Little Crater Lake Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Little Crater Lake Trailhead
- End Point: Timothy Lake
- Hike Type: Out and Back
- Distance: 1.4 miles round-trip
- Elevation gain: 10 feet
- High Point: 3,245 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: Summer into Fall
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
Contents |
Description
Little Crater Lake, a lovely sapphire-hued artesian spring formed in a dissolving layer of siltstone, is only 250 yards from a trailhead via a universal access path. Those who are able to go farther can hike out through a lush meadow to the Pacific Crest Trail and then walk south for about a quarter of a mile to view more lush marshes where Crater Creek forms an arm of Timothy Lake, a reservoir created in 1956 to regulate water flow on the Oak Grove Fork of the Clackamas River. This is a popular walk for families with young children.
Walk along the paved Little Crater Lake Trail #500, which passes through a wet meadow studded with lodgepole pine and then enters a grove of Engelmann spruce. Reach the viewing platform at Little Crater Lake, where a sign explains the spring’s formation on a fault line. The lake is very still and, on a sunny day, the reflections of the surrounding conifers are mirrored perfectly on the still sapphire pool. In late spring, look for false hellebore, lupine, marsh cinquefoil, and arrow-leaf groundsel blooming in the area. Continue on a boardwalk over a low stile and then cross a footbridge over a narrow skunk-cabbage wetland. Enter woods of Douglas-fir, mountain hemlock and yew to pass through a livestock fence and join the Pacific Crest Trail #2000 at the Pacific Crest-Little Crater Lake Trail Junction.
Turn left here on this wide path. Rhododendrons, bear-grass and Oregon grape form a sparse cover under large, old growth Douglas-firs. Come to the Pacific Crest-Timothy Lake Trail North Junction, and keep left over a boardwalk into a forest of Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir and western hemlock.You'll cross a large footbridge over Crater Creek and tread a boardwalk to the Pacific Crest-Old 1916 Trail Junction. (The latter is now labelled the Timothy Lake Bike Trail #537.) Keep right in a young forest of Douglas-fir and hemlock with western white pine, hiking along an arm of Timothy Lake and passing a couple of gushing springs on the right. At a boggy inlet, get a glimpse of the top of Mount Hood to the right above the trees. This is a good spot to turn around if you're with little ones.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Restrooms and picnic tables at the Little Crater Lake Campground
- Dogs on leash
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Little Crater Lake Trail #500 (USFS)
- Pacific Crest Trail #2000: Frog Lake Sno-Park to Skyline Road (Zigzag sec. #1) (USFS)
- Green Trails Maps: Mt. Wilson, OR #494 and High Rock, OR #493
- Discover Your Northwest: Mt. Hood National Forest North: Trail Map & Hiking Guide
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Zigzag Ranger District
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood
- Adventure Maps: Mt. Hood Area
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Little Crater Lake Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Little Crater Lake Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Best Hikes With Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson & Zach Urness
- Best Hikes with Children: Western & Central Oregon by Bonnie Henderson
- Day Hiking Mount Hood: A Year-Round Guide by Eli Boschetto
- Hiking Mount Hood National Forest by Marcia Sinclair
- Best Hikes With Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson
- 105 Virtual Hikes of the Mt. Hood National Forest by Northwest Hiker
More Links
- Little Crater Lake Hike (Northwest Hiker)
- Pacific Crest Trail (Zigzag) (USFS)
- Little Crater Lake Trail #500 (USFS)
- Little Crater Lake Campground (USFS)
- Little Crater Lake, OR (Recreation.gov)
- Little Crater Lake – Oregon (Brian's Brain Dump)
- "Little Crater Lake near Mount Hood is nearly as blue as its big brother in southern Oregon" (Oregon Live)
- Timothy Lake (Clackamas) (Atlas of Oregon Lakes)
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)