Jean Lake Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Jean Lake Trailhead
- End Point: Jean Lake
- Hike Type: In and out
- Distance: 0.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 240 feet
- High Point: 5,560 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: Summer into Fall
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
Contents |
Description
Jean Lake is one of the more secluded wilderness destinations you will find that is accessed by such a short trail. It lies nestled in a lush meadow 900 feet above Badger Lake in the Badger Lake Wilderness. The catch is that vehicle access is via the notoriously rough Bennett Pass Road (FR 3550), not recommended for cars with low clearance and a slow drive under any conditions. The lake can also be reached via the Bennett Pass Road as an addition to the Gunsight Butte-Badger Lake Loop Hike.
The trail heads down under old growth mountain hemlock, silver fir, noble fir and Engelmann spruce. A sign indicates the boundary of the Badger Creek Wilderness. Pass by a spring trickling out from under large boulder and continue down in the shady woods to a creek which leads into the lake through a meadow. There’s a campsite across the creek and altogether it’s a serene scene. Marsh violets, plantain-leaf buttercups, tall mountain shooting stars, dotted saxifrage and alpine speedwell bloom in the summer. A footpath, sometimes a little sketchy, leads around the lake. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout.
It is possible to bushwhack down the wooded slope to the Divide Trail and then Badger Lake; you can use trails/roads to make a return loop to Jean Lake.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Wilderness regulations apply
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Green Trails Maps: Mt. Hood, OR #462
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Columbia Wilderness and Badger Creek Wilderness
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Barlow Ranger District
- Discover Your Northwest: Mt. Hood National Forest North: Trail Map & Hiking Guide
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood Wilderness
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood
- Adventure Maps: Mt. Hood Area
- Adventure Maps: Hood River, Oregon, Trail Map
- Adventure Maps: 44 Trails Area plus the best of the G.P.N.F.
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Jean Lake Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Jean Lake Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- 105 Virtual Hikes of the Mt. Hood National Forest by Northwest Hiker
- Hiking Oregon's Mount Hood & Badger Creek Wilderness by Fred Barstad
- A Guide to the Trails of Badger Creek by Ken and Ruth Love
More Links
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)