No Name Lake

The Central Oregon Cascades have so many amazing places to hike.  Although I travel there as often as schedule and weekends permit, I've barely scratched the surface.  So when my daughter recently relocated to the Bend area, my hubby and I eagerly offered to assist with her move.  Not only do we like helping our kids, it provided a great excuse to visit.

Ready to hike!

Two years ago, while hiking into Broken Top Mountain's Crater, my brother mentioned existence of an unnamed glacial lake on the peak's north side.  He'd hiked there once before with a friend and described a gorgeous aqua-blue water body the locals dubbed "No Name Lake."  Ever since then, I've seen numerous online trip reports of this elusive lake, featuring gorgeous photos.  A trip to No Name Lake became high on this year's hiking list.

First view of Broken Top

So after getting our daughter's stuff all moved, my hubby and I left her to unpack and headed for the mountains.  I talked my brother Dale into joining us on a quest to find No Name Lake.

Mt Bachelor rises behind us

To access the lake's trailhead, hikers can choose between an easy drive and a long climb, or a difficult drive and short trek.  Since Dale offered to drive his old truck and likes four-wheeling on sketchy roads, we chose the second option.

Crossing an empty pumice plain

Off we went one chilly mid-September morning.  Following the Cascade Lakes Highway, I looked longingly at Mt. Bachelor as we drove by, her slopes nearly barren of snow.  In a couple of short months, I'd be skiing there once again.  Dale turned into the road leading to Todd Lake.  This was where people with low-clearance vehicles parked to start their trip up the mountain.  But we continued on the rough, narrow track to the upper trailhead.

Rest and view break

Dale's truck bumped along on that horrible, rocky road, lurching and swaying, my hubby and I's heads nearly hitting the roof.  The road was barely one lane wide, and were extremely lucky not to meet any vehicles on the way up.  At such a slow pace, traversing this nearly five mile road seemed to take forever.  Luckily the adjacent scenery provided a good distraction.

Hiking towards Broken Hand

Finally arriving at the trailhead, we pried our fingers off the truck seat and breathed a sigh of relief.  Then, shouldering our backpacks, Dale, my hubby, and I started out for the lake, following the Broken Top Trail.  Our trek began along a barren pumice field lined with a few hardy, gnarled trees.

Still some of last season's snow

After a half mile, Dale directed us to a fork in the trail.  We crossed a small creek, nearly dry from the past summer's heat, and wandered through a lovely alpine meadow, its grasses now golden brown.  Broken Top Mountain's colorful crater walls began to loom above the skyline, and I stopped to snap several photos.

Final push up a steep, rocky slope

Then we climbed another mile and half, through barren rocky plains.  Another smaller mountain, named Broken Hand, became visible and it acted as our guide.  We walked past a couple of tiny snowfields, the final remnants from last winter.  Above the snowfields sat a steep, sandy moraine.  A small stream of water gushed out of a notch near the top.  Dale said No Name Lake was just beyond that notch.

The lake was breathtaking!

Up we went, climbing that steep, rocky slope.  Some of the sandy soil wasn't very stable, and we had to watch our footing.  Several times I slid backwards, and once stepped on a rock that tumbled away.  I was glad for my trekking poles.

Following the gravelly shoreline

But finally we made it to the top.  And - oh - what breathtaking scenery awaited!  The lake's aquamarine waters glistened in the late morning sun.  Broken Top's steep, craggy cliffs rose straight up from the water's surface, a few glaciers still clinging to its slopes.  No Name Lake was as lovely as I'd imagined.

Perfect reflections!

After sitting on the rocky beach and snapping a bunch of photos, I noticed several people following the lake's shoreline around a bend.  Curious what lay beyond, I grabbed my camera and went to investigate.

More perfect reflections

Wow - there was another entire arm of this lake!  It extended past Broken Top's colorful crater walls, ending at another tall moraine.  The mountain made a perfect reflection in the lake's still waters.  Jaw-dropping!  Another frantic photo session ensued.

