Umpqua National Forest: Trip Report Part 1

With the long winter rains approaching, and a seemingly endless summer of house guests coming to an end, it was time to make a break from reality and head to the forest. While there was some effort to set an agenda and destination prior to departure, these lofty goals gave way to the realities of a long work week and time to recover from crossfit.

And so it was last Saturday morning when we departed Portland with a car packed full of camping gear, vegetables, liquor, potable water and a freshly purchased map of Oregon and started driving south toward Umpqua National Forest.

After looking at camping options, we settled on Toketee Lake Campground nestled along the shore of Toketee Lake. The campground is very basic, but has large campsites separated by trees. The two downsides of the area are the constant white noise from the nearby Pacificorp hydro power assets, and the lack of a water spigot.

Having eaten and set up camp, we set off for the Umpqua Hot Springs. The sign for the hot springs has been removed and replaced with this little gem.

After 90 minutes driving up and down the same 9 miles of forest road looking for the turn off, we finally went by slowly enough to notice the Sharpied sign above and pulled into the parking lot dusty and victorious.

The hike in from the road is about 1/4 miles and includes one steep incline. The hot springs are very unique! They are a series of pools made from clay and stone that are embedded in the side of a hill. There are 9 pools in total, and as you move down the hill the pools get cooler. The pool at the top is an estimated 110 F, with the lowest pool being a toasty 85 F.

The site is dog friendly for the most part, and Senna made some friends. The only concern for friends beasts (animal and otherwise) is the presence of a cliff which is undetectable once the sun goes down.

The pools themselves have a teal color from the minerals in the water. As the light conditions change, the color of the pools is quite striking.

We hiked out in the dark, and got back to the campsite. With the moon rising late, we got an amazing show from the stars.

The next morning, we set off looking for something fun to hike. On the horizon, we saw a volcano looming the landscape around it. It took two hours to find a forest road that would bring us in the right direction. The road itself was an unimproved rutted dirt job, and the Subaru was at it's limits. Finally, with 3 miles of road ahead of us, we reached a series of water bars that brought us to a halt and pulled the car off and loaded up our back packs.

We set off on a 4.5 mile hike with a 2300 ft elevation gain to 8376 ft at the summit of Mt. Bailey. The trail was dusty with a constant incline for 3 miles. 3 miles in, we reached tree line, and the trail quickly turned to steep scree with the roots of scrappy pines lining the path.

The summit was crisp, clear and beautiful with a 360 degree view spanning the national forest. There was some smoke on the far horizon noticeable.

The dog, who had until then been cruising along reached her limit at the top, and was clearly feeling the altitude. After a long drink of water she collapsed in a small tired heap.

She got up for the trip down, and right as we reached 7000 ft, her tail started wagging and her energy returned.

After the hike down, we headed back to camp and made a mega dinner and prepared to set off for Crater Lake the next morning...