This hike starts at sapphire Little Crater Lake and follows the Pacific Crest Trail to the forested shore of Timothy Lake, one of the Cascades’ larger and more scenic reservoirs. Hikers interested in a longer loop can continue all the way around Timothy Lake, passing four campgrounds, several beaches, and views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson.

Little Crater Lake may only be 100 feet across, but it’s as blue and as geologically unusual as its bigger National Park cousin. For centuries an artesian spring has been welling up in a wildflower meadow 15 miles south of Mt. Hood. The cold, gushing water has gradually worn away an underlying layer of soft siltstone, leaving a 45-foot-deep funnel of astonishingly  clear blue water.

From Portland, drive Highway . . .

Other Options

You can also drive to . . .

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon