Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Oregon / Central Cascades

Pamelia Lake and Hunts Cove

Mount Jefferson Wilderness, Willamette National Forest (near Detroit)

Pamelia Lake sits a little over 2 miles up a creek near Mount Jefferson, and the trail beyond it climbs to Hunts Cove, a basin of small lakes with views of Cathedral Rocks. Oregon Hikers notes this is one of the few parts of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness that hasn’t burned, so big trees still line the trail.

The Bend Bulletin reported in 2022 that the forest along the Pamelia Lake Trail “escaped unscathed” from the 2020 Lionshead Fire.

The hike

The trailhead is at the end of Pamelia Creek Road (Forest Road 2246), about 5 miles off Highway 22 east of Detroit, according to Douglas Fir National Monument. The Pamelia Lake Trail climbs gradually through old-growth Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar along Pamelia Creek. Along the way you pass remnants of a 2006 debris flow from Mount Jefferson’s Milk Creek glacier, which buried parts of the trail and forced a rebuild, Oregon Hikers says.

At 2.2 miles, a junction sits just before the lake. Straight ahead, campsites lie among the trees at the lake’s northwest tip. Right leads to Grizzly Peak; left follows Hunts Creek toward Hunts Cove. Oregon Hikers notes that in late summer the 52-acre lake can drop enough to reveal lakebed and a view of Mount Jefferson’s tip.

Toward Hunts Cove, Oregon Hikers’ route crosses Hunts Creek on a fallen tree at about 3.7 miles, then switchbacks up to a junction at 5.1 miles. Turn left on the Hunts Cove Trail, traverse above a meadow, and cross the Hanks Lake outlet at 5.5 miles, where there are a few campsites. Hunts Lake is half a mile north, with a view of Cathedral Rocks but limited shoreline and campsites. The round trip is about 11 miles with about 2,100 feet of gain.

For a longer trip, Hiking Project describes an 18.8-mile loop that climbs from Hunts Cove to the Pacific Crest Trail, passes the Shale Lakes, and descends the PCT past an old avalanche path to return via Hunts Creek. It warns that an unofficial-looking trail to Hunts Lake near the PCT junction may not appear on every map, and that the lakes are labeled inconsistently.

For Mount Jefferson’s north side, see Jefferson Park via Whitewater Trail.

Tips

Camping

Overnight stays in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness require a Central Cascades Wilderness overnight permit from June 15 to October 15, reserved only on Recreation.gov, the Forest Service says. Groups are limited to 12 people and 12 head of stock. Camping is not allowed within 100 feet of Pamelia Lake’s high-water mark, and campfires are prohibited above 5,700 feet. Holders of PCT long-distance permits may not camp in the Coyote and Shale Lake basin.

Oregon Hikers lists campsites at Pamelia Lake’s northwest tip, at Hanks Lake, and a few near Hunts Lake.

Inside Intel: A Hiking Project contributor says Hanks Lake has plenty of campsites, while Hunts Lake has fewer and less use and is, in their view, more scenic. On the loop, they camped at the larger of the two Shale Lakes for its view of Mount Jefferson.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Wet log crossings near Pamelia Lake:

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.