Olallie Scenic Area Explained

Olallie Lake
Coords:44.8069°N -121.7875°W[1]
Type:mountain
Basin Countries:United States
Area:240acres
Depth:17feet[2]
Max-Depth:43feet
Elevation:4941feet
Pushpin Map:Oregon#USA
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Olallie Scenic Area in Oregon, USA.

Olallie Scenic Area is a United States Forest Service designated scenic area located in Oregon's Cascade Range. It is between Mount Hood on the north and Mount Jefferson to the south and contains Olallie Lake along with several smaller lakes. The name Olallie is Chinook Jargon for berry.[2] Olallie Lake is open to vehicle traffic June to September. There is no cellphone service.[3]

Details

The glaciated region is roughly 89% forested with Noble fir, western hemlock, cedar species, pacific silver fir, mountain hemlock and several other tree species.[2] Crossed by the Pacific Crest Trail,[4] Olallie is in the shadow of Mount Jefferson within the Mount Hood National Forest. The volcanic peaks of 10497feet Mount Jefferson and 7215feet Olallie Butte, both located on the border of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, overlook the area from the south and north. There are some meadows and marshes - Olallie Meadow, at, is the largest - and home to a former ranger station.[2] Olallie Lake Guard Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is near the west end of Olallie Lake.

Recreation includes camping at Forest Service improved campgrounds, cabins and yurts at the Olallie Lake Resort.[5] The use of motor boats is prohibited on the snow melt fed alpine lakes by state law;[6] the Olallie Resort has paddle boats and rowboats for rent. Access is via Forest Road 46 to Forest Road 4690 to Forest Road 4220 or from Forest Road 42 to Forest Road 4220. These roads are closed in the winter. The last few miles of Forest Road 4220 are gravel. The Scenic Area has seven campgrounds; they are Olallie Meadows, Camp Ten, Paul Dennis, Peninsula, Lower Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and Triangle Lake Equestrian.

Lakes

Located in Jefferson and Marion counties at 4500feet above sea level the area is home to over 200 lakes in the Scenic Area that lies in the shadow of Olallie Butte.[2] The largest of these lakes is the namesake Olallie Lake that has a 3.9miles shoreline.[2] The lake sits at 4900feet and is 240acres in size with a maximum depth of 43feet.[2] [7] The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks the lake with both Rainbow trout and Brook trout.[7] Mill Creek on the eastern shore is the only outflow, and once had a small dam to help keep water levels constant.[2] Other lakes include Triangle, Lower, First, Head, Horse Shoe, Spoon, Surprise, Fish, Giffords, View, Top, Fork, Upper, Timber, Red, Averil, Wall, Sheep, and countless more.[2]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. 1147178. Olallie Lake. 2008-12-10.
  2. Johnson, D. M. (1985). Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Corvallis, Or: Oregon State University Press. pp. 108–109.
  3. Web site: Olallie Lake Resort . US Forest Service.
  4. http://www.fs.fed.us/pct/oregon_segment.html Oregon Segment of the Pacific Crest Trail.
  5. http://www.olallielake.com/ Olallie Lake Resort - Oregon's High Mountain Getaway.
  6. [Oregon Revised Statutes|O.R.S.]
  7. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/recreation/lakes/lakes.pdf Lakes of the Mt Hood National Forest