Hike to Square Lake from Santiam Pass

Most of us travel over Santiam Pass on a fairly regular basis, and we've seen the devastation caused by the 2003 B&B Fire. However, it's now been seven years since nearly 100,000 acres were blackened in that fire, and the forest's recovery is interesting to observe.

To fully appreciate what is happening in the burn, it's necessary to see it up close. A good way to do that is to hike from Santiam Pass to Square Lake. This is a relatively short hike, at less than 2.5 miles each way, with a few moderate ups and downs but very little overall elevation change. At the risk of overstating the difficulty, I suppose we could classify it as "easy plus."

This was a spur-of-the-moment hike, and I called my hiking buddy and said, "Hey, do you want to...." The response, was, "Sure, let's go!" And a short time later we were on the trail. The trailhead is easy to get to; and, if you're in a hurry, the hike only takes a couple of hours. We weren't in a hurry.

The trail takes off from a paved parking loop on the north side of Highway 20 at the top of Santiam Pass. There are two early trail junctions. The first is within sight of the parking lot and is where the short access trail hooks up with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Turn left (north) onto the PCT. A couple of hundred yards later, turn right (east) off the PCT at the next junction where a sign points to Summit Lakes.

That's about all the navigation that will be necessary on your way to Square Lake. The trail takes a pleasant course through the burned-out forest. The forest floor is a brilliant green due to a thick layer of bracken ferns, and lodgepole pine seedlings are everywhere. Most of the young trees are in the two-to-three-foot range, but some are already taller.

Lodgepole pine is a pioneer species that quickly reclaims burned-over land. Part of this is because heat from a fire speeds the release of the species' seeds from its cones. Also, the sun-loving seedlings thrive in the open.

Despite the endless sea of dead trees, the area possesses a stark beauty; and the silvering, naked tree trunks eerily accent the carpet of green that is now springing forth. The dead trees also provide an interesting study in tree growth with their twists, turns, splits, and burls laid bare for

inspection.

The burn is also resplendent with wildflowers. The Cascade lily is a prominent species in the area. Also called Washington lily, Lilium washingtonianum is named for Martha Washington, not the state. In fact, it is infrequently found in the State of Washington. The white lily flowers form on a tall stalk and turn to pink as they age.

Indian beargrass is late this year and is still blooming all over the burn. Columbines, lupine, and scarlet gilia (skyrocket) are only a few of the many flowers blooming along the trail.

Isolated groupings of 8-10 living trees are scattered around the burn. We kept ourselves busy postulating as to how the little enclaves escaped the conflagration. Here and there, mature firs, hemlocks, and ponderosa pines survived to add to the future seed variety. We spotted one living white pine.

Closer to the lake, a few spots in the lee of rock outcroppings shelter more survivor trees; and the lake itself helped lakeside strips of trees to survive, primarily on the north and east shores of the lake. Here, winds from the west drove the fire north and east, isolating some trees along the shoreline when the fire failed to completely burn back upon itself.

Approaching the lake, the trail descends into what appears to be an old glacial basin which holds the lake itself, then the path wraps around the western side of the lake. The trail eventually meets up with the Round Lake Trail on the north shoreline, and the combined trail continues north toward Booth and Jack Lakes.

Our goal was achieved, however, simply by reaching the lake, and we explored the shoreline a bit. It was a beautiful, warm, and surprisingly mosquito-free day. We looked for the perfect place to cool off, then spent the next half hour swimming in the lake. It was only with reluctance that we finally came out of the water to eat lunch. With minimal effort, you too can make this two-hour hike into a relaxing four-hour outing.

The water was cool but very pleasant - even for an extended period of time. It will become even warmer in the weeks ahead. The lake is beautifully clear, and we saw a few small fish jumping. Back in the 1960s, I knew an old-timer who fished here regularly, and I wondered what he would think of the transformed, burned-over landscape.

The trailhead for Square Lake can be reached simply by heading west from Sisters on Highway 20 to the summit of Santiam Pass. The PCT trailhead is clearly marked, and the paved parking area loop on the right (north) side of the highway is just east of the road that leads into Hoodoo and Big Lake (on the south side of the road). This is a fee-use area.