Bend Glacier hike has 'wow' factor

Two years ago, from the slopes of Broken Hand, I noticed a little lake at the snout of Bend Glacier on the east side of Broken Top. I decided that it merited a visit. Earlier this month, I finally got around to it.

As it turned out, it's a pretty easy hike - but getting to it is another issue altogether. We drove out toward Three Creek Lake and turned onto a gravel road about a mile short of the lake. At about the six-mile point, a roadside sign announced, "Not maintained for passenger cars." They weren't kidding.

After another 5.5 miles of punishing 4x4-only road, we arrived in an open alpine area and discovered a nice, and surprisingly crowded, parking lot. It even had a little restroom, which is probably a good idea, given the scarcity of trees in this region.

All the other cars had come in from Century Drive, and I began to wonder if the 50-mile route through Bend might have been a better choice. I was told, however, that the road in from the south was "really awful," too.

The jumping-off point for this hike is the Broken Top Trailhead, which is an alternate route to enter the Green Lakes Basin from the east. After picking up a free wilderness permit at the trailhead, we set out to the northwest on the main trail.

The trail to the lake is not an "official" trail and is not marked. However, after what seemed like a short mile, the turnoff to the right (north) looked like a major highway fork. Plus, the fork toward the lake is virtually right beside the boundary sign for the Three Sisters Wilderness Area, so it's not very hard to spot.

The trail takes off over the open alpine country, with spectacular views of Broken Top and the surrounding countryside. The trail is well worn and easy to follow. After a little more than a mile from the fork, it approaches the lake and crosses a snowfield. At this point, there is more than one track. Generally, it is better to stick to the higher ground to avoid damaging fragile habitat that is only exposed to the sun for a few short weeks in the summer.

The lake itself is not visible from any point along the trail; and, although it doesn't have an official name, it's usually referred to as Bend Glacier Lake. I've also heard it called Iceberg Tarn. In any event, the glacial meltwater escapes through a deep gash in the relatively "fresh" moraine that Bend glacier pushed up in the not-too-distant geologic past. In fact, this entire hike is like a geologic field trip.

Follow the gash in the moraine up a rocky path to reach the lake. The eye-popping view from the lake's outlet up to Broken Top is totally unexpected and reminded us of the view from Moraine Lake in Canada's Banff National Park. Yes, there are fewer peaks here and the scale is smaller, but you're also a lot closer. This is a little-known top-notch Oregon viewpoint, right here in our own backyard.

Bend Glacier terminates right in the glacial silt-colored lake, and ice breaks off into the water, creating a continually changing variety of floes. Typically, fresh glacier ice can be seen floating on the lake throughout the summer, which it will continue to do until the lake freezes up again in a few weeks.

We thought the lake was our destination, but we noticed that other hikers had followed a trail around the east side of the lake to ascend a ridge to the north. Since we didn't want to be outdone, we hoofed it up there, too; and boy was it worth it!

Once atop the 8,300 foot-high ridge, views unfolded endlessly. With Park Meadows and the eastern headwaters of Whychus Creek far below in the near foreground, Cascade views stretched out for hundreds of miles. We spent quite a bit of time studying our map and picking out the real landmarks laid out on the panorama before us.

We took a slightly different route back to the snowfield below the moraine by skirting the outer edge of the moraine rather than retracing our route through the lake's outlet. The trip back down the trail was quick and easy, and I was surprised at the number of people we saw in the area. After all, this was a weekday, after Labor Day, on an "unofficial" trail that is not listed in most guidebooks.

Barring an early heavy snowfall, there is still time to discover this unique bit of Central Oregon topography. However, keep a close eye to the weather, and be properly equipped for any eventuality. Round trip, including the ridge, this hike is only about six miles.

To reach this hike from the Broken Top Trailhead, take Elm Street south out of Sisters. After crossing Whychus Creek, the road becomes Three Creek Lake Road. Follow it for a total of about 15 miles, the first 14 of which are paved. After passing Three Creek Meadow, turn left onto a very rough Forest Road 370.

After 5.9 miles, the road joins Forest Road 4601. Turn sharply right to stay on 370; this is where the road starts to get really bad. In another 4.1 miles (10.0 miles from the Three Creek Lake Road) turn right onto Forest Road 380. From there, it's 1.4 miles to the trailhead parking lot. Since Road 370 continues on to Century Drive, that is the alternate route in.