Snowshoe to Square Lake

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Length: 5.0 miles

Elevation Gain: 500 feet.

Square Lake is located in the old B&B Complex fire scar, one of Oregon’s first megafires. The fire burned the area in 2003, turning a dense forest stand into a wide-open expanse of manzanita and ceanothus. The trees, primarily lodgepole pine, are making a comeback, but the area is still pretty sparse. The advantage of the lack of trees is wide open vistas with views stretching from North and Middle Sister north to Three Fingered Jack. Plus, the wide-open areas make for some fun exploring, as you aren’t forced along a certain path through the trees. And as the snow deepens and buries the brush, the whole landscape can become yours.

Square Lake is an awesome winter destination, with a little added sense of adventure for you rebels out there. While there is a summer trail to the lake, the trail disappears under the winter snow, and with the lack of trees because of the fire, there really is no hope of actually following it for the majority of the trip. Things don’t get too crazy though as you are never really that far from the highway and there are plenty of landforms to help guide you. Downloading a map of the area on your phone ahead of time is also highly advised.

Begin your snowshoe from the Santiam Sno-Park, located across Highway 20 from Hoodoo. This area is primarily a popular sledding spot, but it provides close by winter access to the Mt Jefferson Wilderness Area. Head out of the parking area towards the east, by the sledding hill. There will be a path that will probably by pretty well trodden that heads around the south end of the ridge that the sledding hill is on. In about a 1/3 of a mile, you will pop out on the road that leads to the Pacific Crest Trail trailhead (only open in the summer). Follow the road towards the buried restroom.

In the vicinity of the bathroom, you should be able to find a trail heading towards the east. None of these trails are official snowshoeing or cross county ski trails, so they aren’t marked with blue diamonds or anything. That being said, the PCT is still a pretty popular winter route, so unless you are out right after a storm, there will likely be tracks heading up it. Find those tracks and march away.

You will only follow the PCT for about ¼ of a mile. If the snow isn’t crazy deep, keep your eyes peeled for a sign that marks the Old Summit Trail. This is your route, so head towards the east. If you can’t find the sign, you will want to head east as the PCT makes a round corner, veering towards the northwest. The trail to Square Lake isn’t nearly as popular as the PCT, but there’s a good chance there will still be tracks along it.

As you start out on the Old Summit Trail, take notice of the large ridge ahead of you. Square Lake, your destination, is just on the other side of the ridge. Luckily, you can go around it and don’t have to head over the top. So if there are tracks to follow, make sure they are going the way you want to go and just follow away. Or pick your own route. Just keep that ridge ahead of you and you will be wanting to pass it on your left, so just keep heading on an easy uphill route. Enjoy the scenery as you go, as Hoodoo Butte, Hayrick Butte, and Mt Washington loom above you, and views stretch to the Sisters.

Once you round the ridge, you will see craggy Three Fingered Jack coming into view. There will be a deep valley ahead of you, looking towards Black Butte. Head to the left, you will see some rocky cliffs marking to top of the ridge you just came around. Coming down from that highpoint, there will be a saddle across the head of the valley, running west to east. You want to aim for that saddle. You will be doing a little side hilling here, so take extra caution if conditions are icy, as there is a good 200 slidable feet below you with more than a couple trees to bounce off.

Once you hit the saddle, Square Lake will finally come into view, and Three Fingered Jack will tower over it’s frozen expanse. You can continue down to the lake if you want, but playing on frozen water isn’t super fun and the best views are here from the saddle. Look to your right a little bit and find a nice spot to chill and enjoy the view. Then, when you are good, all you have to do to get back is follow your tracks. Easy peasy.

Directions

To reach Santiam Sno-Park, just hop in Highway 20, from wherever you are. It is located on the north side of the highway, right across from the entrance road into Hoodoo, 21 miles west of Sisters or 5.3 miles east of Santiam Junction.