Pamelia Lake Is A Very Popular Trek In The Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Prior to the recent adoption of hiking passes in the last 3 years, Pamelia Lake was one of a handful of Central Oregon hikes requiring a pass to access. This special lake is an easy 2.5 mile hike which gains 550 feet of elevation as it passes through beautiful old growth forest, complete with many rhododendrons which bloom in late spring. Our hike in late September, 2023, included some views of fall color in sunny spaces where vine maple grew. We could also see areas where the 2006 flood from Mt Jefferson's Milk Creek Glacier wiped out portions of the trail and lovely moss covered forest floor. Plant life is returning and the area should eventually fully recover. Past the lake, the trail steepens for those planning on ... 10/03/2023

Marion Falls Is A Hidden Treasure Marion Lake, on the west side of Santiam Pass, is a lovely lake that we had never seen during all the years we have lived in Central Oregon. The drive to the trailhead is longer than what we normally travel for our day hikes (roughly 1.5 hours), but the 10 mile gravel road off Hwy 22 to the trailhead is well maintained and easy to access. We hiked to Marion Lake on a late September Saturday in which the air quality in Bend was poor. Reports showed that the quality of the air west of Santiam would be better than in Bend, so we felt a hike in this area would be warranted and were able to obtain two passes. Once we arrived, the trail began with a fairly short hike through the woods to Ann Lake, a smaller body of water in which the lake's rocky outlet flow... 09/28/2023