A couple of miles before the Boulder Lake Trailhead, a bobcat bounced across the road and then came its kitten, which halted in the middle of the road, flicked its bobtail and stared us down. Shortly, having won the confrontation and stopped the car in its tracks, it languidly trotted off to mommy.
Mine was the only car at the trailhead all day. The lake was smooth as glass, with each campfire circle sporting one of those little plastic red flags the USFS plugs in to ward off pyromaniacs. Hiking up to Bonney Meadows, we were entertained by a chorus of pikas most of the way. We took a detour to Echo Point to get some views across the Boulder Creek valley to Grasshopper Point. (They’ve put in new signs at the junction with the Forest Creek Trail, replicating that same totally inaccurate sketch of the route.) Vultures were riding the thermals here and everything was startlingly fresh and clear. On the trail around Bonney Meadows, we got our first sighting of Mt. Hood, and after a short hike up Road 4891 past the entrance to Bonney Meadows Campground, we took the spur up to Bonney Butte.
HawkWatch is in the middle of its annual migratory raptor count on Bonney Butte, the birds usually navigating around the east side of Mt. Hood and then following this ridge between White River and Boulder Creek. There were a handful of sharp-shinned hawks that swooshed by riding the undulating air currents, but they were outnumbered by ravens. The views extended from Mt. Adams down to central Oregon, including minor prominences like Gray Butte and Grizzly Mountain. One of the volunteers told me this was the first time he had been able to make out the Three Sisters this month. There were days earlier in the month when the fire smoke was so thick they couldn’t even see Mt. Hood and had to retreat down the slope. COVID precautions meant we couldn't visit the banding station farther up the ridge.
From Bonney Butte, we continued up Road 4891. I stopped to check out the Crane Prairie Trail, long a favorite of mine. It actually looks maintained now – we can probably credit the 44 Trails Association, a mountain biker group out of Hood River. There’s no sign on the road, so you still have to know where it is. We continued to the west end of the Gunsight Trail, at the junction of 4891 and Road 3550 (Bennett Pass Road). The Gunsight, primarily used by bikers, is a forested route here, but it does open up for a view to Badger Butte. We passed right by the unmarked Windy Trail, only to realize that the junction had been purposely concealed by carefully placed debris. We found a cluster of downed trees right at the beginning of the trail, but otherwise it was in good shape. Why would anyone hide a perfectly good trail?
At the junction of Bennett Pass Road and FR 4860, we searched for signs of Camp Windy – it actually exists! One site near a spring has an amputated picnic table. Another, under big trees, looks over meadows flowing down into the headwaters bowl of Boulder Creek. Unfortunately, some visitors had chosen to flow their 4WD down the boggy meadow as well. A scratch of a trail led to a fairly new A-frame toilet just below Road 4860 but well concealed from it.
We continued along 4860 to the upper trailhead for both the Badger Lake Trail and the Boulder Creek Trail (a.k.a. Crane Creek Trail). This trail descends into the wonderful old-growth forest in the roadless upper Boulder Creek valley. There are some big Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, and noble fir down here as well as larch and aspen near talus slopes above the trail. (Neither of the latter are displaying fall color yet.) A “5” marker denotes the mileage from the original, now abandoned, trailhead farther down the valley. A small meadow near a stream, which I speculate was a stockman’s camp in the days when cows ranged freely in the valley, sported a curious anomaly: several Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens). They varied in height from about 12 inches to 60 feet. Could a bored cowboy have planted one that has now established a nativized population in this remote glade? The nearest indigenous blue spruce, a Rocky Mountain conifer, are in far eastern Idaho.
The east terminus of the Crane Prairie Trail is just below the meadow, partially blocked by a recently tumbled snag. The old sign, rotting in the dirt, is now illegible, but we followed the trail a way and confirmed that it is generally clear and sees human use. Down Boulder Creek, there are forest openings full of wildflowers gone to seed and more massive trees. At the junction with the Boulder Lake Trail, the signs are still for Crane Creek, the name for 50 years between 1925 and 1975 before it was changed back to Boulder Creek. After crossing the creek footbridge, it was a short sharp ascent to the trailhead.
Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
Re: Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
That is a really great loop. This is such an underrated section of MHNF, and one of my favorites. I love Boulder Lake in the summer, and then Bonney Meadows/Butte in the winter (snowshoeing from Bennett Pass).
