There are a lot of trails and hiking opportunities in the mountains W of Medford, so we let the presence of a lake (which are not plentiful) guide our choice for our first hike in this area (#68 in Sullivan's Southern Oregon guide). And, unlike Wednesday's snow storms, this day was full bluebird - clear, sunny, about 70F, gentle breezes. The roads - both paved and gravel - to the Fir Glade TH off FR 1040 (or 400) were in great shape and we were soon heading S on a forest trail.
A little over 0.5 mi in, and after passing a small pond, we crossed into CA (no sign, no agricultural inspection station?) and then reached the edge of the Red Butte Wilderness at Fir Glade - a huge, moist meadow.
About a mile or so further S, the trail leaves the forest and passes into open, brush covered ground, with big views to match.
It's still flower season down here at this altitude (~5,000') and, although not massively plentiful, there are a great many species represented, including this candy-stripe variety of Lewisia.
After about 4 mi, we reached a pass at 5,300'. To the N, in the upper watershed of the Butte Fork of the Applegate River, is Phantom Meadow; the trail we came in on contours along below the ridge on the left.
Looking W, we could see Preston Pk (7,309') in the Siskiyou Wilderness still holding some snow.
A mile further along the trail, we arrived at the pass (at 6,000') which overlooks Azalea Lk and from which we could see snow-covered Mt McLoughlin to the E.
It's 600' down to the lake, but the trail is switch-backed so gently you hardly notice either going down or coming back up.
The lake itself is a shallow gem nestled in the pines.
It's drier down here, so the ground cover around the lake is less than what you see in the Gorge and S Washington. There are some very nice hiker campsites on the W side of the lake - perfect for a lunch break.
After that we reversed our steps back to the TH, working on our tans as we went.
All in all, a perfect day hiking new terrain in great weather and with huge views (13 mi RT, 2000' EG - but hardly noticeable - there's more contouring than big ups & downs).
Azalea Lake (OR/CA border) 29-May-2014
Azalea Lake (OR/CA border) 29-May-2014
Last edited by VanMarmot on January 25th, 2015, 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
- sprengers4jc
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Re: Azalea Lake (OR/CA border) 29-May-2014
Incredible place. Great photos, and that is the most beautiful version of a Lewisia that I have ever seen. I didn't even know this place existed but it looks like a great backpacking trip to try later this year or next. Thanks for sharing.
'We travel not to escape life but for life to not escape us.'
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Re: Azalea Lake (OR/CA border) 29-May-2014
Lewisia! Lots of that where I just was in the Trinity Alps, but with fainter pink stripes.
Re: Azalea Lake (OR/CA border) 29-May-2014
Great TR, VanMarmot! Interesting area for sure. How do you get your skies to look so good in your photos? Mine are always washed out when the greenery in the foreground is properly exposed. A filter?
"The top...is not the top" - Mile...Mile & a Half
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Re: Azalea Lake (OR/CA border) 29-May-2014
I always use a circular polarizer filter to give more depth to the sky. Works great when the air is dry (as in Medford & the Sierra Nevada (CA)) but not so good when there's a lot of water vapor in the atmosphere. I also sometimes use a 0.6 or 0.9 ND split filter - hand-held in from of the lens - to try to give more exposure to the sky.miah66 wrote:Great TR, VanMarmot! Interesting area for sure. How do you get your skies to look so good in your photos? Mine are always washed out when the greenery in the foreground is properly exposed. A filter?