Lots of people posed on this small rock

As I snapped away, my hubby and Dale wandered by.  They noticed a large amount of people continuing up the slope of an adjacent moraine above the lake.  Figuring there must be something up there to see, both my companions decided to check it out. 

Amazing Three Sisters view from Broken Saddle

My hubby started ascending the slope at a quick pace.  He's normally a fast walker, and I struggled to keep up (I briefly considered slipping a few rocks in his backpack to slow him down!)  Cresting the moraine's ridge, he stopped and gazed, then gestured for me to follow.

All the Cascade Peaks lined up

Puffing up this second steep slope, I hoped it would be worth it.  Reaching the top, I realized it was!  We'd reached a high saddle (I later learned called "Broken Saddle") that provided an amazing panoramic view of the Three Sisters mountains, most of Central Oregon, and all of the northern Cascade Peaks, lined up across the horizon.

Rare photo of hubby and I on a hike

Oh, this surprise viewpoint was almost better than No Name Lake itself!  And we were so lucky to be up here on a sunny, clear day.

Glad we had a clear day

While my hubby and Dale explored a little bit higher, I proceeded to photograph this amazing panorama from as many angles as I could think of.

Looking toward Broken Top's summit

And I didn't forget to look back down at the lake.  My perch high on the moraine provided a great view of it's L-shaped outline.

Aerial lake view

No Name Lake was created from melting snow and ice off Broken Top Mountain.  It's unique milky turquoise hue is due to the abundance of glacial silt from the mountain's slopes.

Ripples on the water

After photographing more images than I knew what to do with, I put my camera away, ate a Cliff bar, and just enjoyed the view.  Afternoon winds made sparkling ripples on the lake's surface, which was mesmerizing to watch.

Heading back down

By early afternoon, most of Bend had woke up, and they all seemed to be hiking to No Name Lake.  Watching group after group of people circle the lake and ascend Broken Saddle, my hubby, Dale and I decided it was time to go.  So down the sandy moraine we slid, taking in the spectacular views while retracing our steps.

Admiring the fantastic view

Passing by No Name Lake once again, it's shoreline was now packed with people.  We didn't linger, and this time trekked right by the crowds.  But I did capture a few final images of this truly gorgeous area.

Return trip

Another hike checked off my bucket list!  I came away totally impressed with this lovely mountain lake.  Following Dale and my hubby back down the rocky path, Mt Bachelor rising above the skyline, I realized how lucky I am to live so close to this special place.


Stats:  5 miles round trip, 1200 feet elevation gain

Broken Top

I love visiting the Bend area.  It's open Ponderosa pine forests are so different from the Cascade's western side.  There's lots of cool volcanic mountains to climb.  Sunny, dry weather is the norm.  And best of all, my brother Dale lives here.

Broken Top Mountain

Dale loves hiking just as much as I do.  But, with a job and school-age kids, he doesn't log many outdoor miles.  That all changes when his big sis comes to town!

Horrible road to the trailhead

After reading multiple online trip reports of hikes into Broken Top Mountain's crater, I was itching to get up there.  Lucky for me, Dale was an easy sell.

This sign has a "broken top"

Many trails lead into Broken Top, but the shortest most direct route is to depart from the Broken Top Trailhead.  The hike may be easier, but the drive is anything but.  Reaching this trailhead requires a slow slog on a terrible, rocky dirt road.  My brother happens to have an old 4-wheel drive pickup, and loves driving these kind of roads.  With Dale at the helm, we bounced along on the rutted access road.  Although the going was tough, the fantastic mountain views made it bearable.

Fantastic mountain views all along the trail

Reaching road's end, Dale parked his truck amongst the various other large pickups and SUVs.  Hitting the trail, it didn't take long for Broken Top's craggy crater to show it's face.  See the patch of snow in the middle?  That was our destination.

