Shellrock and Rock Lakes

Serene Lake and Mt. Hood

Easy (Shellrock Lake)

1.8 miles round trip

130 feet elevation gain

Open May to mid-November

Use: hikers, horses, bicycles


Easy (Hideaway Lake)

2-mile loop

50 feet elevation gain


Moderate (Rock and Serene Lakes)

7.7-mile loop

1500 feet elevation gain

Open mid-June to early November

The half dozen mountain lakes hidden here remain surprisingly uncrowded—perhaps because the bumpy dirt road to the old trailhead at Frazier Turnaround is so nerve-wracking. But now there’s a new trailhead on a good gravel road, opening up a couple of easy paths to the area’s lower lakes. All of the lakes are souvenirs of the last Ice Age, when glaciers gouged high, bowl-shaped valleys into the tableland between the Clackamas and Roaring Rivers.

From Interstate 205 near Oregon City, take exit …

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington.