I hiked this trail with Jean and her husband, Dan, in September. It was a beautiful 10+ mile RT hike to a meadow at the base of Mt Jefferson. We accessed the trail via Whitewater Road 10 miles east of Detroit on Hwy 22. Even at 8:45a on a Friday morning in September, the parking lot was pretty full. This is a very popular hike for the wildflowers and the views.
The elevation gain, around 1800ft, occurs in the beginning of the hike. After the trail joins the PCT, the trail levels out...and you are in the meadows surrounded by flowers and lakes and a huge snow covered mountain. Even though we hiked the end of Sept, there were still plenty of flowers. The huckleberries were ripe so we often stopped to grab a handful to eat. We lunched at Russell lake, then walked around it before heading back. The huckleberries were turning red and we aimed to go back to see the fall colors but didn't make it this year.
the forest trail
Bunchberry
The Three Pyramids (check out the Pyramid hike - July 2011)
Dan and Jean at the first Mt Jeff view point
huckleberries
lupines
flower meadow and Mt Jefferson
the intrepid hikers with Park Butte behind us
Mt Jefferson in the afternoon light
Whitewater creek
snowfields in Sept (from previous winter)
wildflowers
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