8 Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Little Three Creek Lake is a nice family hike By Craig F. Eisenbeis Columnist Last week, we had planned to hike on the west side of McKenzie Pass, but since all the roads were closed due to the fires, we had to come up with a differ- ent plan. My hiking buddy, who was already sheltering at our place due to Camp Sherman9s uncertain fire evacuation status, suggested we keep it simple with a short hike to Little Three Creek Lake. Off we went. This is a great little hike for a spur-of-the-moment outing. Also, this trail might be a good choice for your visiting out-of-town rela- tives whose idea of an out- door experience has previ- ously been limited to a back- yard barbecue. It9s definitely more challenging than a city sidewalk but still suitable for toddlers. My three-year- old daughter didn9t have any problem with this trail, although that particular hike took place 44 years ago. The trail begins at a dead- end loop at the far end of the Driftwood Campground at Three Creek Lake (the larger one). The trail is definitely easy, but there are a couple of short, steep pitches, with some rough, rocky stretches. The trail itself is well-worn but not particularly well- marked or maintained. In many spots, the trail is braided by informal shortcuts that (usually) re-converge. Since the fires were apparently discouraging or preventing much recreational travel, there was plenty of parking at the trailhead. On some other occasions we have had to park as far away as the lot at the beginning of the campground access road; so additional walking could be required on a more crowded day. As it happened we did not encounter a sin- gle soul on the trail or at the lake; we had the whole place to ourselves. The hike to Little Three Creek Lake is billed as being about a mile one way, but it9s hardly that if you don9t do some additional exploration. In other words, this is a very short hike; but it still offers a sense of genuinely being in the mountains. Not every hike needs to be an endur- ance contest. One of the features of this hike that always strikes me is that, at 6,700 feet, this is genuinely an alpine experi- ence. Even in summer, there is always the feel that winter- like mountain snows may lurk just around the corner. The trail from the camp- ground turnaround loop winds through a mixed coni- fer forest that bears witness to the stress of surviving at such a high elevation. Alpine fir, mountain hemlock, and whitebark pine are the pre- dominant tree species. Many of the trees are twisted and stunted. Some of the trees look like bonsais; some hem- locks grow flat like ground cover; still others manage to grow straight and tall. One wonders what determines the fate of an individual tree. About the time you9re starting to feel warmed up, you9re almost there. You9ll see a little lake ahead on your left. Stop to enjoy its beauty, but don9t stop there. That9s not your destination. This little water feature is even littler than Little Three Creek Lake, which is just a little bit farther. The expansive rock wall rising above these lakes is Tam McArthur Rim, which rises to more than 7,700 feet. It is the same high rock ridge, which, from Sisters, can be seen leading up to the east side of Broken Top. This distinctive geographic fea- ture is named for Lewis A.