Clear Lake Loop

This is one of our favorite quick getaways for a trail run in the Cascades. Located off Hwy 126, near the Hwy 20 junction, Clear Lake is easily accessible from either the Willamette Valley or Central Oregon. The lake gets it’s namesake from water so clear that you can often see 100 or more feet down. In fact, if you decide to do some boating (no motors allowed), you will be rewarded with the surreal sight of ancient trees and cutthroat, brook and rainbow trout below the surface and ever opportunistic ospreys and bald eagles above. The spring fed lake serves as one of the headwaters for the iconic McKenzie River.

For the most part, we choose to run this trail in a clockwise fashion so that is the direction described here. It is roughly 5 miles long with very little elevation gain or loss.

Start at the Clear Lake Resort after parking in the day use parking lot. Then run down the road in front of the rental cabins to reach the trail. At this point, fantastic, slightly rolling single track guides you through old growth forest before coming to your first of five bridge crossings – over Ikenick Creek and around the first northern finger of the trail. Further along, you return to the lakeside where the view south across the bright blue water is breathtaking. Leaving the lake and heading north again on the next finger, you will come to a junction with the McKenzie River trail. Turn right here and cross the second bridge over Fish Creek. Interestingly, every time we have run this trail this particular creek has been dry.

After some fun and winding single track, you find yourself running next to a beautiful spring with stunning color and clarity.This is one of the originating springs that fill the lake and feed the McKenzie River. Just past this point you will begin to see lava and an entirely different landscape. The dirt transforms to somewhat technical rock then eventually to an asphalt trail toward the southern end of the lake. A quick run through a willow tunnel leads you around the southeast corner and back into the trees where you will come to a junction. Make sure to stay right on the Clear Lake trail. Going left keeps you on the McKenzie River Trail (future post coming soon!). When you reach the McKenzie River bridge, take a moment to look down into the water along the banks to easily spot feeding trout. From this point on, the remainder of the run is smooth open trail as you cruise through shaded old growth forest and cross two smaller bridges reaching the resort one mile later.

It’s important to note that the resort has rowboat and kayak rentals as well as a restaurant in case you are hungry after the run! Click here for more information about the trail.