Canyon Creek Meadow Hike- Three Fingered Jack

(Jack Lake with Three Fingered Jack in the background)

Last weekend my mom was in Arizona with my dad, and I missed out on our weekly trek. I was feeling deprived, and with that being said, I was ready for a challenge! With a little research, I found this great hike, Canyon Creek Meadows. It begins at Jack Lake and gives you a few options depending on how you want your day to go. The main trail, Lower Canyon Creek Meadows, is a loop with 400ft elevation gain. The entire loop (including the beginning out/back portion) is about 4.5 miles. At about the mid-point of Lower Meadows, Upper Canyon Creek Meadows begins. This trail is an out and back with 1000ft elevation gain, and is 1.5 miles one direction. Upper Meadows is a must, and takes you up to a beautiful glacier on Three Fingered Jack. Another detour this trail has to offer is a hike to Wasco Lake. It would add about 2 miles to your total hike, and is an out and back from the main trail. On our hike we didn't take the Wasco Lake trail, but it looked popular. Overall, we hiked 7.5 miles, and didn't run into too many people.

A little history lesson at the beginning of the hike will inform you that Three Fingered Jack is a volcano around 100,000 years old. Three Fingered Jack received its name from Jack, an old gold rusher that only had three fingers!

Getting to the Jack Lake Trailhead: When you're on OR, US 20, from Sisters, head NW for about 12 miles until you see Jack Lake Rd. From there, you will follow NF 12 for 4 miles, and you will see clear signs leading you to the trailhead. You will follow NF 1230 for 1.5 miles, and keep left on NF 1234. Drive for 6 miles, and this will lead you to the Jack Lake Parking area. 

(My mom getting ready to hike!)

Nice Things To Know: You must have a parking pass. There is a self-pay station at the Jack Lake parking area for $5, or you may use a Northwest Forest Pass. The road, for about .5 miles of NF 1230, and all 6 miles of NF 1234 are rough, washboard, one lane, dirt roads. For this road, I would keep the car home, and take the SUV. However, I did see a Honda Civic at the top. One more nice thing to know, there is a vault toilet at the trailhead that was quite clean.

The Hike: We began hiking the Canyon Creek Meadows Trail at 11:50am. There were a lot of horses in the parking lot, and like true Oregonian fashion, almost everyone had their dog. The weather was great! It was warm, not too hot, and with no signs of rain. 

We briefly trekked along in the surprisingly beautiful silver snag from the 2003 B&B fire. This was until we found the "Canyon Creek Meadows 2, Wasco Lake 2" sign. I remembered reading that the Forest Service wanted everyone to take the trail clockwise. This creates a more serene experience for everyone. Genius! With that being said, we stayed left to Canyon Creek Meadows. Continuing, we felt some elevation gain, but nothing too difficult. Surrounding us was a mix of silver snag and lush greenery. Personally, I enjoyed the enormous boulders. They added an abundance of character to the scenery around us. Unbeknownst to us that we were in the meadow, once we got to the meadow, there was a fork in the trail with no signs in sight. So, we made an educated guess to stay left. We were planning on having lunch in the meadow, but I guess I was expecting a bigger meadow. Thus, it didn't dawn on me, and we continued. After the meadow we saw a beautiful view of Three Fingered Jack(we thought we were so close at this point!)

We had to stop and take pictures to enjoy the moment. Full of excitement, this portion of the hike went by quick. Then, we reached a sign clearly stating that the trail went right, but there was an intriguing log bridge to the left. Just past the bridge, there was a sign stating that the trail was unmaintained. At this point we could clearly see that Three Fingered Jack was to the left, and that of course is where the glacier was residing. Timid at first, we took the trail to the left. Quickly we realized we were on the correct trail, and continued with confidence. The views at this point were amazing! We looked like little ants in the foreground of this giant volcano.

This portion of the hike felt exciting simply because the sign said it was unmaintained. We also knew that there would be about a 1000 foot elevation gain during this portion of the hike. We were ready to test our skills on Upper Meadows! Once we trekked past the wildflowers in the meadow, we came upon a winding creek. The creek was cold and crystal clear, but most of all, it brought to life the beauty of the rocks and shrubbery following it through the forest.

After a moment of serenity with the flowing creek, we continued up the trail. This portion of the trail was shaded, but had spots of sun that had broken through the dense trees. We were feeling a bit of a climb compared to what we had previously hiked, but as we say, we were "feeling alive!" The forest then broke open into another big and beautiful meadow. However, this time our view of Three Fingered Jack was even closer than before. We were ready for the climb!

The trail was deeply rutted from the storm the day before, but nothing we couldn't manage. Once out of the meadow, we reached a brief section of forest that was clearly home to our friends Chip and Dale. Continuing through, we were suddenly awe struck. Now on loose volcanic rock, we couldn't believe our eyes, for we were above the snow!

