55 min
Overview
The Boulder Lakes are in a forgotten corner of the Mount Hood region, yet remain close enough to Portland to be a day hike destination. There are good campsites at both Boulder Lake and Little Boulder Lake, so this loop hike could work as an overnight backpack. Note that the hike begins with an elevation loss if you follow the recommended route, but there is an alternate trailhead described in the Boulder Lakes Hike that puts the climbing on the front end of the hike and has a less bumpy access route. Also, please note that 0.8 miles of the loop follows a little-used logging spur—you will be unlikely to encounter vehicles, but should keep an eye out for them nonetheless. The hike begins after a bumpy drive on primitive roads to the rustic forest camp at Bonney Prairie. From the signed trailhead at the north end of the campground, the Boulder Lake Trail (No. 463) heads across the northern fringe of the meadows and crosses Bonney Creek—the only reliable source of water along the trail—before reaching the well-signed Boulder Lake-Hidden Meadows Trail Junction that you will be returning to. Continue straight (left) at this junction, climbing gently for a short distance, then turn north as you begin a well-graded traverse into the Bonney Creek Valley. The trail switchbacks south, then passes below a series of rugged talus slopes that drape below Echo Point. Badger Butte appears to the east, across the Boulder Creek Valley. Pass tiny Kane Springs (not a reliable water source) just beyond the last of the talus slopes, and then pass over a low saddle, where the trail turns sharply left, descending to the east shore of Boulder Lake at the 1.8 mile mark. The lake has several fine campsites along the east and south shores, and even a picnic table, but is only 3/4 mile from the Boulder Lake Trailhead, so you should expect campers here on summer weekends. A loop trail circles the lake. From the signed Boulder Lake-Little Boulder Lake Trail Junction near the lake outlet, follow the Little Boulder Lake Trail (No. 463A) a
Trail Stats
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Photos
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