15.4 hr
Overview
The Pacific Crest Trail's northern terminus in Oregon used to be at the Forest Service's Herman Creek Work Center, and this backpacking option to Wahtum Lake on Waucoma Ridge begins at the nearby Herman Creek Trailhead . You'll use a short stretch of the Herman Creek Trail #406 and then the Herman Bridge Trail #406E to connect to the Pacific Crest Trail. From there, you're on your way up to the Benson Plateau , this long ascent followed by a lope along the Benson- Chinidere Mountain ridge before the descent to lovely Wahtum Lake , where you may find overnighters who arrived via other routes, such as the Eagle Creek and Gorton Creek Trails. You'll skirt areas savagely burned by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire but never find yourself in the canopy fire zone for extended stretches. An option for the return is to take the Herman Creek Trail back to the trailhead (See the Wahtum Lake via Herman Creek Hike ).
Trail Stats
42.0 km
1832 m
1317 m
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Photos
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