Crossing the canal

Dale and I followed a well-worn path through a bleak field of pumice.  Occasional clumps of stunted trees provided a little break in the open plains.  After a mile, we crossed an irrigation ditch that diverts water from Crater Creek for irrigation far below.  Dale remarked that it was unusual to have such man-made structures in a designated wilderness area.  We both surmised the ditch must've been established first.

Off-trail through the rocks

Because there is no official path to the crater, Dale and I decided to leave the trail here at the irrigation ditch, and follow the creek upstream.  So cross country we went, following this cute little brook flowing from Broken Top's crater.

Broken Top beckons us on

Broken Top's craggy crater walls rose up from the plain like huge castle spires.  It was an impressive sight.  Everything was brown, except for a tiny patch of green surrounding the flowing creek.  I could hardly believe there was still enough snow in the crater to keep it flowing.

Colorful rock bands on the crater wall

I zoomed my camera lens in on the colorful crater walls.  Broken Top is considered a composite volcano, formed from many layers of lava flows over time.  The multicolored stripes indicate different flows - red cinders, yellow ash, and black lava, all having a hand in building this peak.

Peek-a-boo through the trees

Geologists say that Broken Top, like many of the adjacent Cascade peaks, used to be a smooth-sided typical volcanic cone.  But violent eruptions destroyed the mountaintop, hurling 8-foot lava bombs across the area, and burying what is now Bend city limits under 20 to 50 feet of volcanic debris.  Erosion by glaciers added the finishing touch, further defining Broken Top's jagged profile.

Lunch break selfie

Dale and I continued across the rocky, barren plain, still following our little creeklet.  The crater didn't seem to get any closer.  It was nearing noon, and my tummy began to rumble.  We took a short lunch break alongside the flowing water.

More rock climbing...

Then it was up, up, up again.  The terrain got rougher.  We stuck to the creek bank, which was a little bit less rocky.  We could see up ahead a steeper slope that looked to made be entirely of fine sand and rocks.  Our little creek tumbled through the middle, cutting a jagged slash.

Following the glacial melt stream

Reaching the foot of this steeper slope, the going really got tough.  Although it looked like fine sand and ash from afar, up close we discovered the slope was really composed of large rocks.  We had to be careful where we stepped, as many of the rocks were loose and wobbly.  Slogging up this extremely steep slope, our pace ground to a crawl.

Inside the crater

Dale discovered the footing was a bit more stable adjacent to the water.  So we started climbing in the creek bed itself.  We had to watch for slippery rocks, but at least most of them stayed put.  Slowly we pulled ourselves up through the rocky dam.  And the very top kept getting closer...

Woo-hoo! We made it!

And then finally - hooray - we climbed the final steps over the top pitch, and there before us was Broken Top's snow-filled crater.  A wonderful sight indeed!  The crater walls rose above us, like lofty towers, while below the plains and mountains spread out in a glorious panorama.

Tremendous view from the crater

Dale and I enjoyed a quick water and snack break.  Then Dale climbed up through the snow, exploring a bit more of the crater.  I was amazed to see such a large snowfield still lingering into mid-September (especially after such a hot summer).  I struck up a conversation with a friendly father-son team, who'd followed our route, and arrived several minutes after us.

Heading back down

After soaking in the marvelous views we'd worked so hard for, it was time to work our way back down the rocky creekbed.  Descending was muck trickier than climbing.  It was very easy to lose footing and slide in the loose, rocky soil.  I was thankful for my trusty trekking poles.

Lovely Central Oregon scenery

After successfully downclimbing the steep portion of our route, Dale and I decided to strike out directly across the trailless plain.  We could see ahead to our destination, and knew as long we continued downhill, we'd eventually reach our original trail.  Besides, I had my gps, and if all else failed, I could point us toward the trailhead.

We ended up following an old jeep track through the scrubby pumice plain.  A nearly snowless Mt. Bachelor anchored the horizon.  It was our beacon, guiding us back to the trail, and Dale's truck.

Mt. Bachelor looms big on the horizon

Upon completion of a successful hike, there was just one thing left to do.  After bumping back down that dusty, terrible road (we actually saw someone pulling a camping trailer up it!), Dale and I rewarded ourselves with a cold beer at one of Bend's fabulous breweries.

The area around Broken Top is wonderfully scenic.  It's definitely going on my "must explore further" list for next summer.  And hopefully Dale will join me again.

Stats for the day:  5 miles round-trip, about 1000' of elevation gain.


Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday.

Back to Bend

I love to visit the outdoor recreation mecca of Bend, Oregon.  I'll find any excuse to plan a trip here, even going so far as to sign up for a tough trail half marathon in the middle of summer.  So last weekend found me journeying to Central Oregon to run a race.


Size matters!  Click on any photo to enjoy a larger version.

Finally I get in a trailhead photo

Another good thing about visiting Bend - my brother Dale lives there.  Not only do I get to enjoy a great area, I get to see family too!

Beautiful Fall Creek

Bend in the summer is such a wonderful place, I wanted to take full advantage of my weekend there.  So I told Dale I wanted to go on a hike Saturday.  Never mind that I had a race the next day!

Crossing the log footbridge

My trail of choice - the Green Lakes Trail.  This lovely path follows Fall Creek, a clear stunning mountain stream that flows through a narrow canyon, creating several waterfalls along the way.  After four miles the trail terminates at the Green Lakes Basin, a large meadow with three charming lakes and stupendous views of South Sister Mountain.

 

The flowers were out

 

It was mid afternoon by the time we reached the trailhead.  Of course, I picked one of the hottest days so far this year and set out in the height of the heat.  But luckily this trail was heavily forested and we stayed relatively cool in the shade of the trees.

Churning water far below

Dale and his wife Nancy were enjoying a kid-free week (their boys were visiting grandma).  They joined me, along with their dog Domino, for the hike.

 

Domino enjoys a cool roll in a snow patch

For the first two miles, we followed Fall Creek, oohing and ahhing over the frothy waterfalls, and enjoying the cool breezes from their spray.

One of the lovely falls

After a trail junction with the Moraine Lake trail, we hit a couple of snow patches across the trail.  Nothing too difficult.  As a matter of fact, had fun throwing snowballs and cooling our hands.  And Domino happily rolled in the chilly slush.

Dale and Nancy enjoying themselves

The contrast between bright sunlight and dark shade meant tough photographic conditions.  Most of my creek and watefall photos weren't good enough to post here.  So you'll have to take my word for it when I say the first two miles were very scenic indeed.

Trail junction

After the trail junction, we came upon a dazzling green meadow.  The creek spread out and created a marshy area.

Beautiful green meadow

And this marshy area was full of frogs!  Nancy managed to catch a couple.

Nancy catches a frog!

Continuing on, the forest began to open up.  The very tip tops of Broken Top and South Sister peeped out from gaps in the trees.

River bends

But the clearings meant full sun.  The temps were quite a bit higher here.  Dale and Nancy ran out of water and began to tire. 

More snow play

So the decision was made to turn around about mile three.  Hunger was gnawing at our stomachs.  The promise of a burger and fries was good motivation.

The lupine were out in force

Luckily our return trip was mostly downhill.  And being later in the day, temps were beginning to cool off.

Glimpse of South Sister summit

And on the way back, I noticed a couple of mountain views I'd missed.  Must've been too busy gawking at the creek and waterfalls!

Broken Top Mtn view

Back at the trailhead, the evening light illuminated Broken Top perfectly.

Snow-less Mt. Bachelor

As we started our drive back into Bend, I spied this great view of Mt. Bachelor.  Dale humored me and pulled over so I could take a couple of shots.  This mountain looks so different when it's not covered with snow!

Although the Green Lakes basin would have to wait for another day, I enjoyed getting out and hiking someplace new.  Now it was time to prepare for my race.  Stay tuned, I'll have a full report in the next post.