Olallie Lake

Location

From Bend, drive to Sisters, and then stay on Hwy 20/126 to Hwy 22 to Detroit. Turn right on Road 46 for 17.5 miles (follow signs to Breitenbush Hot Springs Resort). Turn right on Road 4690 and travel for 8.1miles (Road 4690 turns into a gravel road after 6miles) then turn right on Road 4220. Follow Road 4220 for 6 miles to Olallie Lake. To locate the Jefferson Park trailhead, travel about 10 miles east of Detroit and turn north on Forest Road 2243. Take this road 7.4 miles to the parking area at the trailhead. The park is a 5 mile hike in wilderness areas so make sure proper preparations are made.

To get back to Detroit, you can either go back the same way you came or you can continue on Road 4220 and make a loop out of the drive (DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS ROUTE IF SNOW IS PRESENT!). Continuing on the loop back to Road 4690 on Road 4220, the road becomes very rough. You must have a high clearance vehicle. This way is not recommended unless you like rocky, slow roads, it is scenic though!

Amenities: Birding, car camping at some of the smaller lakes, hiking, and photography. There are some campsites with restrooms. Paul Dennis Mt. Hood National Forest Campground is right on the shore of Olallie Lake. There are tent sites, and both cabins and yurts for rent. There are numerous small lakes and ponds if you continue on Road 4220. Olallie Lake is a water source, so swimming is not allowed. At Triangle Lake there is a horse camp. Horseshoe Lake was my favorite.

Disclaimer: There may be many more amenities at some areas, and some of them may not be open at times in others. We have tried to be as accurate as we could! It is best to always take a couple of good, detailed maps with you.