North Davis Creek Campground

The day we drove around exploring (and ended up with a flat tire) we checked out several areas and campgrounds, and discovered North Davis Creek Campground. After Training Camp we decided it would be a nice, quiet place to hang out for a week or so. With a full larder and water tank we headed for the campground, our friends Bill and Grayce joining us for the first two days. The campground is admittedly a bit dusty, as are all the high Cascade lake campgrounds, but the dust is a small price to pay for all the benefits.

The North Davis Creek campground is located right on North Davis Creek, which flows into the western arm of Wickiup Lake. On the map below, the creek is the top of three that lead from the highway east to the main channel.


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The lake itself is actually a reservoir, and the largest of the Cascade lakes. The little arm feels more like a small lake and is perfect for canoeing or fishing without the commotion of the motorized boats that frequent the larger area. Upon driving through the small campground one might assume it to be a boring dry camp, with only one site exposed to the water. Not so! Exploration on foot revealed a wealth of stunning views.

View from our site

We moved in to site 7, the best lake exposure, but the least flat of all the sites so we've spent the week adjusting and readjusting our chairs so we don't creep downhill.

All of the sites on the outside of the loop have exposure to either the lake (sites 3,5 and 7), or one of the creeks, or the spring.

North Davis Creek

All are beautiful views, and most are fairly flat. Wildflowers are still blooming around the creeks, even this late in the year.
The gentle sound of the rushing creeks can be heard from all of the sites. North Davis Creek is fairly large and flows through a broad log and moss covered bed past several of the sites (12 is especially nice) then tumbles loudly over a rocky slope just as it enters the lake.

First canoe lesson

We had no trouble launching our canoe from the beach, and decided this is the perfect place for Shiner to learn how to be a canoe dog. She wasn't to sure about the whole procedure at first, and we were afraid that her enthusiasm for swimming would cause her to jump out, but she learned quickly with a little encouragement and a few short lessons.

The little lake-like fingers of Wickiup are perfect for canoeing, and exploring the margins where the crystal clear blue water laps against the reeds is a pleasant afternoon amusement. There are a few other kayaks and canoes around, but the population is nothing like we encountered at Hosmer.

This is definitely the place to go to avoid crowds. Though several trucks and cars cruised the campground as though looking for a site, as of Friday night, out of 14 camp sites only four were occupied, on Saturday there were eight occupied, but all but three of us had cleared out by Sunday morning. Two of us are here for a week or more.

We've had the beach pretty much to ourselves, to canoe, play on the sand, toss a stick for Shiner to retrieve in the water, and watch the wildlife. The margins of Wickiup have several areas that allow "dispersed camping", meaning no organized campground. Park and what you see is what you get. Those campers often come here to launch their kayaks or canoes, but there were never enough vehicles to cause a problem in camp. 

One afternoon we saw an osprey sail over the lake and fly off with a small fish, while later in twilight a young mule deer wandered out of the woods on the opposite shore and grazed awhile, then turned and went back into the woods, leaving us free to watch the blue heron fishing on the bank.

Our site is somewhat elevated above the shore, so we have a perfect vantage point for watching the changing reflections as the wind and currents shift.

Source for North Davis Creek

A walk along the north side of the campground, along the trail behind the campsites, has wonderful views of the creek, complete with little rushing falls and wildflowers. Behind site 10 there's a log bridge over the water. The other side is pretty dense with threes, but Shiner and I were determined so we wended our way through the dense shrubbery and ended up at a pile of lava rock that appears to be the source for the creek.

I would guess that actually the drainage from Davis Lake goes underground and seeps out under the rocks, perhaps joined by other springs. It's quite surprising to see all the clear, sparkling water gush out from under a pile of boulders!

The view of fog on the lake in the early morning is stunning, but it quickly dissipates as the day warms up. This definitely beats watching plastic boats and a parking lot full of people!

