Campbell Lake Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
| This page is marked as a Closed Hike. Some or all of this hike has been closed by a governing body and hikers may be liable for fines or even arrest. At least part of this route may be dangerous and hard to follow, or it may cross areas with sensitive plant life or wildlife habitat. Trailkeepers of Oregon does not endorse or recommend hiking this route. When restrictions are lifted, this notice will be removed. |
- Start point: Shackleford Trailhead
- End point: Campbell Lake
- Hike type: Lollipop loop
- Distance: 9.7 miles
- Elevation gain: 1480 feet
- High point: 5,825 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Seasons: Summer, fall
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: Yes
- Crowded: No (except weekends in summer)
Contents |
Hike Description
NOTICE: As of August 2023, access to the Shackleford Trailhead has been closed due to proximity to local fires. Please check the list of Klamath National Forest trail closures before you plan for a hike.
The Shackleford Creek Trail is one of the main hiking routes in the Marbles. It is very popular in the summertime as the pathway to a number of charming lakes. A hike up the creek from the trailhead, through an old-growth forest and scattered patches of huckleberry oak and Jeffrey pine, gets you to Campbell Lake, a large, shallow body of water strewn with a number of campsites around its shore. A short side trip takes you to Cliff Lake, the deepest lake in the Marbles. Another side trip takes you to two lakes, Summit Lake and Summit Meadow Lake, that lie hidden in cirques of the mountain that looms over Campbell Lake. From these lakes, it's only three-quarters of a mile up to the ridge crest and the Pacific Crest Trail. If you plan to backpack, get a free permit at the USFS ranger station in Fort Jones, CA.
The Shackleford Creek Trail #5542 leaves the Shackleford Trailhead going west on an old road bed. After entering the Marble Mountain Wilderness, the tread becomes more trail-like in Jeffrey pine parklands. About 2.8 miles from the trailhead, you'll come to the junction with the Campbell Lake Cutoff Trail #5543 and your return point for the lollipop loop. To make a counterclockwise loop, bear right on the Shackleford Creek Trail to switchback up a slope. After 0.6 miles,, you'll reach another junction, this time with the Back Meadows Trail #5549. Stay left here, to pass aptly named Log Lake and then skirt a large meadow, one of the habitats of the cattle that graze here in the summer.
About half a mile past Log Lake, take the Campbell Lake Trail #5541, which is a rougher tread that leads up to a junction with the Campbell Lake Cutoff Trail. To return to Shackleford Creek, head left to follow this trail, where spurs lead to the shore of Campbell Lake. In summer and fall, lower water levels will expose the lake's cobbled shore. The cutoff trail reaches the Shackleford Creek Trail in 1.5 miles, shortly after crossing the creek. From there, turn right to head back to your vehicle.
If you're planning on camping at Campbell Lake or are looking for a longer outing, you can continue straight on the Campbell Lake Trail. In less than 100 yards, you'll come to a second junction. Going right will lead you in 1.5 miles up to Summit Lake. (A different loop can be made by taking the Shackleford Creek Trail back down from where it reaches Summit Lake; you can also connect with the PCT by heading left from Summit Lake.) Heading left will take you, in short order to another junction. Turning left here will take you to campsites on the south shore of Campbell Lake. Keeping straight puts you on the Cliff Lake Trail, that body of water being about a mile up the slope, with campsites on the west shore. (All of the lakes support healthy populations of trout.)
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Information kiosk, pit toilet
- Self-issued wilderness permit; California Campfire Permit needed for overnight stays
- Share trails with horses
- Cows may be present during the summer months
- Wilderness regulations apply
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Marble Mountain and Russian Wildernesses
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Klamath National Forest
- National Geographic: Pacific Crest Trail: Klamath Mountains
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Campbell Lake Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Campbell Lake Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Marble Mountain Wilderness by Dave Green & Greg Ingold
- Hiking Northern California by Bubba Suess
- Northern California Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Ann Marie Brown
- 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Southern Oregon & Northern California by William L. Sullivan
- Best Hikes of the Marble Mountain and Russian Wilderness Areas, California by Art Bernstein
- 76 Day-Hikes Within 100 Miles of the Rogue Valley by Art Bernstein
- Marin to Crescent City to Mt. Shasta: Northwest California's Best Day-Hikes by Art Bernstein
- 100 Northern California Hiking Trails by Don & Roberta Lowe
More Links
- Shackleford Trailhead (USFS)
- Shackleford Trail #5542 (Hiking Project)
- Campbell Lake Trail #5541 (Hiking Project)
- Campbell Cutoff Trail #5543 (Hiking Project)
- Lakes, Marble Mtn. Wilderness (USFS)
- Marble Mountain Wilderness Day 1 – Shackelford Trailhead to Summit Lake (wanderingyuncks)
- Campbell Lake (Marble Mtn. Wilderness) 06-Oct-2015 (Boots on the Trail)
- Campbell/Cliff lakes (Marble Mt. Wild.) (Southern Oregon Outdoors)
- Camp at Summit Lake (Right On Trek)
- The Marble Mountain Wilderness | Shackleford Creek Trail (Blazed Trails)
- Shackleford Creek Trail (Adventure Hacks)
- "Klamath National Forest: Unique, biodiverse region threatened by fire" (Statesman Journal)
- Marble Mountain Wilderness (USFS)
Page Contributors
- VanMarmot (creator)