Wednesday, October 7, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
15
A fall visit to Clear Lake is a must
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Correspondent
As soon as the calendar
flips over to October, I start
thinking about a visit to Clear
Lake. Just over Santiam
Pass, and only about a half
hour away, there9s no bet-
ter place to see fall colors in
our area. This is always my
favorite local fall hike. As
far as that goes, it9s probably
everyone9s favorite fall hike
around here 4 and the long
range weather forecast sug-
gests that there will be many
remaining opportunities in
October.
My hiking buddy and I
do this hike almost every
year about this time, but
we decided to mix it up a
little this year and threw
in our kayaks as an option.
Actually, just the possibility
of visiting Clear Lake was a
bit tenuous this year because
access was restricted most
of last month due to the fires
and the ensuing road clo-
sures. Fortunately, the area
reopened last week, and we
were quick to take advantage.
We weren9t the only ones
who had that idea.
This visit to Clear Lake
was the busiest day at the
lake I9ve ever seen. We
arrived in late morning last
Saturday, and there was still
plenty of parking; but, by
early afternoon, the place
was packed. Still there was
plenty of space to socially
distance. The skies were
blue, the winds were calm,
and the lake surface was like
glass; so we decided to go for
the aquatic option.
There were a few other
kayaks and canoes; but,
mostly, there was a lot of
fishing going on. We decided
to head north of the resort,
since that area seemed to be
less crowded.
There are quite a few
Clear Lakes in this world,
but this is one that actually
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 aren9t petrified
trees or lava casts; they9re
the real thing. The waters
of Clear Lake are so cold
that the microorganisms that
cause wood to rot generally
cannot survive here.
While paddling along, it9s
impossible not to peer into
the clear depths scores of feet
below. The ancient trees are
certainly the most striking
objects of interest; but, this
time, we saw something new.
While it9s not uncommon to
see fish cruising the depths,
this time we saw several
salmon-sized trout 4 we9re
talking fish in the 24-to-
30-inch range!
At this time of the year,
surface tributaries to the
lake have long since dried
up, but Great Spring is still
pumping its very cold water
into the lake and forming the
<official= headwaters of the
McKenzie River. We headed
there first and entertained
ourselves by paddling into
the swift current emerging
from the spring. Next, we
lazily paddled to the north
end of the lake, where 4
in the spring 4 Fish Lake
Creek delivers water from&
Fish Lake.
On our way back toward
the resort, we witnessed
squadrons of waterfowl prac-
ticing coordinated takeoffs
and landings. The resort, with
its small store and cabins is
open all year; but the kitchen
is now closed for the sea-
son. Since the area is around
3,000 feet in elevation, the
lake is often snow-free in late
fall and early spring.
Paddling south, past the
resort, we encountered a mul-
titude of hand-powered boats,
most of which were engaged
in fishing. Motorized boats
are prohibited on this lake.
A few of the boats were hav-
ing almost non-stop fishing
action. Brook trout and cut-
throat trout reproduce natu-
rally in the lake, and rainbow
trout are regularly stocked.
Most of the fish we saw
being caught were rainbows,
with a few nice-size brook-
ies, as well.
The loop trail around the
lake is only about five and
a half miles long and offers
terrific natural wonders. This
excellent trail 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.
It seems that hiker traffic
usually tends to be counter-
clockwise around the lake,
but was pretty evenly divided
on this occasion. Traveling
counterclockwise 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 hik-
ing north through the open
lava flows on the east side,
the sun is at your back.
For the most part, the
lush, dense vegetation sur-
rounding the lake is quite
foreign to those of us who
live at the edge of the High
Desert. Thousands of vine
maples encircle the lake and
provide brilliant red, orange,
and yellow fall colors. Maybe
because it has been such a
dry year, the colors don9t
seem to be quite so brilliant
this year, but it9s still a beau-
tiful sight. Perhaps colder fall
temperatures will remedy
that; the color display can
change rapidly.
This is an outing you can
enjoy without even leaving
your car 4 but you should,
even if it9s just to stroll a
short distance into the forest
or walk down to the resort9s
dock, where some of the sub-
merged trees are visible in
the crystal clear water.
To reach Clear Lake,
For all your fall
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PHOTO BY CRAIG F. EISENBEIS
Fall colors frame a canoe gliding through the waters of Clear Lake.
take Highway 20 west over
the pass and turn left at the
Santiam <Y.= Three miles
later, take Highway 126 left
toward Eugene for another
three miles. Then follow the
signs to Clear Lake Lodge on
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Isolated shopping hour: 6 to 7 a.m.
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info call
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541-549-5634.
411 E. Carpenter Lane, Sisters
Th eLodgeInSisters.com • 541-549-5634