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Memaloose Lake Hike

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

Talus slope on the west side of the lake (cfm)
False bugbane (Trautvetteria caroliniensis var. occidentalis), Memaloose Lake Trail (bobcat)
Ancient forest, Memaloose Lake Trail (bobcat)
Rhododendrons (Rhododendron macrophyllum), Memaloose Lake (bobcat)
GPS track of hike to Memaloose Lake and South Fork Mountain
  • Start point: Memaloose Lake TrailheadRoad.JPG
  • End point: Memaloose Lake
  • Trail log: Trail Log
  • Hike type: Out and back
  • Distance: 2.6 miles out and back
  • Elevation gain: 700 feet
  • High point: 4,115 feet
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Seasons: Late spring through fall
  • Family Friendly: Yes
  • Backpackable: Yes
  • Crowded: No

Contents

Hike Description

This quiet pocket of old-growth forest is one of the five parcels of the Clackamas Wilderness. At the beginning of the hike, you'll enjoy towering old-growth trees and an exquisitely lush understory. However, the 2020 Riverside Fire burned intensely in the area, and much of the canopy around Memaloose Lake was consumed. Note that the most direct access road, FR 45 from the Clackamas River Highway, has been closed for several years and the road approach is now via Hillockburn Road.

Your hike begins in a cool, majestic forest of old-growth Douglas-fir. You will also notice massive specimens of western red-cedar, western hemlock, and noble fir. Sign in at the wilderness permit box, and continue up alongside Memaloose Creek in a carpet of oxalis and vanilla leaf. Many of the giant trees have fallen and taken nature’s course. The trail drops slightly to cross a stream lush with spiny wood fern. Rise over a hump and keep up along another creek and then cross it to head up more steeply. Damage from the 2020 burn increases in intensity as you continue. The trail crosses a creek among more large noble firs. Then, switchback three times and make a long traverse up to cross Memaloose Creek. The understory changes to bear-grass and rhododendron, and in this area, you will see Clackamas white irises blooming in late June/early July. At a trail junction (the fork right leads up to the north end of the lake), the path switchbacks and rises. On the left, Memaloose Creek pours down a small waterfall. Reach the lake shore among rhododendrons that bloom brightly in early summer. This is a shallow swimmable lake, ideal for cooling off in the heat of the summer. Look for rough-skinned newts floating lazily in the waters.

You can cross the creek to your left to find the area where there were official campsites before the fire. These are all destroyed. A footpath also leads to the swampy area at the south end of the lake. Look around for the old aluminum toilet that once served campers. If you prefer a longer hike, you can try to follow the now indistinct user trail to South Fork Mountain on the east side of the lake. You can also visit the small talus slope on the western edge of the lake to hear the resident pikas peeping.

Fees, Regulations, etc.

  • Self-issued wilderness permit

Maps

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

  • Hiking Mount Hood National Forest by Marcia Sinclair
  • Oregon's Ancient Forests: A Hiking Guide by Chandra LeGue
  • 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington by William L. Sullivan
  • Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
  • 105 Virtual Hikes of the Mt. Hood National Forest by Northwest Hiker
  • Best Old-Growth Forest Hikes: Washington & Oregon by John & Diane Cissel
  • 50 Hiking Trails: Portland & Northwest Oregon by Don & Roberta Lowe
  • A Walking Guide to Oregon's Ancient Forests by Wendell Wood
  • Oregon's Columbia River Gorge: Camping & Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Sean Patrick Hill
  • Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
  • Pacific Northwest Hiking by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill

More Links


Contributors

  • CFM (creator)
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Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

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