Calendar

Past Activity

Postponed: Erma Bell Lakes Loop

  • Start date: 07/19/2023

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 07/19/2023

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

This loop located just inside the Three Sisters Wilderness will take us by five lakes and a waterfall. Erma Bell Lakes trail #3563 is quite popular and was recently cleared and reopened, but shouldn’t be too busy mid-week. We’ll park at Skookum Creek Campground, about 35 miles east of Westfir, where each vehicle will need a Recreation Pass. If you already have a Recreation Pass, please bring it so we can make sure each vehicle will have one.

We’ll hike by all three Erma Bell Lakes (Lower, Middle and Upper) and check out the waterfall between Lower and Middle Erma Bell Lakes. To make it a loop, we’ll hang a left about a mile past Upper Erma Bell Lake to Williams Lake Trail #3589 and Irish Mountain Trail #3588, which will add Williams Lake and Otter Lake to our hike. Be prepared for mosquitoes, and I've heard it may be a little muddy as we pass near Otter Lake.

  • Event Leader: McKee Ane

  • Assistant Leader: Harris Jean

  • Event category: Trips

  • Area Type: Mountain

  • Departure Location: Amazon Park, 28th & Hilyard entrance parking lot

  • Rating: Moderate

  • Roundtrip total drive miles: 150

  • Season: 2023

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: Bring water, lunch, MOSQUITO REPELLENT, 10 essentials. If you already have a valid Northwest Forest Pass, Annual or Senior Lifetime Pass, please bring it to ensure all vehicles (like mine) will have one.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 8.4

  • Member Fees: —

  • Elevation Gain: 800

  • Non-Member Fees: 5

  • Committee: Trips

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

Other than seeing two backpackers ending their journey when we arrived at the trailhead and then two Forest Service workers near the end of our hike, our group of 11 had the trail all to ourselves and saw no one. We came across two different piles of bear scat and were pretty relieve to not see the owners of those. The trail was in good condition up through the Erma Bells, but was somewhat overgrown as we hiked past Williams and Otter Lakes. The weather was perfect, but mosquitoes hungrily greeted us on the trail... especially when we stopped to look at flowers or take a drink of water. Luckily, they were on their lunch break when we stopped to have our lunch. It was nice to get out of the valley heat to go on this beautiful hike.

Members & Guests signed-up & waitlisted

  • Number of spots on trip: 12
  • Number of spots available: 0
No. Status Full name Phone Transportation Needed? Trip Fee # Can Take?
1 Signed-Up McKee, Ane 541-554-1364 N —
2 Signed-Up Harris, Jean 541-953-0268 N —
3 Signed-Up Anderson, Heidi 805-798-1842 N —
4 Signed-Up Sigrist, Sandra 916-612-5517 N —
5 Signed-Up Nagy, Evelyn 541-514-4110 N —
6 Signed-Up Whalen, Maureen 510-390-4411 N —
7 Signed-Up Carpenter, Kathie 541-505-2370 N —
8 Signed-Up van Winkle, Dorothy 541-485-7416 N —
9 Signed-Up Caples, Pam 541-554-2528 N —
10 Signed-Up Orsi, Barbara 541-515-9665 N —
11 Signed-Up Thompson, Juliet 541-285-6447 N —
12 Signed-Up Schechter, Diane 541-206-7723 N —
13 Signed-Up Fogg, May 541-998-3891 N —
14 Signed-Up Koch, Elizabeth 281-323-9440 N —
15 Signed-Up Beckley, LaRee 541-338-8520 N —
16 Signed-Up Eriksen, Robert 503-964-2398 N —
17 Signed-Up Orsi, Barbara 541-515-9665 N —