Trip Report: Exploring the Cascade Lakes Highway
When: 7/23/2018
Location:
Cascade Lakes Highway. West of Bend, OR
Conditions:
Beautiful conditions. Slept outside in a hammock and stayed pleasantly warm. During the day it was sunny and warm. Due to nearby fires, there was a substantial amount of smoke that rolled in during the afternoon.
Duration:
Overnight camping/paddling trip
Difficulty:
It's not hard at all to drive Cascade Lakes Highway and paddle whichever lake looks great to you. There are SO MANY lakes to choose from. Set up camp whenever you feel like you're ready. Anybody can and SHOULD do this if you like paddling and camping.
Kid Friendly:
Of course
Pet Friendly:
You should definitely bring your furry friend with you
Usefull links:
www.bendkayakschool.com/a>
www.bendpaddletrailalliance.org
www.islesurfandsup.com
The Full Report:
Strapping up my paddle board and driving along Cascade Lakes Highway has been on my to-do list since I moved to Oregon. Sometime around January I really started digging into this but was met with a reluctant dead end due to the highway being closed throughout the winter (it doesn't get plowed). But it's open in the summer! Let me tell you about how great it is to paddle this highway.
My first stop was in Portland at Next Adventure to pick up a SUP. I grabbed the BIC Ace Tec Wing 12' 6". It took no time at all to run into the store, check out the board and be on my way. I drive a small, 2 door car and putting a 12' 6" board on top of it is no problem at all. You don't need much to open the doors of paddle boarding. A couple crossbars on top of any car will suffice and off to the great outdoors you go.
For me, this trip required two crucial pieces of equipment; my hammock and my paddle board. Everything else was just an accessory for these two. I left Portland with no plans on where I was going to camp that night, just a general idea of where I wanted to position myself, which was somewhere behind Mt. Bachelor at the beginning of Cascade Lakes Highway. Another important criteria for me on this trip was enabling myself to camp without paying for a site. Since my entire camp would consist of a hammock strung up between two trees, this would prove to be pretty easy. I made the three-hour drive to Bend and began to drive up and around Mt Bachelor. I made it here just before dusk and decided that I would stop at the first spot that looked good to set up camp. After pulling off the road twice and deciding I can do better I found myself in the parking lot for the Green Lakes Trailhead. It was empty. Perfect. Immediately I strung my hammock up between two pines, poured a glass of wine and settled into my hammock. The stars that night were magnificent. One of the many benefits of sleeping in a hammock. It was clear that night, so I didn't need my hammock tent fly. Just me and the stars above.
I awoke very early the next morning. Since it was dark when I pulled into this spot the night before I was getting my first look at my surroundings. It. Was. Amazing!! The Sisters to my north, Bachelor to my east and miles of road and lakes before me. The first hour of that morning was spent walking around my site checking out the little creek that ran near my hammock and eating a quick breakfast. I was in awe and I was jacked to start my day. I quickly realized that Sparks Lake was literally right next to me. I hopped in my car, made a 2-minute drive to the lake and was ready to start paddling by 7 a.m. No time wasted, I was quickly on the lake. Once I paddled out a little bit toward the middle I realized two things, first, this lake was bigger and shallower than I thought, second, the views were amazing! Mountain peaks all around me! The middle of this lake was so shallow in fact that I hopped off my board in the middle to take off my fin. It was about a foot deep. This lake has a kind of handgun shape to it, big and round on the north end long and narrow on the south end. I decided to paddle towards the south end and I'm glad I did, it got a lot deeper to the point where I could put the fin back in.
I stopped on the shore to have a quick snack. Splash! What was that? I gazed around and saw nothing. Splash! Again, what WAS that?! Then I saw the culprit. There were two Osprey having themselves a great breakfast of fish. They were dive bombing the lake plucking fish out every couple of minutes. I sat on the shore cheering them on for almost half an hour. Then! Out of nowhere a giant bald eagle flies out across the lake, launching about 200 yards from where I was sitting and crashed the Osprey's party. It took two quick circles around the middle of the lake and swooped down and plucked out its own fish. Satisfied with my snack break, I paddled on. I paddled the entire perimeter of the lake. Had a quick pow-wow with a mink on the bank, bid him farewell and continued on. After a few hours, I found myself back at my car. This is going to be a great day. Strapped the SUP back up on top of my car and drove on down the highway.
