Home     About Us     Activities     Crater Lake     Directions     Lodging     Services

Hiking

The area around the Aspen Inn offers a wide variety of walking opportunities to exercise the legs and lungs. Take a leisurely hour-long walk, hike for a day, or explore a designated wilderness for a week. Whatever your choice, you’ll have beautiful scenery, abundant bird and wildlife, and an opportunity for some solitude.

Most trails are MULTI USE, with hikers, horses, dogs, and bicycles welcome. Motorized use is not permitted on summer hiking trails, even when they are labeled “multiuse.” Wilderness trails are RESTRICTED USE with bicycles or other mechanized equipment prohibited. Consult the Klamath Ranger District for more information on special use trails and winter snowmobile trails.

Sky Lakes Wilderness. (restricted use) This wilderness runs directly south of Crater Lake National Park along the High Cascades backbone and has many trails and is accessible from Cherry Creek, Nannie Creek, or Sevenmile Marsh Trails. You can spend a half-day or week in this area of forest and high mountain lakes. Sevenmile Trail is the only one with a toilet and separate horse and hiker trailheads. Hike a gentle mile on the Cherry Creek Trail to the first crossing of the creek, with 5 more steep miles to the first lake. The Nannie Creek Trail is a steep 2 miles to Puck Lake, with another mile needed for views of the Sky Lakes Basin.

Mountain Lakes Wilderness. (Restricted use) This wilderness takes the shape of a square and the size of 36 sections (a township) located just south of Highway 140, east of Lake of the Woods and south of the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. From the north, the first 2 miles of the Varney Creek Trail is gentle, with 3 more steep miles to the first lake in the designated Wilderness. From the west, the Mt. Lakes Trail enters near Lake of the Woods and reaches 2 small shallow lakes after about 3 miles. It’s another 2 miles to the junction with a loop trail, a longer journey around the interior of the Wilderness.

(red line on map) Pacific Crest Trail. (Restricted use.) The PCT runs the length of the Cascade crest and can be accessed from multiple points, either from one of the Sky Lakes Wilderness trails or from Crater Lake National Park.

1. Cherry Creek Trail.

2. Cold Spring Trailhead.

3. Eagle Ridge Trail. (multi use with motorized use also welcome on the road.) From the county park, the rough but nearly level narrow gravel road provides a gentle hike, as it continues about 2 miles to the end of the ridge. Enjoy panoramic views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Much of the road is at the water’s edge, so it’s best for adults and older children.

4. Nannie Creek Trailhead.

5. Pinnacles hiking trail. (13 miles from Fort Klamath. Restricted use, no dogs allowed.) This easy mile with a slight incline follows a canyon rim to Pinnacle Valley with views of Pinnacles, then enters Crater Lake National Park. Most of the trail is gravel, but some is dusty. No water or bathrooms available. Directions: About 2 miles east of Ft. Klamath on Hwy 62, take Sun Mountain Road north approx. 3 miles. Continue PAST the Kimball State Park signs, off paved road onto gravel road and head uphill. At 0.4 mile past pavement bear left at the fork. Continue up Sun Pass Mountain to just past MP 16. Take dirt road #2304 to the left where you see “Pinnacle Trailhead 4 M”, and continue to the trailhead.

6. Sevenmile Marsh Trailhead.

7. Wood River Day Use/Picnic Area. Picnic tables and a nice loop trail along the woodlands and Wood River. One mile south of the Aspen Inn turn onto Highway 232 (the Sun Mountain Highway) and head north for .9 miles and turn left and follow the road west until reaching the Wood River Day Use area.

8. Wood River Wetlands. Choose a ½ mile paved trail or 10 miles of unpaved trails. It’s all a level walk that starts at the Wetlands parking area. Some is shaded, but most is in the sunny open. Rich birding opportunities!

9. Varney Creek Trail. A primary access point to the Mountain Lakes Wilderness. See Mountain Lakes Wilderness description.