Thomas Lake Trailhead
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 46.00577, -121.83923
- Elevation: 4050 feet
- Driving time from Portland: 2 hours
Contents |
Hikes starting here
- Blue Lake Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Thomas Lake Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
Fees and Regulations
- Northwest Forest Pass required to park. There is a dropbox here.
- Wilderness permit required on the trail. Available free here.
- $2 toll each way at the Bridge of the Gods
Driving Directions
Drive I-84 east to Exit 44 for Cascade Locks and Stevenson.
From the freeway, drive for 0.4 miles and bear right for the Bridge of the Gods toll bridge and Stevenson.
Drive 0.8 miles, paying the $2 toll and crossing the Columbia River, to the junction with Highway 14.
Go right here for Stevenson and Kennewick. Drive 5.9 miles, passing through Stevenson, and make a left at a roundabout for Carson and the Wind River Recreation Area.
Keep on the Wind River Road for 5.8 miles and then turn right onto Old State Road for Panther Creek Campground.
Make a left in 0.1 miles onto Panther Creek Road.
Keep to this road for 11.1 miles as it rises through national forest lands (after 0.9 miles, it becomes FR 65).
Keep straight at Four Corner Junction, and after 1.9 miles come to a junction where FR 65 bears right.
The road becomes gravel here and rises another 6.8 miles to the Thomas Lake Trailhead parking area on the right.
Road closure: As of July 2018, FR 65 is washed out 2.5 miles from the trailhead. You can park your car there and walk the rest of the way, or use an alternate route: Wind River Highway, northeast on Forest Road 30 past Falls Creek Falls and Oldman Pass (14.6 miles), southeast on FR 6507 (4.2 miles), northeast on FR 65 for 0.5 miles to the trailhead.