A recent trip report noted that the trail to Marion Lake is quite wide. There is a reason for this. Before it was included in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness area in 1968, there were power boats in use on the lake and many--more that 100--were stored at the lake. The boats were outboard powered fishing boats and they were chained to trees when not in use. Many of the boats were painted pastel colors, greatly contrasting with the forest. The trail needed to be wide in order to permit the transport of the boats. Manually powered trailers with bicycle wheels were used to transport the boats.
Around 1968, many thought that because of past use, the inclusion of Marion Lake in the wilderness area would violate the purity doctrine for wilderness lands. This arguement failed and the Forest Service gave the boat owners about a year to remove their boats.
In early summer in 1969, a friend and I took some of our young children on a one night backpacking trip to Marion Lake. Some of the boat owners were removing their boats that weekend which is how I happen to know about the trailers.
Also victims of the wilderness designation were picnic tables, fireplaces, outhouses, a pump and the guard station. Not the sort of improvements that one wuld expect to find on property eligible for wilderness designation.
Marion Lake
Re: Marion Lake
So glad you shared this story. Wow so much to comment on. That change must have been extremely hard to take by the folks who were used to having that kind of access to the lake, but wow it sure does make you appreciate it's not still that way. Thinking about the crowds that are at Timothy Lake every weekend, can you imagine what kind of superhighway that lake might be today? Probably with paved access. I have to remember this the next time I drive the paved road up to Camp Pioneer (not far from there) (ie: me taking advantage of that which I might otherwise despise!)