Saturday, September 25, 2021
I was looking for a short hike to do on the east side of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness on this sunny day and decided to hike to Wasco Lake. There were 21 cars at the trailhead when I arrived at 10am, but I’m guessing most of those people were headed to Canyon Creek Meadows because I didn’t see many people on my hike.
The trail passes Jack Lake with Three Fingered Jack visible beyond:
This area burned in the 2003 B&B Complex Fires so it’s pretty open:
After half a mile the trail enters the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness:
This is also where the trail splits. People headed to Canyon Creek Meadows head left, but I was headed to the right:
Continuing on through the burn:
To the north I had views of part of Mt. Jefferson through the burnt snags:
Then I entered a section of unburned trees:
Then it was back into the burn and I soon reached another trail junction where I turned right and crossed Canyon Creek:
There was some nice fall color along the trail:
Soon Wasco Lake came into view. The 5,674′ peak back there has no name:
The trail follows the western shore of the lake:
At the far end is one patch of unburned forest with some campsites:
You can see the top of Three Fingered Jack from that end:
Some trees had A LOT of lichen:
I sat and took a break for awhile, reading my Kindle and having a snack. Then I turned and headed back. At the south end of the lake I balanced on a log to walk through the burn area and get closer to the shore for a better view of the lake from there:
When I got back to the car at 2pm there were at least 50 cars. Glad I missed seeing all those people!
Gaia stats: 5.3 miles, 380′ elevation gain
