Hiking to Sisters' hidden gems

A group from Three Sisters Fellowship invited me to tag along on their recent hike to Park Meadow, Golden Lake...and beyond. A visit to Park Meadow is a pleasant round trip of 7.6 miles. However, the ambitious hiker can easily turn it into a more difficult 14-mile trek - and you might find that the effort is worth it!

Nestled on the eastern side of the Three Sisters Wilderness Area, Park Meadow is one of those lush mountain meadows that most people only see in coffee table books. Getting to the meadow requires some balancing acts at several stream crossings and moderate elevation changes - both up and down. You're not likely to even notice some of the down-grades; that is, until you're on the return trip and they become uphill grades.

About a mile from the trailhead, the trail crosses Snow Creek; and another mile and a half will bring you to Whychus Creek. Hikers must cross on a makeshift, precarious assemblage of fallen trees. Those with trekking poles may be tempted to gloat at some of these crossings.

After Whychus Creek, the trail follows a tiny tributary for another half mile or so. At 6,000 feet, some wildflowers remain, especially along this streamlet and in the several mini-meadows it courses through. The first views of Park Meadow appear a little over a mile from Whychus Creek. At 3.8 miles from your starting point, the trail crosses the East Fork of Park Creek on stepping-stones. This is a great place to stop if a mid-distance, moderate hike is your goal.

If you're up for more, though, grit your teeth and keep going to Golden Lake. Another mile brings you to 6,600 feet and an "invisible" trail junction. Look for the vegetation to open up on both sides of what appears to be a steep, gravel glacial moraine. Hopefully, you'll see a rock cairn on the left side of the trail. Why this isn't marked better, I have no idea. Some of our party blasted on by this turnoff.

If you reach the Green Lakes/Pole Creek Trail junction, you've gone a half mile too far. Turn back - unless you want to hike all the way to Sparks Lake on Century Drive.

When you think you're at the Golden Lake turnoff, scramble the short distance to the top of the moraine. The terrain flattens out for a postcard view of Broken Top. Keep heading toward the mountain, and a well-defined trail develops in no time at all. After you've walked about a quarter mile, you'll come to a wooden sign that says "Golden Lake." At that point, you can't see the lake; and the sign can't be seen from the main trail. Why it's located there, only the Forest Service knows.

Another quarter mile will bring you to the first view of Golden Lake, which sits in a huge sub-alpine meadow still full of flowers and offering "up-close and personal" views of all Three Sisters and Broken Top. The best stopping point is beside a cascading stream on the opposite side of the lake.

But wait, there's still more! Another mile of steep, "unofficial" trail follows the stream to two beautiful tarns clinging to the slopes of Broken Top. This last stretch offers the most beautiful flowers of the trip with abundant mountain heather and Indian paintbrush. Less than a mile from the lake, climb the steep base of one more moraine; and you'll be rewarded with one of the most scenic little mountain pools you'll ever see.

The second tarn is just beyond. At that point, the elevation is 7,251 feet, less than 2,000 feet below the summit of Broken Top. Unless you're prepared for serious mountaineering, that's probably as far as you'll want to go. Members of our party also sighted a bear in this area.

At the upper tarn, you're about seven miles into the wilderness. Of course, that means it's seven miles back out; so, plan accordingly. It's best to get started at least by mid-morning, so you'll have plenty of time and not need to rush. The Fellowship hikers set a killer pace and covered the distance to and from Golden Lake in only 2.25 hours each way. On the way out, they swept by a party of George Fox University students who were probably about the age of some of their grandchildren.

I recommend allowing more time, and a round trip to the alpine tarns adds another hour.

To access this hike, head south from Sisters on Three Creek Lake Road. The pavement ends at about 14 miles; continue another 0.3 mile on gravel to a brown "Park Meadow" sign on the left that points to the right. Follow this very bad road for about a mile to the trailhead, which starts at an elevation of 4,900 feet. Bring a high-center clearance vehicle or be prepared to add another two miles to the round trip.