Whetstone Mountain Trail (Bull of the Woods) June 21-22

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aircooled
Posts: 454
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Whetstone Mountain Trail (Bull of the Woods) June 21-22

Post by aircooled » June 24th, 2014, 10:45 am

Whetstone Mountain Trail (Bull of the Woods) June 21-22 2014

I've been overlooking the Bull of the Woods wilderness for too long, so when I had a chance to jump on an overnight with a few friends, I took it! This backpack begins at the Whetstone Mountain Trailhead.

http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org ... _Trailhead

The bugs were on us before we left the parking lot. This area was really buggy and we passed numerous small, still pools of water. Mosquito nurseries! The trail began with a steep descent, then climbed, at times steeply, for a little under two miles to a junction. A right turn took us to the summit of Whetstone Mountain where we were treated to fabulous 360 degree views. I wish I had better photos, but it was pretty hazy that day. We could see Hood, Jefferson, the Sisters, Washington and a bit of Adams. The climb is about a mile with 750 feet of gain.

We returned to the junction and followed a ridge east for 3 miles to the junction of the Silver King Lake trail, then turned south to the junction of the trail to the Twin Lakes. This hike is well described here http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org ... Ridge_Hike so I won't repeat the details, other than to point out that you do a bit of rollercoastering. (Our GPS pegged total elevation gain for the day at 3100 feet, including the climb up Whetstone and 3 miles of exploring around the lakes area.)

About a mile or two east of the Whetstone Mountain junction we lost the bugs and the rest of the trip was mostly bug-free.

The trail is brushy in spots but we encountered only one spot with serious blowdown. There are several good spots for camping on Upper Twin Lake, including one massive site which could hold a dozen tents easily. Once at Upper Twin, the trail continues along the north shore until you reach a boggy area. Walk across the log to the left of the trail and continue on to a shady junction. The trail to the right leads to Lower Twin Lake, but the trail is blocked by blowdown in one spot, then drops into a draw where it disappears in a tangle of burned treefall. Another group we met termed it "impassable" but with decent routefinging and bushwhacking skills you can reach Lower Twin lake, a beautiful blue gem. I don't know if there are any good campsites there - just reaching the lake itself requires scrambling over and around large downed firs.

This lower-elevation area deserves to be added to lists of shoulder season backpacks. If we'd had more time we would have visited nearby Battle Ax Mountain and Elk Lake. Trails to the west connect with Opal Creek and Jawbone Flats.

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My new 24 oz Six Moons tent :)
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Upper Twin Lake
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Hillside east of Upper Twin Lake
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Tangled area on the approach to Lower Twin Lake

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Lower Twin Lake
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BrianEdwards
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Joined: February 2nd, 2010, 1:32 am
Location: Oregon City, OR
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Re: Whetstone Mountain Trail (Bull of the Woods) June 21-22

Post by BrianEdwards » June 24th, 2014, 11:02 am

Great to see this trail getting some use by PH's this spring. Thanks for sharing
Last edited by BrianEdwards on June 24th, 2014, 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Clackamas River Waterfall Project - 95 Documented, 18 to go.

200,000'
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Joined: March 16th, 2010, 1:25 pm

Re: Whetstone Mountain Trail (Bull of the Woods) June 21-22

Post by 200,000' » June 24th, 2014, 2:50 pm

Great report....beautiful pics, thank you!

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