What a Fall!

It sure has been a beautiful fall thus far! We have already had a few freezes up here in the Silverton Hills, but the afternoons have been sunny and warm! The weekend before last I had the chance to head up to Lost Lake in the Mt. Hood National Forest for an overnight camping trip. We took all three of the dogs so it was quite the adventure, but well worth it.

I had never been to Lost Lake, and since it was not actually my original destination I did a bit of aimless driving around the upper Hood River Valley. The Parkdale area itself is extremely beautiful with a classic view of Mt. Hood as one drives through the pear orchards. If I could afford a second home it would be there! Anyways, the access roads are pretty decent to the lake and there is a large campground, day use area, "store," boat rentals, and cabin rentals at the lake.

The campground was not crowded, but was a little busier than I was expecting. I would imagine that it fills up fairly quickly on summer weekends. There is apparently decent fishing for Rainbow and Brown Trout in the lake as well as Kokanee, but unfortunately I forgot my fishing pole at home so I was unable to sample the fishing for myself. There is a 3 mile trail around the lake, which we walked a portion of, just past the store there is a fantastic viewpoint of Mt. Hood towering to the south of the lake. Sunday morning I made the quiet, but steep hike up Lost Lake Butte and enjoyed the incredible views of Mt. Hood and glimpses of Mt. Adams to the north.

Overall, I would say that Lost Lake is well worth the trip, though visiting during the week during the summer or on an autumn weekend would probably be your best bet. The campsites were fairly spacious and the climate and foliage of the lake were damp enough that despite our summer drought, campfires were still allowed in designated spots.