(Enjoying the view from the top)

Full of adrenaline, we climbed the loose rock to the moraine of the glacier. We weren't entirely sure where the glacier was, but we had a pretty good idea judging by the foot traffic. Once we made it to the top, I stood breathless, for more than one reason.

(Left: The unexpected muddy glacier. Right: The edge of the glacier where we ate our lunch.)

I've never felt so good, so accomplished, so happy to be at the top of a 100,000 year old volcano. Granted, we were expecting a pretty blue glacier like others had seen, but the storms from the day prior left us with muddy water instead. We still felt it was beautiful! The views were spectacular, and this experience has greatly influenced me to climb more mountains! This was an amazing time in my life, and I'm so grateful that I shared it with my mom.

(We almost forgot to take a picture together!)

 We were quite hungry once we reached the top so we sat our butts down, and had a lunch of champions! PB&J, dried cranberries, coco roasted almonds, organic grapes, and some water to wash it down. PB&J is our staple hiking food, delicious!

 (Mom eating lunch above the glacier)

After a long lunch we hiked back down Three Fingered Jack. Finally, back to Lower Canyon Creek Meadows, we continued following the loop clockwise. Soon after, in the forested area, we came upon a beaver dam. Go beavs! The water flowing over the bent log looked so beautiful, it was time to take the camera out.

This portion of the trail followed the creek through the forest for about 1 mile until the creek became two small cascading waterfalls.

Just before this point, we entered the silver snags once again. I was lucky enough to have a Monarch butterfly strike a pose for me while I took multiple pictures.

Trekking through the silver snags, on our left we had a picturesque view of Mount Jefferson. Throughout our hike we saw multiple mountains including Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, and a glimpse here and there of the Three Sisters. It's truly wonderful to be out in nature with the towering mountains nearby.

This was about the end of our hike. Once we arrived at Jack Lake again, we took a moment to realize how far we had come, and took a small walk halfway around the lake. We arrived back at the Jack Lake parking area at 3:49pm.

Our hike was over, and originally planned on camping that night. However, a change of heart, and simply making s'mores is was! They were delicious! As we drove home that evening while the sun was setting, we had to stop and take one more picture in front of a nearby lake.

 What a perfect ending to a perfect day. We are so blessed!

Harts Cove

(Left: Mom found a walking stick at the beginning of the hike, lucky her! Right: Smiling for the camera midway through our hike.)

I didn't think too much about taking my mom hiking with me in the past, but this summer has changed everything! It all started with a book I found at Costco, Hiking Oregon. I was ready to go out and hike as soon as I purchased the book, but it dawned on me that I didn't have anyone to go with. Sure, I could go alone, but that element of having a shared experience of the beauty around you, would be missing. Plus, it's not exactly safe. Unfortunately,  most of my college friends were out of town for the summer, or had reasons why they could never really make it. I talked to my mom about this issue I was having, because heck, I was ready to enjoy nature! Her response, "why don't you take me hiking with you?" Of course this was her response, I was simply too blind to see that she is a perfectly capable human being. Furthermore, I'm sure we both knew that we would have a blast together! My mom's my greatest friend, and this way I don't have to tell her how great it was, she will know for herself. With that being said, we were ready to take on our first hike of the summer together. I picked a hike from the book that was considered a moderate hike, and about 5.4miles out and back. It sounded like a good hike to begin with.

How To Get There: From Lincoln City, head North on US 101 for 8.5miles, or from the OR 18 and US 101 junction, drive North for 4.1miles. The road you need is FR 1861, and it will be on your left hand side. This road is gravel, and a little difficult to spot. I remembered it by recognizing that it was on the top of the hill, at the end of the guard rail(when you are near your milage.) Follow FR 1861 to the end of the road. It should be about 4.3miles, and you will reach a parking area.

Helpful Things To Know: No parking permits are required at this location. Hiking poles would have been nice on this hike because of some steep switchbacks in the beginning, and the end of the hike.

(Beginning our trek on the switchbacks)

The Hike: When I had read about this hike, it was briefly mentioned that there were some steep switchbacks to begin and end the hike. I had no idea at the time, that by steep, they meant 1000 feet elevation gain/decent. Luckily, as pictured above, my mom found a walking stick leaned against the Harts Cove sign to help her with the trek. This hike felt a bit backwards because you actually go downhill first, instead of going uphill to start. Going downhill wasn't so bad, and my mother and I enjoyed a nice conversation as we trekked through the dense forest. The moss covered trees were luminous with the morning dew upon them, and the cool air smelled of the salty sea. It was a refreshing way to begin our adventurous morning.

