Readers' Choice Northwest: Wahtum Lake, OR
Find primo lakeside camping on a rainforest-to-alpine loop.
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Golden Larches – Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA | Wahtum Lake, OR | Lost River Range, ID | South Spur, Mt. Adams, WA | Wonderland Trail, Mt. Rainier NP, WA | North Cascades NP, WA
Wahtum Lake, in the rainforest of Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge, lies halfway through an ideal 33-mile loop (link the Herman Creek and Eagle Creek Trails). Designated sites along this gem’s south shore are perfectly placed between the water and the flower-carpeted hillsides. Plus, as Romano notes, “Wahtum is a great basecamp for a hike up to the grassy summit of 4,673-foot Chinidere Mountain, with views of five volcanoes.” Hike clockwise to finish on the Eagle Creek Trail, with more falls than any other trail in the gorge and acres of never-logged Douglas firs.
PLAN IT
Driving Start at the Eagle Creek trailhead at exit 41 (off of I-84 west of Hood River).
Map Green Trails Bonneville Dam ($6, greentrailsmaps.com)
Contact (503) 668-1700, fs.fed.us/r6/mthood
Trip ID 542120
