Short Backpacking to Lakes

Trip recommendations, current conditions, and other trail related Q&A
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drm
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Re: Short Backpacking to Lakes

Post by drm » May 13th, 2020, 7:05 am

stilts007 wrote:
May 12th, 2020, 8:01 pm
I'd love to explore some creek or river options too. We'll just leave the boats at home. I just love to be near the water. Any thoughts on where to start looking?
I've never had more than the rare itinerant mosquito on both Badger and Trapper Creeks. And both have camping sites a relatively short distance in. And both are good for early season hikes, once they open. I think the same might be true for Salmon Creek on the south side of Hood. The Lewis River is a bit longer drive, but clearly qualifies too.

Aimless
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Re: Short Backpacking to Lakes

Post by Aimless » May 13th, 2020, 9:29 am

Since the person asking for recommendations lives in the Eugene/Springfield area, I'd point them toward destinations a bit further south than most of the ones mentioned so far. For example, Indigo Lake is a short, easy backpack starting from the Timpanogas Lake campground, to the southwest of Diamond Peak. In the Waldo Lake area there are short, easy hikes to the Rosary Lakes or to Bobby Lake, which are campable. The mosquito problem is, of course, somewhat unavoidable with lakes.

Now that the floor is open for short, easy backpacks to sites near creeks and rivers I'll have to rummage my memory for a few of those down south. I haven't hiked French Pete creek, but maybe someone can say if it has any campsites in the first several miles.

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drm
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Re: Short Backpacking to Lakes

Post by drm » May 13th, 2020, 1:01 pm

Oh right, forgot they lived south. That's why I didn't suggest any locations in my first response, just talked about bugs. Then forgot that the second time around.

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oldandslow
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Re: Short Backpacking to Lakes

Post by oldandslow » May 19th, 2020, 2:26 pm

Marion Lake is not too bad a drive from Eugene and not a difficult hike. In olden days before Marion Lake became wilderness, fishermen used to haul their wooden fishing boats into Marion Lake and chain them to trees for summer weekend use.
Nice camping spots around the lake.

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