3.2 hr
Overview
Depending on whom you talk to, there are either three or four Patjens Lakes tucked behind a wilderness ridge southwest of Big Lake . The area was scoured by the intense Shadow Lake Fire in 2011, but recovery is on its way, with wildflowers and ten-foot baby conifers thick among the blackened snags. A slope of untouched old growth still remains, however, and the views of Mount Washington from Big Lake on the return end of this loop are spectacular. The area has seen more human impact than hikers in the past: Henry Patjens, a sheep rancher from Sherman County, used the area as his summer range around the beginning of the 20th century.
Trail Stats
10.9 km
187 m
1466 m
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Photos
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