And as for those flags in the fire rings, they shouldn't be around much longer. Fire restrictions were lifted on the MHNF this morning. https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mthood/a ... ?aid=67053
And as for those flags in the fire rings, they shouldn't be around much longer. Fire restrictions were lifted on the MHNF this morning. https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mthood/a ... ?aid=67053
instagram: @remyodyssey
Re: Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
I did a large hike around the area this spring that included this route- it is quite lovely and lonely. I was sad to see the then very fresh tracks down into the meadow, thankfully your pictures make it look like it's not getting worse than it was then. The Camp Windy Trail wasn't blocked at that time and it seems weird to block it since it's really hard to find normally and not something you'd accidentally wander down, rather easy to miss. Crane Prairie Trail is pretty easy to follow now, good red blazes up by bikers, but still had a lot of brush and a sprinkling of logs around. Lost the trail briefly in the marshy bits. Hopefully bikers will continue the work, cleared of brush it would be a nice downhill section, and some fun bits of ridge where it is close to the creek.
The Crane Creek trail south of the Boulder Creek Junction is still in good condition, right at the border of the MHN Recreation Area it goes east now (instead of the old trail continuing south) with a stepped log down to a creek crossing, and then just a short hop to the decommissioned road that is very nice walking down to 4880.
The Crane Creek trail south of the Boulder Creek Junction is still in good condition, right at the border of the MHN Recreation Area it goes east now (instead of the old trail continuing south) with a stepped log down to a creek crossing, and then just a short hop to the decommissioned road that is very nice walking down to 4880.
Re: Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
Thanks for the update on the Crane Prairie Trail. I brushed it out a bit in about 2016, but it needed more.
I've cleared the Windy-Gunsight junction in the past. Someone seems to think it's a good idea to conceal the Windy Trail for some reason.
I've cleared the Windy-Gunsight junction in the past. Someone seems to think it's a good idea to conceal the Windy Trail for some reason.
Re: Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
This place has been on my list a long time, but I have just never been able to motivate to drive so far for such a short hike. Maybe it will work this fall.
Re: Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
This loop was 12 miles with the diversions we took. You can go much longer if you wish, using Hidden Meadows/Forest Creek trails to the south of Boulder Lakes and also connecting with Badger Lake and Gunsight Ridge to the north. We have several loop options in the Field Guide.
I wouldn't drive that far just to go to Boulder Lake and Bonney Meadows.
I wouldn't drive that far just to go to Boulder Lake and Bonney Meadows.
Re: Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
To cut down on the drive time, you can also access the area via the Bonney Meadows Trail 471 from 4890 right off Wamic Rd then follow bobcats route, just adding a couple of miles and elevation. It's a great area for piecing together 20+ mile routes that are mostly on trail, and utilizing fabulous scenic natural surface roads like 3550.
Re: Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
Regarding the current conditions of Crane Prairie Trail #464, I don't understand what about it makes people say that it 'looks maintained now', I went down it yesterday 10/9/22, and it's just as overgrown as it was in 2011. It does not appear to have been brushed out in many many years, you can't even see the trail for at least half it's length. As for the section highlighted in red on the main trail page, it definitely has not been cleared or brushed summer of 2021 -- there's no evidence of any blowdown cutouts, and there are probably 25-30 mandatory climb-over blowdowns on it.
I would suggest removing that highlighted red section from the trail page that says it was brushed and cleared in 2021.
I would suggest removing that highlighted red section from the trail page that says it was brushed and cleared in 2021.
Re: Boulder Lake-Bonney Butte-Camp Windy-Boulder Creek 9-21-21
Thanks for the correction. I've updated the Field Guide. We met someone who told us the trail "was being worked on." Then we saw bike tracks going in at both ends. I guess we assumed wrong.
Actually, in 2015, I did a quick brushout (no logging) of the trail, which should have kept it pretty obvious for a couple of years anyway.
I think the reason Crane Prairie probably hasn't been worked on is because of the bogs at the bottom. The USFS probably doesn't want bikes going through that kind of sensitive environment.
Actually, in 2015, I did a quick brushout (no logging) of the trail, which should have kept it pretty obvious for a couple of years anyway.
I think the reason Crane Prairie probably hasn't been worked on is because of the bogs at the bottom. The USFS probably doesn't want bikes going through that kind of sensitive environment.