Soon I found myself driving past Devils Lake. Had to stop. The color of this lake was amazing! Turquoise. So. Turquoise. This lake is much smaller than Sparks Lake but equally enjoyable. There are high banks on all sides so the views of the volcano peaks are hidden, but you don't need them. The view of this lake is enough. Again, it's shallow, but not shallow enough to need to remove your fin. I paddled the perimeter of this lake and chatted with a few other people on the lake and on the shoreline. After an hour or so, I moved on.
Next was Elk Lake. Couldn't help but stop and paddle here. This lake is more popular than the last two. There is a resort on this lake and several beaches and kayak rental shops as well. I put in on a packed beach and paddled out to the middle and towards the south end. The views of the peaks were once again displayed in front of you. I paddled this lake for about an hour or two, but the masses of people turned me off from what I was seeking out of this trip and moved on to the next lake.
The next lake was Little Lava Lake. This is what I was looking for. Very quiet, very secluded lake. I knew this would be the last lake I paddled for the day, so I loaded up my board with my camping gear, set my guitar between my legs and paddled across the lake. Mt Bachelor was showing its glory over the east side of this lake and I paddled around looking for a good place to set up camp. Pretty soon I found a good spot with plenty of daylight left. I took my time setting up camp and really just relaxed. I slept like a baby that night in my hammock. Again, the stars. Just incredible. When I woke up the next morning I laid in my hammock for about two hours, just kicking it. It felt so nice to hang in the hammock along the lake’s shoreline with no agenda. Finally, I decided it was time to go. I paddled back to my car, took a quick morning splash in the lake to refresh myself and was back on my way.
I drove the remainder of the highway, my paddling needs met. There were a few lakes I passed that morning, but I was satisfied. Since I still had the whole day to myself I decided to drive to Lava Land, which is just south of Bend. It was so cool! Cooled, dry lava for miles with Mt. Bachelor and the Sisters off in the distance. I hiked around there for a while, felt good and was more than content. I hopped in my car and began driving home.
But wait! There's more. On the drive home I drove passed Detroit Lake and thought what the hell, I've got the SUP, I have the energy. I'm getting on this lake. There was about two hours left of daylight and I paddled around the lake, racing boats through the no wake section and just soaking up a portion of the lake that I had never paddled before. Then, finally, I decided it was time to go home. Got back to my car, strapped up my SUP and called it a day.
This kind of trip is very doable for anybody who has ambitions to paddle and camp. I only had two days off and was able to turn them into an overnighter that I will never forget, all within three hours of Portland.
I highly suggest creating your own version of this trip. These lakes are so close and there's no real justifiable reason not to explore them. I urge you to get outside and get after it!
The Full Report:
Strapping up my paddle board and driving along Cascade Lakes Highway has been on my to-do list since I moved to Oregon. Sometime around January I really started digging into this but was met with a reluctant dead end due to the highway being closed throughout the winter (it doesn't get plowed). But it's open in the summer! Let me tell you about how great it is to paddle this highway.
My first stop was in Portland at Next Adventure to pick up a SUP. I grabbed the BIC Ace Tec Wing 12' 6". It took no time at all to run into the store, check out the board and be on my way. I drive a small, 2 door car and putting a 12' 6" board on top of it is no problem at all. You don't need much to open the doors of paddle boarding. A couple crossbars on top of any car will suffice and off to the great outdoors you go.
For me, this trip required two crucial pieces of equipment; my hammock and my paddle board. Everything else was just an accessory for these two. I left Portland with no plans on where I was going to camp that night, just a general idea of where I wanted to position myself, which was somewhere behind Mt. Bachelor at the beginning of Cascade Lakes Highway. Another important criteria for me on this trip was enabling myself to camp without paying for a site. Since my entire camp would consist of a hammock strung up between two trees, this would prove to be pretty easy. I made the three-hour drive to Bend and began to drive up and around Mt Bachelor. I made it here just before dusk and decided that I would stop at the first spot that looked good to set up camp. After pulling off the road twice and deciding I can do better I found myself in the parking lot for the Green Lakes Trailhead. It was empty. Perfect. Immediately I strung my hammock up between two pines, poured a glass of wine and settled into my hammock. The stars that night were magnificent. One of the many benefits of sleeping in a hammock. It was clear that night, so I didn't need my hammock tent fly. Just me and the stars above.
