Park Meadow Trail to Golden Lake

Awesome hike. Be aware of lots of downed trees and 3 water crossings. Beautiful hike

We just finished a one night backpacking trip on this trail. While we had amazing views of the Three Sisters, Broken Top, Three Finger Jack, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood, the trail itself has seen better days. The first 4 miles or so have a lot of blowdown of dead trees, we managed to safely navigate around all of them but I would not recommend it for mountain biking or kids. Additionally there is little shade, so it could be a drag on a hot day. The turn off to Golden Lake is hidden, so keep an eye out for a faint trail on the left side of Green Lake trail about 6.1 miles in from the trailhead. My favorite part of the trip was camping at Golden Lake itself, I would give that 5 stars if I could! There are many places to set up camp, a good water source, and stunning views!

Long but fairly easy trail to a beautiful lake with Mountain View’s all around. This is on my list to backpack next year!

I didn’t think it was spectacular, so only gave it 3 stars. But to be fair I hiked it in late September so I missed the wildflowers. I would do it again in July or August

Old burn for the first 3-4 miles with minimal shade. Beautiful peek-a-boos of the mountains on the way up! Missed the turn to Golden Lake going up but the trail put me that much closer to the base of the Sisters... totally worth it! Turn off to Golden isn’t marked well, looks more like a view point. Follow it, Golden Lake was beautiful and peaceful!

Beautiful spot with great views of all three sisters, broken top, and even Jefferson since it was such a clear open day. The last stretch to golden lake is an unmarked left, but if you have a map you should be fine. Some strong evening winds that died down around 8pm but there’s a ton of great camping spots between the meadow and the lake with great views of the mountain so no way you’ll be disappointed.

There were definitely an uncomfortable amount of mosquitoes. The first 2/3 of the hike were through fire charred forest with no shade. The ground was hot and hard for our pups paws. The last third was up and was difficult for me. The lake and meadow are beautiful. I would suggest trying to plan for a day trip and not an overnight.

The trail is in good shape. Almost no snow unless you hike above Golden Lake. Today I encountered NO bugs/mosquitos. Golden Lake is my favorite spot in this whole area, but the hike getting there requires a lot of miles through the burned forest.

Snow is pretty much gone, a truly beautiful place for an overnight backpack. Unfortunately the mosquitos took away a little of the enjoyment, biting through my clothes and a good layer of deet. Done this hike several times, and August seems to be the ideal time for lower creek crossings, wildflowers and fewer bugs.

Yes, it's dusty and barren for the first 4 miles. You get to see the peaks in the distance this way, and cross some beautiful streams. Eventually you will arrive into some denser forest, and Park Meadows is just up the hill and around the corner from there. Make it to Golden Lake and get your reward. Majestic scenery. Lovely lake with a trickling stream. It's worth it. One improvement could be to make it clear where the camping is most encouraged. There are several signs that say NO CAMPING. And several indicating no fires. We walked around the lake entirely and eventually setup in the middle of a small copse of trees, which turned out to be absolutely perfect for our hammocks.

Trail begins across the road from parking area. Follow the signs for Snow Creek. It intersects Metolius Windigo. Good signage. Creek crossings significant for November and partially frozen but doable. 4.5 miles of surreal burn area with spectacular (though obstructed) views of Sisters. Did this on a blue sky day in November. Watch for the turn to Golden Lake. I missed it and had to backtrack. Golden Lake is worthy with scenic Broken Top as backdrop. South Sister view is also great from meadow.

Don’t forget your sunscreen. Two of the creek crossings were a bit more than anticipated but the views and serenity were well worth my wet shoes.

The burned section was long. Views were fabulous on the way out. Bugs at the lakes

Was beautiful early June with minimal snow. Bugs were thick and good fishing in the lake!

Awesome views the whole way but getting to both gold lake and green lakes are currently still snowed in wouldn’t attempt to do this till July as the temperature dropped to 25 overnight

I loved this hike. Quiet and not crowded like some of the others in this area. It was a bit dusty in the beginning but the scenery more than made up for it.

I was a bit disappointed in this hike but must confess that I did not make it to Golden Lake or the tarns above. The meadows are actually about 5 miles out, with 4 to 4.5 miles of it through the Pole Creek burn. I would be hard pressed to do this hike again. I much prefer the Canyon Creek Meadows or Broken Top hikes.