Читать книгу One Night Wilderness: Portland. Quick and Convenient Backcountry Getaways within Three Hours of the City онлайн

63 страница из 73

Getting There

Leave Interstate 5 north of Vancouver, Washington, at Exit 68 and travel 85 miles east on U.S. Highway 12 to White Pass. Continue east another 2.1 miles, then turn left into the signed DOG LAKE CAMPGROUND. The unpaved campground loop road passes the signed trailhead on the right after just 0.1 mile.

Hiking It

The trail starts in a relatively open mid-elevation forest of mixed conifers with plenty of huckleberries, fireweed, grouse whortleberries, and numerous other low-growing flowers and shrubs scattered about on the forest floor. After just 0.1 mile of uphill, the trail forks at the start of the loop.

Bear right onto the Cramer Lake Trail and follow this wide, horse-pounded path as it traces a very gentle course for 1.2 miles to a camp immediately before a bridgeless crossing of North Fork Clear Creek. There is usually a log you can scoot across here, but if that is missing, the creek crossing is an easy calf-deep ford.

After crossing the creek, the trail makes a gradual uphill traverse of a mostly forested hillside, and then turns north and wanders gently uphill to Cramer Lake at 3.2 miles. The trail stays in the forest, so far back from this good-sized and attractive lake that it is easy to walk right past it without noticing. The lake is worth a visit, however, so watch carefully and follow any of several sketchy trails that branch to the right and lead to this forest-rimmed gem. The lake has a fine campsite at its northwest end.