Memaloose Lake
Updated: Nov 8, 2022
A beautiful winter hike to an ice covered high lake in Mount Hood National Forest.
Lake Name: Memaloose Lake Lake Coordinates: 45.0978, -122.2366 Lake Elevation: 4080′ Access: Trail Distance: 2.9 miles (round trip)
Elevation Range: 3568' to 4170'
Ascent/Descent: +723 ft / -705 ft Trail Type: In and out
Trails: Memaloose Lake Trail #515 Note: There are 4 small stream crossings. There is a detour driving route due to a road closure. *You will want to use a map to drive to the trailhead. Date hiked: 12-14-19
It was quite the drive to get to the trailhead. It was 23 miles on forest service roads. The last section before the trailhead we drove in the snow. The trailhead was well marked and easy to spot if you’re looking for it. From the direction we came, the trailhead was on the right side of the road. On the first section of the trail there were patches of snow, but the further up we got the more snow there was on the trail until it coated the whole thing.
Once we reached the switchbacks there was a solid 2″ of snow that covered everything. The snow was fresh and powdery. No one had been on the trail recently, so it was just a spotless blanket on our way to the lake.
The first part of the trail was gradually uphill then towards the end the switchbacks climbed quickly to the top of the hill. There were 5 switchback corners. Throughout the entire trail there were a total of 4 easy stream crossings. Once we reached the lake I was somewhat shocked to find that it was totally frozen over. I thought some of it might be frozen, but not the whole thing! It was so beautiful. It was my first frozen lake hike this winter. The hike was very straight forward and the trail was easy to follow even with snow.
Resources
How to get there
Reference the Forest Service for directions. Follow detour route specified on the Forest Service website. Note the main route is closed. A map is useful for navigating to the trailhead.
Location
Lake Coordinates: 45.0978, -122.2366
Clackamas River Ranger District map location: T5S R5E S31
Maps
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