Green Lakes is a Stunning Destination
The Green Lakes trail, off Century Drive in the Central Oregon Cascades, has historically been one of the most popular hikes in Oregon. It has been used by families, trail runners, day hikers and backpackers for years as a beautiful and fairly easy hike to accomplish with the 4.5 miles and 1500 feet of gradual elevation change pretty doable for most. Over the years, we have hiked to Green Lakes many times, usually traveling on the east shore to the northern most lake, but enjoying the views and wildflowers and waterfalls of Fall Creek along the way. We have seen a huge increase of hikers traveling to Green Lakes over the years, but 2021 is the first year access to Green Lakes Trail is subject to the Central Oregon Wilderness Permit system. According to published articles, the Green Lakes/Soda Creek trails allow 80 day use permits and 14 overnight permits each day during the 2021 hiking season.
When we arrived at the trailhead at 7 am, we saw that all permits had been sold out. During the initial part of the hike, we saw just a small handful of people, mostly runners who were coming down from the lakes. The wildflowers were out and the waterfalls on Fall Creek were full and beautiful. Despite the mosquitoes, the experience was wonderful and our hike up to the lakes went very quick.
Once we arrived at Green Lakes, we looked around for the normal campers we were used to seeing at the 22 campsites around the lake. We only spotted 2, although there may have been others located on the west side of the main lake which we didn't see as we followed the trail north to the smallest lake.
Last year was the first time we had hiked deeper into the Three Sisters Wilderness, following the trail past the northern most Green Lake up to the pass between South Sister and Broken Top, gaining 500 more feet of elevation. The views back toward Green Lakes were beautiful, as were the closer views of South Sister.
The trail in this part of the Three Sisters Wilderness is much less traveled. The few people we passed were all backpackers who were traveling multiple days with overnight stops at various campsites in the area. But the views of North and Middle Sister plus Broken Top from a different perspective make for a unique setting few people see . The trail towards Golden Lake is not marked, but if you are looking for it, it is obviously well traveled. It is about a half a mile from the main trail before the lake is seen. Golden Lake is called what it is due to the wildflowers which were past their prime when we arrived, but the basin was beautifully green and the waterfall across the lake its own special oasis.
All in all we hiked over 16 miles, a very full day, but enjoyed many beautiful views and new experiences. There is a reason why we believe the Central Oregon Cascades are among the most special places in the world and we look forward every year to seeing new sights in our local area.
