Oregon Hikers

Visited Monday 1/18/2021 in the afternoon, the lot (room for 20+ vehicles on the black top, if you go on the sand; might want to have 4x4 or awd; it is soft and muddy in areas) was never full, but people were always coming and going. All were socially distancing or masking up. This area does not have a gate so it is open 24/7. There is access to a fishing area to the east of this day use area right on the lake bed. This is a fee free area. There are 2 handicap parking spaces available and it is handicap accessible. Plenty of exploring to do from here. This day use are is well kept and looks fairly new. This is also a great place to bring young children, there are 10+ picnic tables, benches scattered throughout, interpretive signs, a flat dike trail with beautiful views. There are 2 semi stinky vaulted toilets (make sure you close the top lid after use). In winter when the lake is at its lowest you can take the dike trail to Piety Island where there is a campground (hike/boat in with 22 sites (equipped with picnic tables, and fire rings; $10/single site, $20/double site per night; 2 vaulted toilets (closed right now due to covid-19). Make sure to practice Leave no trace principal's, pack it in, pack it out and leave areas better than you found them. There is also a trail that goes to piety knob. Starts off single track, turns to an old road and then a bushwhack to the knob; the trail is covered in debris from the fires and wind storms we've had up here recently? Or it just may be not maintained. There is a cement foundation for a building on the piety knob trail. The views at the top of piety knob are not spectacular, but it is a beautiful hike. There is fire damage in this area from 2020 fires. The knob trail is a gradual uphill hike.
I hiked from the day use area to the knob, 4.40 miles with 537ft elevation gain.

Interesting seasonal hike. About how many months a year is the lake bed so low that you can walk to the island?

bobcat wrote: ↑

January 20th, 2021, 11:27 am

Interesting seasonal hike. About how many months a year is the lake bed so low that you can walk to the island?

The lake level data is available on-line by clicking on this site:

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/or/nwis/uv?site_no=14180500

You can look at previous levels by adjusting the date range. I've explored the area a lot in recent years and noted that the lake needs to be 1538' or lower to walk to the island but it's a muddy mess unless you wait a few days for it to dry out. The time it's at this level or lower varies from year to year. Last year this was about six months. The best time is the fall when it's dry, or when it's frozen in the winter.

Thank you Don Nelson.