I Heart Pacific Northwest

August 29, 2018

backpack: Wallowas – Lakes Basin + Glacier Lake

Five day Lakes Basin backpacking trip in the Wallowa Mountains / Eagle Cap Wilderness

TRIP PLANNING

distance & elevation gain to Lostine Meadows campsite: 3.7 miles, 1,700 ft. gain
Lostine Meadows to Mirror Lake campsite: 4 miles, 600 ft. gain
hike out: 7.7 miles, 2,000 ft. loss
day hike options: Glacier Lake, Lakes Basin loop, Eagle Cap summit
best months: August – September
location: Eagle Cap Wilderness; nearest town: Lostine, OR
land management: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
trail conditions: East Fork Lostine River Trail
hike description: Oregon Hikers – East Fork Lostine to Eagle Cap
permits: self-issued at the trailhead
trailhead pass: NW Forest Pass
regulations: campfires are not allowed in the Lakes Basin

Day 1

hike in to Lostine Meadows

This is my second backpacking trip to the Wallowas, and only my second time doing a five day backpack. I’d done the same trip four years ago when I was working on my second hiking book, “I Heart Oregon’s Seven Wonders“. The Wallowa Mountains are located in Eastern Oregon, and our destination was the Lakes Basin in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, the largest designated wilderness in Oregon.

The drive to the trailhead from Portland is 6 hours, and after stopping several times and to have lunch, we arrived at the Two Pan trailhead at around 3pm. We loaded up our packs, filled out a wilderness permit at the trailhead, and began the hike in. We planned to camp in Lostine Meadows and hike in the rest of the way to the Lakes Basin in the morning.

Two Pan Trailhead

Eagle Cap Wilderness sign

crossing the river on a log bridge

Hurricane Divide

looking back towards where we started

East Fork Lostine River

Our first view of Eagle Cap!

campsite area in Lostine Meadows

The river winds its way through the meadows, and we had good access for filtering water for the night and next day. We were all exhausted from the long drive and the hike in, plus we had another day of hiking in with full backpacks, so we went to bed early. When I got up in the night to pee, I was headed to a spot away from my tent when I heard a large animal snort and stomp. That was enough of a warning for me, so I headed in the other direction. Surprisingly, I went right back to sleep when I got back to my tent. I’d heard the same sound before from a deer buck, so I figured it was nothing to worry about as long as I didn’t bother him.

Day 2: hike in to Mirror Lake

In the morning, we packed up to hike in to Mirror Lake. Since it wasn’t very far, we took our time in the morning. After camping near the meadows, we all had condensation on our tents and wanted to allow enough time for them to dry. The hike to the Lakes Basin from here was easier than the first day’s hike, with far less elevation gain. We headed through the meadows, then crossed over the river on a defunct bridge before heading back into forest for a section of switchbacks.

We setup camp at Mirror Lake, spreading out on granite rocky areas away from the lake. After dinner, the light at dusk was starting to show color in the sky, so the photographers in our group got up to run around and shoot photos. This is my favorite time of the day for lighting. No more fighting the sun’s harsh shadows that make taking photos on hikes challenging! From our camp area, granite slabs stretched out in the direction of Mocassin Lake, making it easy to wander around and get good views.

Matterhorn (top left) and Mocassin Lake at sunset

Day 3: Glacier Lake day hike

5 miles, 1,800 ft. gain

On the third day of our trip, we hiked to Glacier Lake. This was my first time there, and I would definitely repeat this hike again! From our campsite, we took the Lakes Basin trail to the Glacier Lake trail junction at Mocassin Lake. Rock hop across a small isthmus that separates two parts of the lake, then pass several campsites on a small peninsula.

Mocassin Lake

Glacier Pass / Lakes Basin trail junction

view of Eagle Cap over Mocassin Lake

Mocassin Lake

small meadows with streams winding through them

Once we were past Mocassin Lake, the trail heads across a small meadow before beginning switchbacks to head up to Glacier Pass. The scenery kept changing throughout the hike, with panoramic views of the Lakes Basin that kept getting bigger and better. A small creek runs down a narrow drainage area next to the trail, providing a nice sound of water cascading as we hiked up.

cascading creek next to the trail

heading up toward Glacier Pass

taking in big views

looking back towards Hurwal Divide

Eventually, we crossed the creek and were next to a granite bowl with snowfields.

view of Mirror Lake and our camp (somewhere down there)

higher view of where we came from

At Glacier Pass, a large sign with a rock cairn to support it is at the official pass, and soon after, Glacier Lake and the peaks surrounding it come into view. From here, the trail heads down switchbacks for about 600 feet.

Glacier Pass

first view of Glacier Lake

Wow!

The lake is fairly large, with scenic islands dotting sections of it. We hung out at the edge of the lake for a bit, and while my friends were taking a dip in the frigid cold water, I explored the area. The trail continues to the outlet of the lake, which cascades down a rocky ravine and becomes the West Wallowa River. From there, I could see the Glacier Lake trail wind its way down towards the Wallowa River canyon.

outlet stream for Glacier Lake

After spending as much time as we could at Glacier Lake, we headed back to camp so we could cook dinner before it got dark.

back at Mocassin Lake

crossing the isthmus at Mocassin Lake

heading back to Mirror Lake

squiggly trees at Mirror Lake

Day 4: Lakes Basin day hike

5 miles, 1,000 ft. gain

I’d been debating hiking to the summit of Eagle Cap, but after several days of backpacking and hiking at higher elevation, I was too tired to do a strenuous hike so I decided to repeat a loop around the Lakes Basin that I’d done four years ago. Two of my friends on this trip had their hearts set on Eagle Cap, so they started early in the day while the rest of our group took a leisurely approach to getting ready.

We headed back to Mocassin Lake on the Lakes Basin trail, then headed down several hundred feet to Douglas Lake. A massive ridge looms high above Douglas lake, and two small peninsulas add drama to the scenery. The trail follows the contours of the lake, going around the end of it and then back along the other side.

Douglas Lake

bright meadow at the end of Douglas Lake

Douglas Lake

The next lake we passed was Crescent Lake. Most of it looked inaccessible, surrounded by grasses and boggy meadows. We wondered how many mosquitoes would have been here a few weeks ago.

boggy Crescent Lake

Now we must regain all of the elevation we lost so far on the trail, and we head up several sections of rocky switchbacks. At the Hurricane Creek trail junction, we ran into two women camping near us doing the hike in the opposite direction. We had planned to swim in the lakes, and at each one, we decide to continue to the next.

heading up switchbacks

colorful meadows

winding through a section with small peaks and talus slopes

Matterhorn with its white marble face

colorful meadows and Eagle Cap

The final lake we passed was Sunshine Lake. It’s only 2/10 of a mile above our camp at Mirror Lake and it’s much smaller but still has a great view of Eagle Cap. We couldn’t find an easy walk-in spot at the shoreline, so we continued back to our camp to take a dip in Mirror Lake instead.

Sunshine Lake

Day 5: hike out back to the trailhead

7.7 miles, 2,000 ft. loss

We wanted to spend as much time as possible in the Lakes Basin, so instead of hiking back to camp at Lostine Meadows for the last night, we hiked out all the way on the last day. After four days of backpacking and hiking, it was tiring but the scenery made the effort much easier.