline apocalyptic in terms of numbers of mosquitoes – it's totally bearable, but I would definitely pack either Jungle Juice or Deep Woods Off – the Deep Woods Off! was more effective for our group, but I think that is only because it is much easier to apply all over than that little bottle of Jungle Juice is.


Campsites are nice at either spot, but in my experience, you are more likely to encounter others at Twin Lakes over Big Slide.

[Smith]

Thanks for the report! I've been looking at doing a weekend trip out in the area. Which was a better place for camping Twin Lakes or Big Slide Lake? Also, how were the mosquitoes?

The mosquitoes are better than I have experienced in past years – however past years have been borderline apocalyptic in terms of numbers of mosquitoes – it's totally bearable, but I would definitely pack either Jungle Juice or Deep Woods Off – the Deep Woods Off! was more effective for our group, but I think that is only because it is much easier to apply all over than that little bottle of Jungle Juice is.


Campsites are nice at either spot, but in my experience, you are more likely to encounter others at Twin Lakes over Big Slide.

Thanks! Good to know. Can't wait to get out there.