Campbell Lake

Campbell Lake

  • Moderate (to Campbell Lake)
  • 9.3-mile loop
  • 1360 feet elevation gain
  • Open mid-June to mid-November
  • Use: hikers, horses


  • Difficult (to Cliff and Summit Lakes)
  • 13.3-mile loop
  • 2120 feet elevation gain


Outcroppings of glacier-polished marble form dramatic borders to the popular mountain lakes at the head of Shackleford Creek. For a moderate loop hike, tour the wooded shore of Campbell Lake. For a longer loop, continue onward to the huge-walled cirque of Cliff Lake and the subalpine meadows at swimmable Summit Lake. Backpackers need to pick up a permit, available free at the Scott River ranger station in Fort Jones.

To drive here from Interstate 5, …

If you’d like to take the longer loop, …

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon.