4.7 hr
Overview
This hike takes you up to the Zigzag Ridge and East Zigzag Mountain, a prominence with great views all around, especially of Mount Hood but also of an expanse of the Cascades, from Mount Rainier to Mount Jefferson. Most of the trail is through forest with occasional views, but wildflowers abound in the summer. The lollipop loop also offers a diversion to Cast Lake, where you can camp overnight. The Burnt Lake Trail #772 heads up an old road bed in woods of western hemlock, cedar, alder, silver fir, Douglas-fir, rhododendron, salal, and vine maple. Henry Creek rushes down to your left. Soon, reach the the wilderness permit box. You'll step over a small creek, and then cross a larger stream over a culvert. The road bed enters a lush bracken, mertensia, and thimbleberry clearing rimmed with Sitka alder and willow. Finally, the road ends at the site of the abandoned Devils Meadow Camground. A spur leads down to the right towards the meadow, but the tread is lost among the thick growth of willow and alder thickets. The path rises, and noble fir enters the forest mix. Cross a trickling brook in an alder thicket and get a view down to the right to the expanse of Devils Meadow. Mosquitoes breed in their masses here in early summer. The trail passes through a lush meadow and then levels and drops through more mountain meadows. When you come to the Burnt Lake-Devils Tie Trail Junction, 2.6 miles from the trailhead, keep straight (you'll close the lollipop loop by descending the Devils Tie Trail). Cross a creek, and switchback up among lodgepole pine, bear-grass, huckleberry, and rhododendron. Note also some western white pine and mountain hemlock. The trail levels to cross a small creek before you head up in silver fir woods. Three switchbacks take you to a lush meadow riddled with mountain beaver burrows. Then the path switchbacks to a veritable rock garden of larkspur, paintbrush, phlox, and serviceberry. You'll pass through a bear-grass meadow, followed by another dry meadow with views across to Devils Peak. The tr
Trail Stats
13.2 km
509 m
1515 m
0 m
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Photos
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