A few loops to try around Bonney Meadows area

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birdhiker
Posts: 27
Joined: May 23rd, 2016, 6:23 am

A few loops to try around Bonney Meadows area

Post by birdhiker » August 4th, 2021, 9:43 am

I spent the last three weekends doing a few different loops up and around Bonney Meadows and Bonney Butte. I do not see these listed as possible hikes, but they are very nice. My Subaru can make it up to Bonney Meadows, but why risk trashing the tires. If you go past the turn off 4881 to the meadows and take the next turn, 4881-120 I believe, you can get to where both the Hidden Meadows Trail and the Forest Creek Trail hit this road. It is a nice road with a few spots of larger gravel but nothing as bad as the Bonney Meadows Road. Park on the curve near the Forest Creek Trail (45.23061, -121.56004) and hike up it to Bonney Meadows, goof around up there all you want, visit the butte, then come back down the Hidden Meadows Trail, hang a left when you get back to your road and back to car (6.6 miles plus whatever you do at meadows and butte).

Another option is to park in same spot or a bit more up the road at 45.238113, -121.558815 and walk down the road to Little Boulder Lake, cut over to Boulder Lake , up the gentle climb to Bonney Meadows , visit the meadows and the butte, and then head back down Forest Creek Trail to your car (8.4 miles if you start from point farther up road, including trip up to butte). This is a very nice hike with two lakes and a good view up on the butte, plus the meadow :). BTW, I checked my coordinates for the second spot, you need to look at the satellite image on Google Maps, the road does not appear on other versions.
Attachments
l boulder.JPG
Little Boulder
tr to boulder.JPG
Trail between the two lakes
tr around boulder.JPG
You need to cross some rocks to do loop around Boulder
boulder.JPG
Boulder Lake
tr to meadow.JPG
Up hill from Boulder Lake
butte.JPG
Bonney Butte
meadow.JPG
Bonney Meadow

cfm
Posts: 1097
Joined: June 18th, 2008, 6:49 am

Re: A few loops to try around Bonney Meadows area

Post by cfm » August 4th, 2021, 12:14 pm

Thanks for the ideas.

-the looper

dayhiker
Posts: 95
Joined: July 22nd, 2008, 4:48 am

Re: A few loops to try around Bonney Meadows area

Post by dayhiker » August 10th, 2021, 1:29 pm

I did a similar loop last year looking for a spot away from crowds, I originally started at Barlow Pass, but the unmaintained trail down Barlow Ridge took a day longer than I planned, so I came back to below Bonnie Butte (day hiking this time) and hiked up to the meadows and then did a loop (missed the Butte which I might have done if I park where u did).

Later I took the trail the other direction and across white river (a bit hard to find the trail on the other side), and up to the unmaintained Barlow Ridge trail.

You got nicer pictures, too.

Image

Image

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bobcat
Posts: 2764
Joined: August 1st, 2011, 7:51 am
Location: SW Portland

Re: A few loops to try around Bonney Meadows area

Post by bobcat » August 11th, 2021, 1:14 pm

Great area for loops. We have a number of them in the Field Guide. My favorite is: https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guid ... _Loop_Hike

Boulder Creek feels remote and unvisited. You'll have it to yourself!

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