Indian Heaven Lakes Loop via Thomas Lake

Indian Heaven Wilderness, Gifford Pinchot National Forest (Thomas Lake Trailhead, Forest Road 65)

Indian Heaven is a wilderness of lakes and meadows in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The Forest Service says the 20,784-acre wilderness has more than 150 lakes, and that several tribes gathered here for berry picking, fishing, and hunting over the past 9,000 years. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses it north to south for 16.4 miles.

The Mountaineers describe a 15-mile loop from the Thomas Lake Trailhead, with only about 1,100 feet of gain, as an “easy backpack or strenuous hike.”

The hike

Oregon Hikers’ field guide describes the first leg on the Thomas Lake Trail 111. It starts in a regrowing clearcut and climbs into forest, passing Dee Lake and Thomas Lake (0.7 mile in, per The Mountaineers), then Heather Lake after a footbridge, with Eunice Lake a short side trip. The guide notes a view of Mount Rainier from a rise, meadows and boardwalks, and a junction where Rock Lake is a side trip. Past shallow lakes near the high point and the spur to Lake Sahalee Tyee, the trail drops past Blue Lake’s north shore, below Gifford Peak, to the PCT, about 3.3 miles from the trailhead.

From Blue Lake, The Mountaineers’ route heads north on the PCT to Junction Lake and East Crater, then continues on the PCT or the Lemei Lake Trail to Clear Lake, returning by the other trail to close the loop. Bear and Elk lakes are a 1.2-mile side trip off the PCT. Backpacker’s 2013 version runs the other way: north from Rock Lake on an abandoned trail through meadows to the PCT at Bear Lake, then past Clear and Lemei lakes to Junction Lake and south on the PCT to Blue Lake. Backpacker says huckleberries start ripening in late August.

The Forest Service describes the Indian Racetrack, a 2,000-foot-long field where horse racing once broke up tribal food-gathering. The Forest Service lists separate Indian Racetrack trailheads.

Oregon Hikers warns that “in early summer mosquitoes abound along this trail of many lakes,” and many hikers wait until mid-summer. The Forest Service recommends fall partly because mosquito season winds down, and notes that black bears are drawn to ripening huckleberries.

For a higher, rockier South Cascades loop, see Goat Rocks: Snowgrass Flat and Goat Lake.

Tips

Fill out a wilderness permit. It’s free and self-issued at the trailhead.
Bring a Northwest Forest Pass. It’s required to park.
Check the campsite map. Thomas and Blue lake areas have designated sites only.
Go after the bugs. Mid-summer to fall is easier on mosquitoes.
Store food for bears. Bears come for the berries in fall.

Camping

The Forest Service bans camping within 100 feet of any lake and of the PCT, and limits camping near Thomas and Blue lakes to designated sites. Oregon Hikers says Lake Sahalee Tyee has one designated campsite, Brader Lake has a single site on a peninsula, and the Thomas Lake area has designated sites along the path around the lake. The Mountaineers list camps at Blue Lake, Tombstone Lake (0.2 mile past Blue), and Deep Lake (about a mile north of Clear Lake). Groups are limited to 12 people and stock combined. Treat lake water.

Inside Intel: A Mountaineers group in September 2016 planned to camp at Blue Lake but couldn’t, because the lake has become popular and only established sites are allowed, so it camped two nights at Junction Lake, which the leader called “perfect,” with “no bugs and berries galore.” The report adds that Bear and Elk lakes also have good camping.

Trail facts

Distance: About 15 miles (The Mountaineers)
Route type: Loop (lollipop via Thomas Lake Trail and PCT)
Difficulty: Moderate
Campsites: Thomas Lake area (designated), Blue Lake (designated, about 3.3 miles), Tombstone Lake, Junction Lake, Deep Lake, Bear and Elk lakes (side trip)
Water: Lakes; little running water; treat it
Permits: Free self-issued wilderness permit; Northwest Forest Pass to park
Food storage: No rule found; bears are active in berry season
Dogs: Not covered by the sources read
Trailhead: Thomas Lake Trailhead, Forest Road 65
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

A fall loop past Blue Lake:

The Forest Service suggests fall here, when mosquitoes wind down. Packing a shell for the lakes? We compared the Beta SL with the Torrentshell 3L and Foray 3L.

Compare the shells →

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.