Tumala Lakes
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes to this location:
- Tumala Mountain Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.2262, -122.0229
- Elevation: 3555 feet
Description
Tumala Lakes lie in a marshy glacial basin south of the ridge that forms the southern boundary of the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness. There are about six small, shallow lakes that decrease in extent as the summer progresses. Copses of hemlock, cedar, silver fir, and noble fir have colonized the hummocks in the valley. Much of the valley was a private inholding acquired from a cattle company by the Nature Conservancy in the 1980s, and has since been restored from the heavy grazing that once occurred here. Tumala Lakes are the source of Tumala Creek, which feeds the Roaring River.
The lakes can be reached from FR 4610 (Abbott Road) or via an off-trail detour from the ridge above. A use trail descends steeply from a saddle, traverses, and makes a total of eleven switchbacks to an open meadow on the valley floor. Old roads lead up both the east and west sides of the valley, but they are severely overgrown with Sitka alder and willow, especially in the middle sections.
Note that Tumala Lakes were formerly known as Squaw Lakes and appear in many guidebooks and on maps as such. In 2007, the lakes were officially renamed by the Board on Geographic Names during a campaign to eradicate the offensive word "squaw" from maps. Tumala is Chinook Jargon for "the afterlife" or "tomorrow."
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Contributors
- bobcat (creator)