An easy hike from Round Lake to Square lake

The Round Lake to Square Lake trail is an easy wilderness hike of about two miles each way. I hear from quite a few people who tell me that they read my hiking columns regularly, but protest that they feel too old, too slow, too out-of-shape - or too whatever - to actually do the hikes. Well, if you fall into that category and would like to get back in the game, this is a great "starter hike."

Ten years ago, this spot fell victim to our seemingly endless litany of severe forest wildfires, as part of the B&B complex fire that scorched over 90,000 acres of what I had always considered my personal forest playground.

Still, it's a fun hike with a nice destination and a great place to see the process of forest regeneration, which is well underway. The hike starts up a very modest slope from the Round Lake Trailhead, which is within a stone's throw of Wilderness Lakes Retreat.

Wilderness Lakes Retreat is a church-sponsored camp operated under an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. The camp is jointly run by a board comprised of members from nine different Central Oregon churches and is open for use by any group or organization.

The camp itself was saved by firefighters in 2003, but not much else escaped the flames. While in some areas the fire skipped around, this area was pretty thoroughly burned. Some trees survived near the lake's edge, and a few scattered trees survived elsewhere.

Still, the forest today is hardly a wasteland, as the land lives out the centuries-long process of regenerating a new forest (see related story, page 13). Young trees, principally lodgepole pines, are abundant; some are already taller than head height. We saw many other species of tree seedlings as well, including ponderosa pine, hemlock, spruce and fir.

Oceans of manzanita and snowbrush (technically, Ceanothus) cover the landscape in every direction. These plants thrive in post-fire habitat. An impressive array of wildflowers is also on the menu.

When we hiked this area in May, the trail was something of an obstacle course, with dozens of fallen dead trees blocking the trail. It has been 10 years since the fire, and dead trees are falling with increasing frequency.

Wilderness Lakes Retreat has "adopted" this trail for maintenance; and, last month, a volunteer trail crew from the camp cleared the trail for public use. As a result, trail users will no longer have to climb over, or detour around, the fallen trees.

Volunteers removed about 50 fallen trees from the trail by the time they reached Square Lake. The organization also has accepted responsibility for the section of trail on the west side of Square Lake, which connects to the Pacific Crest Trail near the summit of Santiam Pass.

This hike is almost entirely within the extreme southeast corner of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area. We easily covered the two miles to Square Lake in just about an hour, even with the trail obstacles, which have since been removed.

One good thing about the fire is that it opened up expansive views, although many of the ghostly white dead tree trunks continue to stand as a reminder of the vanished forest.

There isn't much shade, so be sure to use plenty of sunscreen. The north and northeast edges of Square Lake support a strip of living green trees that survived the fire in the lee of the lake and provide a pleasant, woodsy relief to the otherwise wide-open landscape.

If a four-mile round trip over nearly flat ground seems a little too tame, it's only another 1.5 miles north to Booth Lake, which was ground zero for the Booth portion of the Booth and Bear Butte (B&B) Fires. To continue on to Booth Lake, follow the lakeshore trail north and west around Square Lake. The Booth Lake Trail takes off from the 12 o'clock position on the northern edge of Square Lake at a marked trail junction.

The hike to Booth Lake requires an 800-vertical foot climb over a ridge. Booth Lake is visible on the way down the ridge; but pay attention to time and distance, or you may not see Booth Lake and pass right by. The trail eventually transits north through an open grassy area; and, to the west, a moraine with survivor trees hides Booth Lake from view.

Return by the same route. If you were to lose the main trail, a multitude of informal trails wander back down the ridge toward Square Lake. If you encounter the large boggy area north of the lake, bear left (east).

The Round Lake Trailhead is off Jack Lake Road (Road 12), which is a right turn 12 miles west of Sisters on Highway 20. Next, take a left at the Round Lake turnoff after about a mile; and follow a good, but dusty, gravel road (Forest Road 1210) for five miles to the lake. Upon reaching the lake, follow the main road to the left; and a road sign will point right onto a dirt road to the trailhead (and the wilderness camp).

For a little variety on the return drive, turn right onto Forest Road 1210, instead of returning by the same route. The 1210 road circles back to the Jack Lake Road, and it's a tossup as to which way is quicker. The rest of the 1210 loop is an equally good gravel road and has some beautiful Central Oregon scenery before dropping back into a portion of the forest that was untouched by the fire.