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The first time we hiked around Todd Lake was in October. We drove to the parking area and walked the easy trail around the perimeter in about 6" of packed snow - no snowshoes needed. |
TODD LAKE
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The first time we hiked around Todd Lake was in October. We drove to the parking area and walked the easy trail around the perimeter in about 6" of packed snow - no snowshoes needed. |
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After the Cascade Lakes Hwy is closed for the winter, the main access to Todd Lake is from Mt. Bachelor's parking lot ... and our transportation of choice is snow shoes. |
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On our first snowshoe trek to the lake, I was surprised to find it frozen solid ... but what would you expect at 6,151' in elevation?! On that day, Broken Top glowed from the spotlight of the sun. |
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We returned to Todd Lake later than winter, this time armed with plenty of bread crumbs, dried apricots and nuts ... |
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... and made friends with the locals.
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Broken Top peeks out over the top of the 500-foot ridge just north of the lake ... |
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... and on a June day with the temperatures in the low 70s in town, we packed a lunch and headed back with the intent of climbing the north ridge. We snow-shoed around the kidney-shaped lake (you can see it outlined by melting ice) and then climbed the ridge. Across the frozen lake to the southeast is Mt. Bachelor. |
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With Todd Lake so easily accessible from Bend, we've returned several times. This photo, with camera set up on a mini-tripod, was shot in early October.
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Elevation: Todd Lake is at 6,151 feet, and the elevation gain is 500 feet if you opt to climb the ridge just north of the lake. Trail distance: 1.25 miles following the trail around the lake; between 4-5 miles round trip by snowshoe from Mt. Bachelor parking lot, depending on which route you go. Rated: Easy in summer; a good work-out on snowshoes in winter. Latitude: 44.03 Longitude: 121.68417 Directions: From downtown Bend take Century Drive, which turns into Cascade Lakes Hwy. Just past Mt. Bachelor, turn right near milepost 23 at the sign to Todd Lake. Travel 0.6 miles to the parking area just below the lake. If you're snow-shoeing in from Mt. Bachelor ski area, park near the Nordic lodge and take the groomed corridor out to Forest Service land (trail options are posted on a large map near the Nordic center). Fees: NW Forest Pass in the summer; no fee to park at Mt. Bachelor parking lot and snowshoe in. |
