A hike that rediscovers my father’s childhood water hole.
My Dad and I on the trail. At one point on the trail, you can see all three surrounding giants: Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, and the South Sister. In this photo, Mt. Bachelor was being camera shy and refused to join in on the group shot.
Before hike #34, my parents and I stopped by Elk Lake. We met up with my aunt and uncle, who have lived outside of Newport, Oregon for most of my life but recently bought a house near Bend. They joined us for lunch on the patio of the restaurant that sits on the eastern end of the lake. To replenish the liquids lost on the morning hike (hike #33), I had a few locally brewed beers. Life doesn’t get any better after an icy Deschutes Brewery beer in a frozen mug. So after three of them, I realized that I wasn’t going to be the day I would complete three hikes.
Our second hike of the day was at Sparks Lake, a shallow lake with ten miles of shoreline. The Ray Atkeson Memorial Trail, named after a local photographer, explores the eastern side of the lake. The lima-bean shaped loop provides impressive views of the surrounding mountains – Bachelor, Tumalo, Broken Top, and South Sister – as well as the placid lake with its unique rocky shoreline. Mom begun the hike to get a sense of the trail, but turned around to spend time reading along the water’s edge.
I liked this hike for the diversity of the terrain. Hiking the trail clockwise, the first mile is through a pine forest with patches of lava rock outcroppings and fissures, looking somewhat like slot canyons. We stood looking down into one crack that was at least 40 feet deep. After hiking a mile, we found a small knoll with a great view of the surrounding mountains: Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, and the South Sister. From the knoll, the trail travels south, then west towards the shoreline, which hasn’t been visible since the trailhead. Before views of Sparks Lake came into view, we walked along a ridge looking into a natural (?) pit in lava rock. Chipmunks hid among the volcanic rocks, taking curious peaks at us before bouncing away.
Once we did reach the rocky edge of Sparks Lake, Dad realized where he was: his childhood swimming hole. Like an unexpected gift, he remembered coming here with his friend during the lazy-day summers of his youth in the 1950’s.
We continued walking the shoreline until we returned to the trailhead.
Thoughts about the hike:
- This hike has it all. Mountains, a lake, rocks. It would make a great introduction to hiking in Central Oregon.
Hike #34 Trip GPS Stats:
- Date of hike: July 20th, 2009
- Location: Sparks Lake, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon
- Length: 2.8 miles
- Duration: 2 hours, 7 minutes
- Average speed: ±1.3 mph
- Altitude at start: 5,447 feet
- Altitude min.max: 5,431/5,518 feet
This map was made with the data my GPS captured on the hike.
For a more detailed trip report map, check this out.
Photos:
My aunt and uncle on their bike, departing after a nice lunch at Elk Lake
Oregon does not have a shortage of lava rocks and beautiful wild flowers.
Mount Bachelor through the trees.
Green lichen growing on volcanic rock.
Dad became a fan of trekking poles during my visit. In this photo, he's using one of mine.
The short cut reduces the 2.8 mile loop to just 1.2 miles.
Dad remembers coming to this swimming hole as a kid.
South Sister over Sparks Lake.
Notice the natural stain on the rocks, representing the water level in the past.
A beautiful yellow velvet long-horned beetle (Cosmosalia chrysocoma).