I awoke very early the next morning. Since it was dark when I pulled into this spot the night before I was getting my first look at my surroundings. It. Was. Amazing!! The Sisters to my north, Bachelor to my east and miles of road and lakes before me. The first hour of that morning was spent walking around my site checking out the little creek that ran near my hammock and eating a quick breakfast. I was in awe and I was jacked to start my day. I quickly realized that Sparks Lake was literally right next to me. I hopped in my car, made a 2-minute drive to the lake and was ready to start paddling by 7 a.m. No time wasted, I was quickly on the lake. Once I paddled out a little bit toward the middle I realized two things, first, this lake was bigger and shallower than I thought, second, the views were amazing! Mountain peaks all around me! The middle of this lake was so shallow in fact that I hopped off my board in the middle to take off my fin. It was about a foot deep. This lake has a kind of handgun shape to it, big and round on the north end long and narrow on the south end. I decided to paddle towards the south end and I'm glad I did, it got a lot deeper to the point where I could put the fin back in.
I stopped on the shore to have a quick snack. Splash! What was that? I gazed around and saw nothing. Splash! Again, what WAS that?! Then I saw the culprit. There were two Osprey having themselves a great breakfast of fish. They were dive bombing the lake plucking fish out every couple of minutes. I sat on the shore cheering them on for almost half an hour. Then! Out of nowhere a giant bald eagle flies out across the lake, launching about 200 yards from where I was sitting and crashed the Osprey's party. It took two quick circles around the middle of the lake and swooped down and plucked out its own fish. Satisfied with my snack break, I paddled on. I paddled the entire perimeter of the lake. Had a quick pow-wow with a mink on the bank, bid him farewell and continued on. After a few hours, I found myself back at my car. This is going to be a great day. Strapped the SUP back up on top of my car and drove on down the highway.
Soon I found myself driving past Devils Lake. Had to stop. The color of this lake was amazing! Turquoise. So. Turquoise. This lake is much smaller than Sparks Lake but equally enjoyable. There are high banks on all sides so the views of the volcano peaks are hidden, but you don't need them. The view of this lake is enough. Again, it's shallow, but not shallow enough to need to remove your fin. I paddled the perimeter of this lake and chatted with a few other people on the lake and on the shoreline. After an hour or so, I moved on.
Next was Elk Lake. Couldn't help but stop and paddle here. This lake is more popular than the last two. There is a resort on this lake and several beaches and kayak rental shops as well. I put in on a packed beach and paddled out to the middle and towards the south end. The views of the peaks were once again displayed in front of you. I paddled this lake for about an hour or two, but the masses of people turned me off from what I was seeking out of this trip and moved on to the next lake.
The next lake was Little Lava Lake. This is what I was looking for. Very quiet, very secluded lake. I knew this would be the last lake I paddled for the day, so I loaded up my board with my camping gear, set my guitar between my legs and paddled across the lake. Mt Bachelor was showing its glory over the east side of this lake and I paddled around looking for a good place to set up camp. Pretty soon I found a good spot with plenty of daylight left. I took my time setting up camp and really just relaxed. I slept like a baby that night in my hammock. Again, the stars. Just incredible. When I woke up the next morning I laid in my hammock for about two hours, just kicking it. It felt so nice to hang in the hammock along the lake’s shoreline with no agenda. Finally, I decided it was time to go. I paddled back to my car, took a quick morning splash in the lake to refresh myself and was back on my way.
I drove the remainder of the highway, my paddling needs met. There were a few lakes I passed that morning, but I was satisfied. Since I still had the whole day to myself I decided to drive to Lava Land, which is just south of Bend. It was so cool! Cooled, dry lava for miles with Mt. Bachelor and the Sisters off in the distance. I hiked around there for a while, felt good and was more than content. I hopped in my car and began driving home.
But wait! There's more. On the drive home I drove passed Detroit Lake and thought what the hell, I've got the SUP, I have the energy. I'm getting on this lake. There was about two hours left of daylight and I paddled around the lake, racing boats through the no wake section and just soaking up a portion of the lake that I had never paddled before. Then, finally, I decided it was time to go home. Got back to my car, strapped up my SUP and called it a day.
This kind of trip is very doable for anybody who has ambitions to paddle and camp. I only had two days off and was able to turn them into an overnighter that I will never forget, all within three hours of Portland.
I highly suggest creating your own version of this trip. These lakes are so close and there's no real justifiable reason not to explore them. I urge you to get outside and get after it!