Plaza Lake Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Plaza Lake Trailhead
- End Point: Plaza Lake
- Trail Log: Trail Log
- Hike Type: Out and Back
- Distance: 1.4 miles round-trip
- Elevation gain: 560 feet
- High Point: 4,225 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: Summer through Fall
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
Contents |
Description
This is a short but steep hike down to a secluded mountain lake sequestered among old growth trees. It is a tranquil site, ideal for fishing, swimming, or quiet contemplation on a summer day. As for road access, Abbot Road is rough and gets rougher after the Twin Springs Trailhead, so you might want to park there and walk east on the road. Another (even longer) approach would be to take the paved road to the Upper Fanton Trailhead or the Old Baldy West Trailhead and hike the Old Baldy Trail to Twin Springs and then along Abbot Road to the Plaza Lake Trailhead.
The path leads down from the campsite area and you soon encounter the first of 17 switchbacks. Rhododendrons dominate in the understory at the top of the ridge, shaded by mountain hemlock, Douglas-fir, noble fir and silver fir. Huckleberries, vine maple, and bear-grass soon appear and the trail switchbacks between a couple of talus slopes. Farther down the slope, some large Douglas-firs and western hemlocks stand by the trail. Just above the lake, a spur drops to a campsite and the main trail drops steeply down to the shore, which is tightly hemmed by thickets of rhododendron, spiraea, Sitka alder, mountain ash, and vine maple.
The trail is the last remnant of the South Fork Salmon River Trail, which came up out of the valley and passed by Plaza Lake before reaching the ridge line.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- none
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Green Trails Maps: High Rock, OR #493
- Adventure Maps: Mt. Hood Area
- Geo-Graphics: Mt. Hood Wilderness Map
- Discover Your Northwest: Mt. Hood National Forest North: Trail Map & Hiking Guide
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Bull of the Woods Wilderness and Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Zigzag Ranger District
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Plaza Lake Hike
- Tumala Mountain and Plaza Lake - 9/23/17
- Plaza Lake ramble last month (7/2/17)
- Plaza Lake from Old Baldy TH
- Plaza Lake and Salmon Huckleberry ridgelines 8/5
- Salmon Mountain
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Plaza Lake Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- PDX Hiking 365 by Matt Reeder
- Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
- 105 Virtual Hikes of the Mt. Hood National Forest by Northwest Hiker
More Links
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)