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Roaring River Wilderness
Length: 1.4 miles round-trip to Shellrock Lake, 5 miles round-trip to the Rock Lakes, 12.6 miles to do the whole thing
Configuration: Out-and-back or balloon
Difficulty: Easy to Shellrock, moderate to Rock Lakes, strenuous for the whole loop
Scenery: Peaceful old-growth forest, several lakes, a meadow, a nice viewpoint
Exposure: Shady most of the way, with a few open spots
Traffic: Light on summer weekends, almost none otherwise
Trail surface: Packed dirt with roots and rocks
Hiking time: 1 hour to Shellrock Lake, 3 hours to Rock Lakes, 7 hours for the whole loop
Driving distance: 82 miles 2 hours, 10 minutes) from Pioneer Courthouse Square
Season: July–October
Best time: August and September
Backpacking options: Fantastic!
Access: No fees or permits
Wheelchair access: None
Maps: Green Trails Map 492 (Fish Creek Mountain) and Map 493 (High Rock)
Facilities: Nearby at Hideaway Lake Campground; none at trailhead. Water on trail should be treated.
Info: Clackamas River Ranger District, 503-630-6861, www.fs.usda.gov/mthood
In Brief This hike requires an extended drive to a long, up-and-down forested loop. On the upside, it comprises six lakes, a flower-filled meadow, late-summer huckleberries, views of five Cascades volcanoes, and a beautiful forest that you’ll probably have largely to yourself. Lovely, shorter options exist, but if you want to do the whole thing, consider backpacking or car-camp at Hideaway Lake, near the trailhead.
Description
It used to be that you could drive to Frazier Turnaround, knocking some 3.6 miles off this hike. And technically, you still can. But I can no longer, in good conscience, send people down this road—I’ve been cursed for doing so—and besides, hiking in this new way adds another lake and more lovely forest to the experience.
Consider camping at Hideaway Lake before you do this hike; start early in the morning to beat the crowds, and you can go for a swim when you get back in the heat of the afternoon. Although this loop never goes below 4,000 feet or above 5,000 feet, its cumulative elevation gain is more than 2,500 feet!
At the trailhead for Shellrock Lake Trail #700, you may at first wonder why you’re here. Hiking through a clearcut for half a mile doesn’t exactly scream “wilderness,” but there are plenty of flowers, and at least the trail is nearly flat. The reward for your patience is big, beautiful Shellrock Lake, with campsites galore and stocked trout—a fine, easy destination if you have kids or just don’t care about putting in the miles.
To keep going, walk along the right side of the lake and climb the hill, following a sign for Frazier Turnaround. It gets rocky in places, and mildly steep, until 1 mile past the lake, where you’ll hit Grouse Point Trail #517. Turn right (downhill) here, and in a moment you’ll arrive at Frazier Turnaround, the old trailhead.
Look for Serene Lake Trail #512 going downhill and to the left, and follow it 0.8 mile down to a junction. The loop keeps going here, but you should definitely go left a flat 0.25 mile to Middle Rock Lake, which has a few nice campsites. Turn right when you get to the lake, cross the outlet creek, walk to the far end of the lake, then follow a short trail up the hill to Upper Rock Lake, the smallest of the three—and host to a single, private, dreamy campsite. That trail gets a little brushy and can be tough to follow in early summer. The side trip to Middle and Upper Rock Lakes adds just over a mile to your day.
From the main trail, if you didn’t turn left for Middle Rock Lake, go another couple hundred yards and you’ll come to a trail leading right, to Lower Rock Lake, which has one inferior campsite. Lower and Middle Rock Lakes are stocked with trout, by the way, so if you’re into fishing, get a license and bring your rod. If you’ve got small kids or you feel done for the day, you’re now 3 miles from your car. But for an even nicer lake, and then some, keep going.
You’ll put in another mile going downhill, then turn up (steeply at times) for most of a mile to gain the top of a ridge, thick with beargrass. Just over the top of the hill (now 4.3 miles from the trailhead), you’ll come to Serene Lake and a signed trail leading left, to a sunny campsite on the shore. Serene Lake is just what its name implies; anglers pull 15-inch trout from its deep, cold, green water, and the same boulders, grassy shallows, downed trees, and thickly vegetated shoreline that hide the fish also make for outstanding scenery for humans. This is the finest lake of the loop. Follow the right-hand shoreline to continue our hike.
If you’re camping, you can choose from several excellent spots, one of which in 2013 had an Adirondack chair and table (who put that there?) at the trail junction, one at the far end on a point that sticks out into the lake, and another on the left side. There’s also a huge boulder about 100 yards along the shoreline from the trail junction—an awesome spot to jump into the (very cold) lake. A decent trail circles the lake, but you’ll have to cross a couple of rockslides to make the full circuit.
Beyond Serene Lake, the trail climbs about 600 feet in less than a mile to the top of a ridge and a junction with Grouse Point Trail #517. Turn left here, climb 200 more feet, and in 0.7 mile you’ll reach a clearcut that was put in for helicopters to drop off firefighters. Not a romantic history, but a cliff affords a sublime view back down to Serene Lake and out to Mounts St. Helens, Rainier, Adams, and Hood. The two bare peaks to the right are the Signal Buttes. Also, as you look north toward Hood, you’re seeing an area of about 8 miles, as the crow flies, with only one road and two trails to break it up.
The trail now drops 700 feet in a mile, and when you get to the flower-filled Cache Meadow, you’ll find an intersection. The right-hand trail leads out to another road; another heads into the meadow, where you can see the lily-filled Cache Lake to the left. To continue the loop, turn left and go 200 yards to the site of an old shelter. From here, you can cross the seasonal creek on your right and go 0.2 mile to Cripple Creek Lake, yet another mountain beauty with a couple of campsites. They’re everywhere!
A minute past the shelter site, turn left to stay on Grouse Point Trail #517 and take it uphill 1 mile (you’ll get all of that 700 feet back!) until you come to an abandoned road. Turn right, and in just under a mile you’ll be back at the trail leading down to Shellrock Lake and your car. Just keep an eye out, in the clear areas along the road, for a view back to Mount Jefferson. That makes this a six-lake, five-volcano hike!
