Polar Bear Gap
Moderate (to Polar Bear Gap) 5.2 miles round-trip 1000 feet elevation gain Open mid-June to mid-November Use: hikers, horses Difficult (to Private Lake) 14.3-mile loop 3600 feet elevation gain
Left: Private Lake.
This corner of California’s Siskiyou Wilderness is so remote it’s accessed via Oregon. A well-graded trail traverses Black Butte’s dry forests to Polar Bear Gap, a bare saddle strewn with bright red, green, and white rocks. Views extend east to Mt. Shasta. For a grander adventure, however, continue on a much rougher loop trail across Twin Valley to a rarely visited cirque lake surrounded by the crags of The Lieutenants. If you plan on using a campfire, be sure to pick up a permit from the Forest Service ranger stations in Cave Junction or Gasquet.
To find the trailhead, drive ...
This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon.