Pamelia Lake and Grizzly Peak

Trail up to the lake unaffected by the recent devastating forest fire. Snow present at the TH 2”, at the lake 16”. Ravens totally destroyed both my windshield wipers!! Amazing!! Will remove them in the future.

Great hike to get an up close view of Mt Jefferson. This is a permit-only hike during the summer season and the ranger was there at 2pm checking permits (nobody at 8am when I went in). The hike to the lake is an easy, flat walk on a very well-maintained trail and you can still see Jeff from the lake but obviously, the best view is from Grizzly Peak, which was a nice cleared trail that I would rate more as intermediate because it has many areas where the trail is very gradual so it's more about steady hiking than a crazy gain up. Both Pamelia and Grizzly are shaded except for the peak top so perfect cool temps even in August. We saw nobody until the last mile out and the lone hiker was masked like us so perfect!

Loved this hike. Getting up Grizzly was doable but a bit of a butt kicker. Trails in great shape. Make sure you have a permit, lots of people being turned around in the parking lot. Will be excited to explore more next year!

This a nice walk through the forest with two stops to break out of the trees. Those stops are Pamelia Lake and Grizzly Peak. The climb was 2700ft but not too steep over many miles. On a Thursday, the trail seemed almost empty.

First of all, this hike needs a permit (not for parking only) which can be really tricky to get. We met the ranger on the trail checking permit for everyone and asking people to turn around not having one. Something to keep in mind more information on the website. The hike is more of a moderate one. Pretty gradual elevation, took us 2.5 hours to summit with a decent pace. There are couple of fallen trees but nothing terrible. We didn't have to cross the creek since it was dry. The views of Mt. Jefferson on a clear day are worth every step. It's just magical to see it so closely. Also can see three fingered jack, three sisters and mount hood pretty clear. On the way back, it's refreshing to soak legs in the lake. Haven't checked if swimming is allowed.

This add on of Grizzly Peak is 100% worth it. We went in unknowing of the views we would have of Mt Jefferson at the top. It was unreal and I would never do just Pamelia lake after seeing the top of Grizzly Peak

Loved this hike. You get a beautiful forest with tons of blooming rhododendrons, a lake, a small waterfall, a summit and a gorgeous view of Jefferson. It’s a pretty gradual climb so despite the elevation gain, it’s not too challenging. Great hike for dogs as there are water sources along the way. Trail is almost entirely in the shade. You do need a permit for Pamelia lake to do this hike.

Beautiful hike been to Peak Note :- You have to cross a creek to Go to the Peak .

Over 50 logs down across trail between TH and Hunts Cove. Trail in good condition. Trail to Grizzly Peak 20 + trees down but passable. Still snow in the mid to upper trail. Snow 1/2-1/4 from Summit very steep and slippery. Recommend mini spikes and poles to cross. Summit is clear.

Nice trail with minimal route finding. Cross the river to grizzly peak was a bit difficult but doable with some time. The incline to grizzly peak is quite gradual. Time recorded includes all of our break for photos and such.

Found an iPhone up there. Hit me on the gram if it’s yours. cmnutini

Review from Friday 5/29/2020, high temps got to around 85. Fabulous views everywhere! Simply breathtaking. Ended up spending about 10 hours in the area exploring around. Here's the overview: Road to Trailhead: All clear from 22 up to the trailhead. No snow, road is in great shape. Trailhead: Recently maintained, huge blowdown was removed, restroom is closed and locked due to COVID-19 Trailhead to Pamelia Lake: Nice easy hike, except for the blowdowns, and there are a lot of them. Probably 10-20, some of which are difficult to cross and require navigating around. Nothing too terrible though and the trail is still easy to follow. One little creek crossing that would get your shoes wet if you don't have proper footwear. Pamelia Lake: Seems quite full, I ended up wrapping around about half the shore line and went down Hunt's Creek Trail a ways looking for a swimming spot, and found a great one! Definitely brisk, but so beautiful and a great little dip to cool off. Pamelia Lake to Grizzly Peak: As expected, this was the most challenging part of the hike. From the very start, just a few hundred yards down the trail from the Pamelia Lake/Grizzly Peak trail junction, the trail is completely flooded out by the lake for about a 100 yard stretch. I couldn't find a path through, I went around to the left and bushwacked on the way up, and through the other side on the way down. It's navigable but you will get very friendly with some trees in the process. After that, the trail climbs pretty gently, there aren't many blowdowns but the 2-3 there are are big, and require navigating around them on a pretty steep slope. Waterfall crossing is gorgeous but again you'll get your feet pretty wet if you aren't wearing the proper shoes. Snow pack starts about 1.5 miles from the peak, around 4600' elevation. First 1/2 mile of snow is pretty easy, and the trail is still evident. It's very hard packed and I did just fine with hiking poles only, no microspikes. One creek crossing where the snow is starting to melt out from below so it's easy to bust through and wonder for a moment where half of your leg went if you aren't careful. The last mile is absolutely the most challenging. Snowpack becomes 3-5 feet thick in places. Still very hard packed so walking on it is easy, but it's so thick and pervasive that for about the last 1/2 mile of the trail, I lost the trail several times and ended up just scrambling to the top of the peak because I couldn't find it again. It was easier to follow on the way down, but I used my GPS several times to keep me on track. Honestly the best views of Jefferson aren't at the peak, they are in a few spots about 3/4 up the trail as you are following the ridge line. Keep an eye out and you'll see them. Overall fantastic hike, definitely recommend!!

Review from Friday 5/29/2020, high temps got to around 85. Fabulous views everywhere! Simply breathtaking. Ended up spending about 10 hours in the area exploring around. Here's the overview: Road to Trailhead: All clear from 22 up to the trailhead. No snow, road is in great shape. Trailhead: Recently maintained, huge blowdown was removed, restroom is closed and locked due to COVID-19 Trailhead to Pamelia Lake: Nice easy hike, except for the blowdowns, and there are a lot of them. Probably 10-20, some of which are difficult to cross and require navigating around. Nothing too terrible though and the trail is still easy to follow. One little creek crossing that would get your shoes wet if you don't have proper footwear. Pamelia Lake: Seems quite full, I ended up wrapping around about half the shore line and went down Hunt's Creek Trail a ways looking for a swimming spot, and found a great one! Definitely brisk, but so beautiful and a great little dip to cool off. Pamelia Lake to Grizzly Peak: As expected, this was the most challenging part of the hike. From the very start, just a few hundred yards down the trail from the Pamelia Lake/Grizzly Peak trail junction, the trail is completely flooded out by the lake for about a 100 yard stretch. I couldn't find a path through, I went around to the left and bushwacked on the way up, and through the other side on the way down. It's navigable but you will get very friendly with some trees in the process. After that, the trail climbs pretty gently, there aren't many blowdowns but the 2-3 I came across are big, and require navigating around them on a pretty steep slope. Waterfall crossing is gorgeous but again you'll get your feet pretty wet if you aren't wearing the proper shoes. Snow pack starts about 1.5 miles from the peak, around 4600' elevation. First 1/2 mile of snow is pretty easy, and the trail is still evident. It's very hard packed and I did just fine with hiking poles only, no microspikes. One creek crossing where the snow is starting to melt out from below so it's easy to bust through and wonder for a moment where half of your leg went if you aren't careful. The last mile is absolutely the most challenging. Snowpack becomes 3-5 feet thick in places. Still very hard packed so walking on it is easy, but it's so thick and pervasive that for about the last 1/2 mile of the trail, I lost the trail several times and ended up just scrambling to the top of the peak because I couldn't find it again. It was easier to follow on the way down, but I used my GPS several times to keep me on track. Honestly the best views of Jefferson aren't at the peak, they are in a few spots about 3/4 up the trail as you are following the ridge line. Keep an eye out and you'll see them. Overall fantastic hike, definitely recommend!!

They just re-opened and went for this hike. The start at Pamelia Lake was flooded, but can get around it with some effort. The hike itself is a climb, but fun and fairly straight forward. We encountered a couple people on their way back down the trail. But no crowds and easy to maintain distance. There was still a bit of snow near the top but reasonable to trudge through without snow shoes.

Went here in late May before permits were required. Started at Pamelia lake trailhead and merged with the PCT and went as far up Jefferson as possible (around 6500 feet). This area is absolutely remarkable and truly remote. The trillium + orchid blooms and incredible views blew my mind. However, the trail was not maintained at this time, especially the trail directly to Pamelia lake. I spent a good amount of time bushwhacking and hopping trees. The PCT also disappeared into a snowfield. But all this is to be expected in this area in the spring. I would come again if I could get a permit somehow. I recommend coming here in the summer. There are a ton of nice spots to camp by the lake.

My dogs and I did this in early December and there was no one on the trails or at the trailhead. We made it most of the way without snowshoes but turned around when the snow got to knee height. There were a few inches of snow on the trail up to the lake. The lake was snowed over some. We saw cougar prints. It's an easy trail to Pamelia Lake and then starts climbing a little bit.

Great trail! Had to snowshoe for ~2 miles each way towards the top but the views were beautiful and we didn’t pass a soul

This was an awesome hike. The forest hike starting out is beautiful. You do have to ford the river because there isn’t a bridge so prepare to get wet. But the view on top is well worth it. Mt. Jefferson is always a favorite because it’s so remote.

Fun hike! Pretty views, beautiful old growth forest. Last 1.5 miles you may need snowshoes but could get away without them. Mount Jefferson is in all his snowy glory.