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Wednesday, October 3, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Clear Lake, the perfect fall hike
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Correspondent
Unless a fall trip to New
England is on your agenda,
your best bet for viewing
the brilliant leaf colors of
autumn is a visit to Clear
Lake. This is always my
favorite local fall hike. Heck,
it’s everyone’s favorite fall
hike around here, and long-
range weather forecasts sug-
gest that there are still more
excellent fall hiking oppor-
tunities to be enjoyed in the
days ahead.
Just over Santiam Pass
and only about a half-hour
away, Clear Lake’s fall
leaves create a Cascade
kaleidoscope of color not to
be missed. Just because it’s
on the other side of “The
Hill” doesn’t mean we should
overlook the nearby won-
ders of the upper McKenzie
River.
Last week we took the
relatively short drive over
to Clear Lake. Unlike many
of the area’s remote hiking
destinations, you can drive
right up to Clear Lake. So,
even if you’re not inclined to
hit the trail, this is an outing
you can enjoy without ever
leaving your car. But do! The
loop trail is only 5.5 miles
and offers terrific natural
wonders.
For starters, unlike many
Clear Lakes – and there are
quite a few – this one actu-
ally lives up to its name. In
fact, the intensely blue waters
are so clear that you can see
trees submerged when lava
flows created the lake 3,000
years ago. These aren’t pet-
rified trees or lava casts;
they’re the real thing. The
waters of Clear Lake are so
cold that the microorganisms
that cause wood to rot gen-
erally cannot survive here.
The excellent trail around
the lake is nearly flat, except
for some incidental ups and
downs through the lava rock
on the southeast portion of
the trail; and much of that
section is paved! On this
visit, we followed the trail
counterclockwise around the
lake, only because we usu-
ally go the opposite way. We
also observed that traveling
in this direction means never
having to directly face the
sun. When traveling south
on the west side of the lake,
the hiker is always in deep
shade; and, when hiking
north through the open lava
flows on the east side, the
sun is at your back.
Another observation we
made is that most people
seem to travel clockwise, so
the disadvantage of this route
is that you are more likely
to encounter more of your
fellow hikers going in the
opposite direction; and there
were quite a few. This place
isn’t exactly a secret. We
arrived at 9:30 a.m., and we
were only the third car in the
small parking lot. A friend
had been there earlier in the
week and warned us that
the place was packed wall-
to-wall later in the morning.
And, sure enough, by the
time we returned, cars were
overflowing into every nook
and cranny of the area.
This popular lake resort
destination is also home to a
lodge, a small general store,
cabins, and boat rentals.
Some of the 3,000-year-old
submerged tree trunks can
even be seen right from the
dock at the lodge. The facili-
ties are open and available all
year, although a tiny restau-
rant that operates only during
the summer closes this week.
Furthermore, we planned to
treat ourselves to ice cream
at the lodge’s general store,
but discovered that they were
all sold out!
On the whole, the vegeta-
tion surrounding the lake is
quite foreign to those of us
who live at the edge of the
High Desert. Thousands of
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vine maples encircle the lake
and provide brilliant red,
orange, and yellow fall col-
ors. The colors are especially
bright this year, and we have
seen other years when the
colors did not reach the peak
we saw on this visit. The fall
temperatures and weather
have apparently created just
the right formula for prime
color, but don’t delay. The
color display can change
rapidly
In addition to the brightly
colored leaves, giant fir trees,
some more than 20 feet in
circumference, grace the for-
est. One of my favorite little
trees is also native to the
area. Pacific Yew is a lesser
known “under-tree” growing
in the shadows of the dense
forests of the West. With
neatly ordered flat rows of
needles, like the teeth of a
comb, yew resembles a cross
between hemlock and grand
fir but never reaches the
grander dimensions of either.
Unlike grand fir, the needles
are pointed like sword tips;
and, unlike hemlock, yew
needles are longer and lie in
a single, flat plane.
Although reported to
reach heights of more than
75 feet, most are 20-30 feet
tall, with diameters of only
a few inches. There is one
specimen on the east side
of the lake that is a foot in
diameter and nearly 50 feet
tall. The bark of larger yews
is smooth, flaky, and purplish
in appearance. The slow-
growing, tightly grained
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Facc cocors abound at this bridge crossing on the Ccear Lake Traic.
wood is extremely strong, yet
limber. Yew has been used
for centuries to make archery
bows and canoe paddles.
Since October is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month, it
is also appropriate to note the
role of the yew tree’s bark
in the early development of
tamoxifen, a pharmaceutical
used to combat breast can-
cer. Tamoxifen, however, is
now synthetically produced,
which helped save the little
species from decimation.
One of the most unique
features of the hike is Great
Springs. Clear Lake is the
“official” headwaters of the
McKenzie River, but Great
Springs gives birth to the lake
itself. By fall, other tributar-
ies to the lake have mostly
dried up, but Great Springs
pours 43-degree water into
the lake without regard to
the season. This deep blue
pool near the northeast cor-
ner of the lake is a must-see;
and, once you’ve come that
far, you might as well do
the entire loop since you’re
already about half way!
To access this hike, take
Highway 20 west over the
pass and turn left at the
Santiam “Y” (instead of
continuing to Salem). Three
miles later, take Highway
126 left toward Eugene for
another three miles. Then
follow the signs to Clear
Lake Lodge on the left. This
is not a fee-use area, but the
campground on the other
side of the lake is.
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