(Tarzan Trees)

After about 0.7 mile we came across a small bridge that crossed a steady stream. There I stood for a moment to take pictures, and play with my cameras shutter speed. It was difficult for me to stay perfectly still at this time, but I attempted to achieve the effect regardless.

(Slower shutter speed)

After my pause for a photo session at the creek, we continued forward. Soon after, we found an abundance of mushrooms scattered throughout the forest. Some were climbing trees while others were burrowed near the ground. It's a common thing in Oregon to find mushrooms in the forest, but they always seem so fascinating. Maybe this interest in mushrooms stems from one of my Grandpa Newt's paintings to my mother. It's literally a painting on a mushroom like the mushrooms pictured below.

Between the mushrooms, giant shrubbery, and neon green lichens, this coastal hike felt very whimsical. You can live in Oregon your entire life, but it never stops being beautiful. It was nice that this hike wasn't too difficult, that is, if you were to exclude the switchbacks. Sometimes it's nice to have a laid back hike, and to just enjoy your surroundings to the fullest.

After about 1.4 miles into the hike, we finally had our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. We weren't certain how far we had to go, but we sure thought we were closer to our destination than we really were.

(First glimpse of the ocean)

                                                 

(Manroot from the cucumber family. Pretty, but not edible.)

After our glimpse of the ocean, we found this strange fruit. Its vines looked similar to that of a grape vine, but the fruit itself was very different. We didn't find the name, or information on the man root until after our hike. It surprised us to find that it wasn't edible, and it came from the cucumber family. What an interesting find! Continuing, we arrived at a bench that had a great view of the ocean. Not ready to eat yet, we briefly took a few pictures and carried on. On the trail we didn't run into too many people, but we did come across other hikers here and there. For the most part it was a peaceful hike with only the sights, smells, and good conversation. Not a bad way to spend a summertime Saturday. As we hiked along, my mother noticed something orange to her left, it was a cluster of wildly colored mushrooms! It was almost as though these mushrooms had been painted, and the artist had swirled the paint around in yellow and orange hues. I had never seen mushrooms glow so bright with color. They were a real treat to find.

(Orange and yellow mushroom, almost neon in color.)

It was difficult to walk past these. More so, maybe even a little frustrating that it was difficult to get a good picture with where they were located. They were so cool! We talked with enthusiasm about our findings of strange fruit and fungi until, we crossed our second bridge. The bridge didn't exist, so we had to balance on rocks to get across the creek with dry feet. It always adds a little excitement to the hike if you get to cross a creek in this fashion. It wasn't difficult, but there's a sense of accomplishment when you still have dry feet on the other side. As we went on, my mom was convinced there were bears around us, and that there were bear droppings. I humored her a bit, and we joyfully bantered about the possibility of bear's in our near future. Suddenly, as we went through a garden like entrance of shrubs surrounding us, the ocean view burst through.

The sights changed from a shaded forest, to a golden meadow on a breezy bluff. The sounds went from our quite conversation, to crashing waves, yelling seagulls, and the echo's of nearby seal lions. It was a majestic view that felt as though it was exclusively ours to keep for the moment. Walking through the tall meadow, we realized we were suddenly in a sea of thimbleberry bushes. They were very sharp, and not pleasant at all. Thus, we tried to quickly get through them. However, once past the thimbleberries, we relished in the sights before us.

(Harts Cove, you would think you were in Hawaii)

The bluff we stood upon felt like the perfect spot to eat our lunches. We found a good location on the south side of the bluff, and brought out our PB&J's.

(This scene, while we ate lunch, caused us to laugh at ourselves)

This location, as we would soon find out, was a prime place to have our picnic. When we wandered over to the west side of the bluff, there was a good breeze that would have caused a picnic to become unpleasant. We lucked out! The ocean was so calm that day, it felt like a good day to see some whales. Unfortunately, we didn't see any whales out there, but we did find a giant turtle!

(Turtle Rock?)

The once quaint bluff was becoming more populated as the afternoon rolled around. We decided to head back to conclude our Harts Cove trek.

The journey back was relatively mild but then, we arrived at the bottom of the switchbacks. We did not remember them being so steep while we were going down earlier in the day. As we climbed up, we just kept saying, "I'm feeling alive!" That seemed to get us through the switchbacks alright, but this is where hiking poles would have been nice to have. Finally through the switchbacks and back to the car, we were drenched in sweat. Luckily, I like to be clean, and before we left home I reminded us to bring extra clothing. While that was nice, the best part after any hike is taking off the hiking shoes, and putting on the flip flops! Our feet said thanks! Harts Cove was a great hike, but a little more difficult at the end than we anticipated. I'm so glad that my mom and I realized how much fun we have together, especially in the great outdoors! Cheers, until next time.