We can tell autumn is fast approaching. Though the elevation is only a bit over 4,000 feet, the nights are chilly. 30 degrees is a common overnight temp, though the days usually reach mid 70's to 80's. The contrast in temperatures makes for some beautiful early morning views, with fog drifting among the reeds, and between the layers of trees.

There is a boat ramp of sorts in the campground, but it's not well maintained and is fairly steep. There is also drinking water available in the campground, but you have to work a bit to get it.

Vault restrooms and trash containers complete the amenities, but the scenery more than makes up for the lack of services.

Some of the 14 sites are specifically designed for tents, but we had no difficulty finding several that would accommodate our 30 foot trailer. The road in is gravel, but adequately maintained.

Every evening we watch as the clouds drift by and the setting sun casts it's glow - cotton candy clouds some nights, on other nights the sky is as clear as can be, and then we know we can count on a colder morning. It's been down to 30 on several mornings, though the days are in the high 70's to low 80's. 'Can't beat that for perfect weather.

Finally, after a week of pure relaxation, it's time to pack up and head for "civilization". We'll be staying at Crescent Junction RV Park for two nights as we get caught up on laundry and housekeeping before we settle in to Armitage, a Lane County RV park, in preparation for the first Duck game of the season.  

Hosmer Lake and the Cascade Lakes Highway

Our campsite view

A week at Hosmer Lake, one of our favorite haunts in the Oregon Cascades - what at treat! It's apparently become a favorite of more than a few other people too, judging by the traffic down at the boat launch. A favorite for generations with fly fishermen and canoeists, it's rapidly becoming too busy for the peaceful sort of fly fishing I envision. The little plastic kayaks seem to have taken over, on the weekends at any rate. We've counted 10-15 automobiles in the boat launch parking lot every time we've gone down, and on weekends they stack up and have to park clear out on the access road.

Weekends seem to be filled with groups meeting up here. We had quite a bit of entertainment watching campers pull in, set up, change their minds and walk fully assembled tents down to another site. This game of "musical campsites" lasted most of Thursday and Friday, and by Saturday everyone seemed to have settled in to the serious work of having fun in the water.

Shiner taking her daily swim at the boat ramp

Weekdays seem fairly quiet though there's still plenty of activity down at the launch site, and as we have planned for several days here we have ample opportunity to soak up the gorgeous views, enjoy the birds and other wildlife, dip the canoe in the lake, and take a few scenic drives.

Hosmer is one of several lakes along the Cascades Lakes Highway (a designated Scenic Byway), also known as Century Drive (because it's about 100 miles round-trip from Bend to Elk Lake). Originally paved with red cinders, it was also known at one time as the Red Road. Many side spurs are still paved with the red cinders, obtained locally, but the highway is standard asphalt now. Not as picturesque, but much more durable.

An interactive version of this map is available here

There are many opportunities in the area for day trips, so we tucked a few into our heavy schedule of resting and relaxing.

Elk Lake Guard Station

I was happy to be able to add the Elk Lake Guard Station to my collection of "Uncle Sam's Cabins". The volunteer guide on duty gave us a tour and told us about the history of the site. She'd been living in the station for her 2 week stint, and was about to go back home. The volunteers for this site work in two week blocks, a shorter commitment than most volunteer positions require. (Volunteers are provided through the Passport in Time program) 

The guard station was built in 1929 to provide services to the increasing number of tourists visiting Elk Lake. It was restored between 1997 and 2001, and is in beautiful condition. It's smaller than many we've visited, and has some unique construction features. Historically staff came to the station in the spring and one of their responsibilities was repairing winter damage to the old wire telephone lines that were strung from tree to tree. There's an example of a "telephone tree" on the porch, and the original phone still hangs on the wall inside.

Elk Lake is clearly still popular with visitors. While out on a drive on Saturday we had thought to go into the resort to check out their little store and see what else was there, but after looking at the road in to the resort we changed our minds.

We went back on Tuesday and found things much more to our liking, so stopped in to browse the lodge and environs.

Elk Lake Resort

The Elk Lake Resort has both summer water sports equipment and winter snow sports equipment available for rent. The lodge has a full service restaurant and bar, and a great selection of local microbrews for those who are so inclined. The schedule inscribed on a blackboard suggests a full schedule of live music all summer, too. A cool place to visit, especially for the younger set.

Shiner has really enjoyed her daily routine of playing fetch at the edge of Hosmer Lake. She's still a bit too impulsive to take out in the canoe, but she's learning about all the equipment and sounds down at the boat ramp, so next year she'll be ready for a trip herself.

We walk down almost every morning and visit with folks as they launch their kayaks, canoes and float tubes. The crystal clear water sparkles in the early morning light, and there are always a few ducks meandering around.

By Tuesday morning it was a different story, however. Possibly because the weather had been so warm for the last few days, the surface of the water was covered with what appeared to be a slimy light green algae. In some places it even made little clumps, and early morning boaters came in complaining that it was all over the lake. One woman admonished her Husky for getting herself all covered with the green algae when she went swimming. I don't really think the dog understood the difference!

Daph and Shiner at Little Lava Lake

We avoided the situation by taking a short trip to explore a few area campgrounds, and stopped at Little Lava lake, right next to Lava Lake, so Shiner could have her daily swim there. She's getting quite good at retrieving large chunks of wood, and seems quite proud of herself when she's gotten her "rescue" back to shore.

We had a brief moment of panic one afternoon when the sky over the lake began to fill with smoke. After checking multiple news sits and asking around we determined the wind had sifted and blown in smoke from a fire up on Willamette Pass, several miles away. It soon cleared out, but as fire is a constant danger in the mountains this time of year we have to pay constant attention to smoke, especially if there's been a recent lightening storm.

Situated in deep forest, it's hard sometimes to remember that these lakes are in volcanic country. The rocking cliff to the right of the Hosmer boat ramp is Red Crater, a very precisely shaped volcanic cone. Seen clearly on this satellite map, just at the south edge of the lake. A larger view of the area shows numerous cones and flow ridges. When seen from the road, all covered with fir trees, the ground looks looks like it rolls gently, but if you strike out among the trees to hike it soon becomes rough going. I always marvel at early explorers who managed to make their way across all this to the coast. Until the wagon roads were established it must have been tough going.

There's a forest thinning operation going on in the area around Hosmer, so some of the many lava ridges are now exposed, revealing just how much of the area is covered by rough lava flows.

Click for larger view of logging pics

The thinning operation is actually good to see, after the many horrible wildfires and bug infestations the area has endured. The top photo to the right shows just how dense and tangled the seedlings become if they don't have adequate light and space.

The thinning will allow the remaining trees to grow stronger and more disease resistant, and will slow the progress of ground fires. Once the area is opened up so sunlight can reach the forest floor the shrubs, grasses and wildflowers will fill in providing food for the deer. The middle photo at the right shows the recently thinned area. In spring the wildflowers and shrubs will start filling in.

Eventually of course there will be ground fires, which will clear areas where tree seedlings will sprout. Some of them will become deer food too while young, then others will grow, again becoming too crowded to remain healthy and strong, so either fire or thinning will bring back a balance. All the logs collected during this thinning project are tagged as "biomass" meaning they'll either be chipped for use as chipboard, heating pellets, and other similar products. The bottom photo shows the log deck, waiting to be picked up and taken to a mill for processing.

All the agencies connected to forest management have been jointly working on plans for the best utilization of forest products that may result from damaging events such as storms.

Wednesday morning we pulled up stakes and headed for LaPine. Another chance to do laundry, shop for groceries and get civilized before our annual Tailgate Training Camp in Ochoco Forest Camp. 

More pics of the area in the Cascade Lakes album.