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Wednesday, October 28, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Robinson Lake is a little-known jewel on the edge of wilderness
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Columnist
A few years ago, a reader
contacted me and suggested
that I feature Robinson Lake
in one of my columns. It is a
special place, he said, and he
wanted others to be able to
share the unique beauty and
sense of wonder he experi-
ences there.
His suggestion was a wel-
come contrast to the occa-
sional complaint I get when
one of my articles suggests
a destination that someone
would prefer to remain a
secret. In fairness, though,
I will say that such com-
plaints are usually relatively
good-natured. Usually.
Robinson Lake is a pretty
little jewel, just barely 4
or rather partly 4 inside
the western boundary of
the Mount Washington
Wilderness Area. In fact,
the boundary line of the
wilderness area runs right
through the middle of the
lake. It wasn9t clear whether
we were required to have a
wilderness permit when we
swam to the other side.
Our recent visit actually
preceded last month9s fire
closures, so this account
has been delayed until the
area reopened. Fortunately,
Robinson Lake and environs
escaped September9s devas-
tating fires. So, the area is
undamaged and ready for
your enjoyment.
Since the lake9s loca-
tion puts it well on the other
side of the mountains, most
Sisters-area outdoor enthu-
siasts are not familiar with
the place. Also, in spite of
its claim to wilderness, it9s
just a pleasant little stroll
from the trailhead; so, it9s
not exactly a major under-
taking. However, it9s a
long drive for a short hike,
especially so since we take
separate cars now to com-
ply with social distancing
guidelines. Even at that, my
hiking buddy has been about
my only outside social con-
tact in the last eight months!
A few miles below
Sahalie and Koosah Falls
on the McKenzie River, it9s
a fair distance off the high-
way. However, a road pen-
etrates the forest to within
about a half mile of the lake.
As it turns out, the road has
an excellent smooth gravel
base suitable for all types
of vehicles. It can be rather
dusty, with an occasional
pothole to keep you on alert
and your speed in check.
The trailhead area has a
profusion of Indian paint-
brush that was well past its
peak, but there were still
some thimble berries along
the trail. It was a poor huck-
leberry year, and what little
there was is long gone. After
spending time in our east-
side forests, it9s always a
bit of a shock to suddenly
plunge into the lush, dense,
green forests on the west
side of the Cascades. Even
with the cool beauty of the
dark forest, though, the prin-
cipal sensory impression is
the magnificent scent of the
deep woods.
Having witnessed the
disheartening Sisters-area
fires of recent decades, we
had tended to consider the
westside forests an inviolate
refuge from such events.
Sadly, that has not proven
to be true, but Robinson
Lake remains untouched.
The forest path to the lake
is very easy, short, and
pleasant, with a few inci-
dental ups and downs. As
we neared the lake, a trail
sign appeared at a fork in
the path; and the lake itself
is a short distance down the
left fork. Surrounded by a
mature, green, mixed-coni-
fer forest, Robinson Lake is
beautiful and serene.
We stopped for a snack
on a comfortable log at the
lake9s edge, then went for
our swim into the wilder-
ness. Except for a few min-
utes, when a family of four
showed up while we were
swimming, we had the lake
entirely to ourselves. The
water was cool at first, but
so pleasant that we spent an
hour or so in the water and
never felt chilled.
Now that we9re well into
October, I9m not sure that
I would be all that enthusi-
astic about swimming. My
hiking companion, how-
ever, is pretty much an all-
weather water enthusiast and
would probably not hesitate
to jump in. The water level
at this time of year is low,
and the ground surrounding
the lake is smooth, firm and
grassy. The lake bottom is
soft, squishy mud.
If it takes a longer hike
to pique your interest, it9s
an easy matter to explore
farther up the trail and visit
nearby Kuitan Lake. Even
adding this additional des-
tination to your itinerary,
the resultant hike is still not
much more than a three-
mile round trip. The trail to
Kuitan Lake passes through
a lush and stately forest that
brings to mind the image of
a woodland cathedral.
Except for one long
switchback (shortly after
leaving Robinson Lake)
that gains about 150 feet of
elevation, the trail to Kuitan
Lake is mostly flat and in
good condition. After about
a mile and a half, keep an
eye out for a fairly well-
established user trail on the
left. Staying on the main trail
here takes the hiker toward
Hand Lake and the Old
McKenzie Highway (242),
a distance of about seven
more miles 4 one way.
The trail into Kuitan
Lake is a little longer and
less well-established than
the trail fork leading to
Robinson Lake. Since this
is not an <official= trail, the
route becomes even more
faint as it approaches the
lake. Kuitan is another pretty
little wilderness lake that is
even smaller than Robinson
Lake. These charming, yet
easily accessed, wilderness
lakes do not seem to be very
widely known or heavily
traveled.
To reach the trailhead
to Robinson Lake, take
Highway 20 west from
Sisters to the Santiam <Y.=
Take the left fork to stay on
Highway 20 for a little over
three miles, then take the
next left fork to turn toward
PHOTO BY CRAIG F. EISENBEIS
Robinson Lake is a just short walk to the western edge of the
Mt. Washington Wilderness Area.
Eugene on Highway 126.
From there, it9s about eight
more miles (past Sahalie and
Koosah Falls) to a turnoff
on the left, which is imme-
diately after mile marker
eight. There, turn onto
Forest Road 2664, which
is conveniently also named
<Robinson Lake Road.= A
conventional green street
sign marks the road. The
gravel road leads 4.4 miles
to the trailhead and an end-
loop that includes a few
informal campsites.
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