Our original destination was this moraine lake on the east side of Broken Top. A moraine is a pile of rocks and debris created by glacial movement that oftentimes creates a bowl where water collects and eventually forms a lake.

The first 1.75 miles of the Broken Top trail is a pleasant sunny path through old growth timber that follows Crater Ditch (you'll have to step over several man-made stone spillways along the route).

With Broken Top as the backdrop, the trail comes to a crossroads where a sign is posted.

Follow the sign to Broken Top.

This next section of the trail zigzags across a creek and heads uphill with an abundance of waterfalls and wildflowers along the route.

The trail crosses a couple of snowfields before you reach the creek that spills out of the moraine lake. Scramble up the right side of the creek.

We were amazed at the amount of life in this high-altitude moraine area. A chipmunk watched us eating our lunch - hoping we would share with him - and three or four varieties of wildflowers grew around the lake.

We continued climbing another 330 feet in elevation to a ridge above the lake with awesome views of all three Sisters to the north ...

... and the valley to the northeast (the haze is from a forest fire burning near Sisters).

This photo, taken from the ridge looking back on the moraine lake, shows Mt. Bachelor in the background.

We took about 175 photos on this mid-August hike ... and here's part of the reason why. Wildflowers were abundant, and although we had bug repellant in our packs we weren't bothered by mosquitoes.

Elevation: 1500 foot elevation gain

Trail distance: Approximately 10 miles round trip

Rated: Easy to moderate

Latitude: 44.0575

Longitude: 121.70722

Directions: From Bend take Century Drive toward Mt. Bachelor, which turns into Cascade Lakes Hwy. Just past Mt. Bachelor watch for the signs to Todd Lake; turn right and travel .6 mile on a washboardy road to the Todd Lake parking lot. Continue on for 2.6 miles on a narrow rutted road with large rocks, and then veer left at the "Y" for another 1/2 mile to the end of the road. Behind and to the right of the Forest Service kiosk, climb a small embankment to find the path that follows Crater Ditch.

Fees: $5 fee or NW Forest Pass