Oregon Hikers

Hi Team,

I couldn’t find a permit for this Thursday for a good spot in the Mount Margaret Backcountry. It’s a really long drive for just one day of hiking, so i’m Thinking about sleeping in my car at the trailhead after doing the Whittier Ridge/Lakes Trail/boundary trail loop, and then doing a couple shorter hikes on a Friday.

Anyone done this before? Are there places close to Norway Pass that would be better to camp?

Also, anyone have a smoke report for the area? Thanks.

http://lar.wsu.edu/airpact/gmap/ap5/ap5smoke.html

smoke map

you can see how it varies over a short time, like even a few hours

I was up there yesterday and as Jerry says, it changes in even a few hours.

If you still want to take a chance with the smoke and car camp, there's Ryan Lake, another 3.8 miles farther north on the 26 road. Flat parking lot, little used and a restroom.

A few pics from yesterday:







On the plus side, the huckleberries and salmon berries are the best I've seen in years:





dn

I don't see any issue sleeping there in the car at Norway Pass trailhead. There's always quite a few cars parked overnight, all you need there is NW Forest Pass.

One time I slept there in my tent (in the corner of parking lot) behind my car, it worked pretty well.