Lava Camp Lake Trailhead
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 44.25997, -121.78690
- Elevation: 5280 feet
- Driving time from Portland: 3 hours
Contents |
Hikes starting here
- Three Sisters Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
Driving Directions
From Portland, drive south on I-5 for 38 miles.
Drive east on Highway 22 for 80 miles to the junction with Highway 20.
Drive west on Highway 20 for 3 miles to the junction with Highway 126.
Drive south on Highway 126 for 20 miles to Highway 242.
Drive east on Highway 242 for about 20 miles to McKenzie Pass.
Lava Camp Lake Trailhead is one mile east of McKenzie Pass. The parking area is half a mile down a gravel road from the highway.
The total distance from Portland 161 miles, 3 hours. Note: Highway 242 is closed in the winter so check to make sure it's open.
Fees and Regulations
- Self-issued wilderness permit
- Central Cascades Wilderness Permit required: $6 overnight permit; $1 per person day use (June 15th - October 15th)
- Campground, picnic tables, restrooms, information kiosk at trailhead
Other information
As long as you're at the trailhead, check out the Dee Wright Observatory at McKenzie Pass. You get great views of surrounding mountains over a huge lava field. The observatory is a stone structure, built in the 1930s by the CCC. It's open all the time - no doors or gates that can be locked or anything.