Help with Dollar Lake trail access

[Openminded2]

Can anyone identify the trail start of dollar lake access? Both of these shots are just after (east of) pinnacle ridge.

[teachpdx]

Looks like you need to go a little bit further east. It's at least 3/10 of a mile from Pinnacle Ridge to the Dollar Lake trail.

It's a pretty substantial area with smaller trees, and it's right after where the trail takes a broad right turn and has views down into the Hood River valley. There is usually a cairn, and you have to sneak through a few of the smaller trees before it opens up and the trail becomes more visible.

These are the exact coordinates for the turn: 45.413952, -121.704384.

If I remember correctly, your first photo is only maybe 400 feet shy of the actual Dollar Lake trail.

[retired jerry]

you're always giving helpful information, I guess I could retire now

I thought I took a picture a month ago but upon inspection, not

It's tricky finding that junction. There's usually a small cairn. I've walked past it before even when I knew where it was, had a GPS waypoint,...

[drm]

Is that first picture a way to get to Barrett Spur from the west and bypass the puddle?

[retired jerry]

You can get to Barret Spur, bypass Dollar Lake, by taking the unmarked trail in Wy'East Basin

[adamschneider]

The junction (which usually has at least one cairn) is in the only substantial opening along that part of the Timberline Trail that's filled with small trees. You might think that sounds vague, but it's pretty unmistakable.

There are photos on both of these Field Guide pages:
Timberline-Dollar Lake Trail Junction
Dollar Lake Add-On Hike

Is that first picture a way to get to Barrett Spur from the west and bypass the puddle?

Nah, that meadow doesn't lead anywhere. Like Jerry said, the other trail starts just east of the Vista Ridge Trail at Wy'east Basin, and it's pretty obvious, at least at first.

[bobcat]

I passed the junction twice this summer, missed it the first time and had to backtrack. It is not obvious anymore. In past years I've relied on the cairn, which was not in evidence this year. Also the mountain hemlocks have grown up and obscured passage up the "trail." Once you get through the band of young hemlocks, you're in a heather draw and on an obvious track that leads in short order to the east side of Dollar Lake.

The photo on this page (https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guid ... l_Junction) is from this summer. The trail is where Andrew is standing, but again it's not that obvious to anyone who doesn't know the spot (or isn't carrying a GPS). Again, no cairn there this year.

The other trail closer to the Pinnacle Ridge junction (Openminded's photos) looks far more obvious and is a distraction. It heads up a heather draw (and late snowfield) and into a copse of trees.

[adamschneider]

The photo on this page (https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guid ... l_Junction) is from this summer. The trail is where Andrew is standing, but again it's not that obvious to anyone who doesn't know the spot (or isn't carrying a GPS). Again, no cairn there this year.

I went there on August 29 of this year, and there were cairns on BOTH sides of the main trail. I guess they come and go.

[retired jerry]

some people, you know who you are, kick over cairns because you're meanies

[Chip Down]

I heard there was a wildfire fire at/near the lake a couple years ago. Maybe just look for scorched treetops and walk towards them?