Saving the Best for Last: Hiking around Todd Lake

Date: July 2, 2020
Place: Todd Lake, Three Sisters Wilderness, Bend, Oregon
Coordinates: 44.023961, -121.682315

Length: 1.8 miles

Level: easy

The hike around Todd Lake was our last hike of the one day we dedicated to the Three Sisters Wilderness on our 4 days stay in Bend, in the summer of 2020. It was a hot day and earlier that day we hiked an in-and-out trail to Doris Lake, and then a loop trail near Sparks Lake. We were hot and getting tired, and I promised the chikas that is last hike would be much shorter, and flat. I didn't take into consideration the short incline walk from the small parking area to the beginning of the loop and the chikas gave me baleful looks as we made our way up the exposed bit of uphill trail. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS

The chikas calmed down when we came in view of the lake and under the deep shade of the trees by the shore. The young chika extended her arm out and I handed my camera over to her. I think this is the first and only post in this blog where none of the photos posted were taken by me. 

Todd Lake

Todd Lake was full to the brim and overflowing. The lovely sight of abundant water made it easy to forget that it was early in summer still, and that in normal years there would be much more snow around, feeding the lake through the rest of the summer. As it was, a few small and dirty patches were all the snow we saw. The elder chika was thrilled by the snow and immediately quenched her heat by lying down on the dirty snow.

I was more thrilled by the wildflowers. This was the one hike that day where I actually got to see a nice display of mountain bloom. I was tempted to ask for my camera back but the young chika saw what I was looking at and promptly photographed each and every plant on our way. She did a good job, too.

Phacelia

The Todd Lake trail surrounds the lake along the edge of the surrounding forest. Fairly soon into the hike the forest and us were distant from the lake, separated by a large wetland area that was very green and the soil under and between the plants was very soggy. Near the trees was a large patch of white and yellow flowers that looked like marsh marigolds. Way down by the lake shore, was a large field of yellow flowers which I couldn't recognize at that distance. I could only hope that I'll see them blooming closer to the trail later.

We took the clock-wise direction, which kept us well shaded on the first half of the hike. We made our way along the western shore of Todd Lake, and to the north loomed the Broken Top Volcano. Broken Top isn't one of the Three Sisters, but it is part of that volcanic complex area.

Broken Top

Despite the occasional snow patch, the exposed forest soil was very dry, with very little undergrowth. The trail stretched between the trees following the lake shore fairly closely. 

near the northwest side of the lake we exited the woods into a lovely, moist meadow. After a bit of squinting in the bright light I started looking around for wildflowers. 

Indeed, there were plenty of wildflowers all over the place. More than enough compensation for the two previous hikes to Doris Lake and Sparks Lake, which were relatively 'dry' in this aspect. 

Shootingstar (Primula sp.) and Paintbrush, (Castilleja sp.)

In the bright sunlight the young chika also got better photos of the marsh marigolds. There were many of them around as well. 

Marsh Marigold

The meadow soil was very soggy and large areas were flooded. There was no way of getting near the lake from the north without sinking in the mud and destroying the fragile wetland there. The trail curved westward around the flooded area, and getting more distance from the body of the lake.  

With their strong zoom lenses, Pappa Quail and the elder chika scanned the lake surface and the shore for birds. They did find a spotted sandpiper by the lake shore. The spotted sandpiper is a shorebird that can be found in many habitats, including high mountain lakes. We would meet spotted sandpipers again by the end of this road trip, high up by Emerson lake at the South Warner Wilderness. 

Spotted Sandpiper

By the north end of Todd Lake the trail separated from the woods and crossed the meadow by narrow boardwalk segments, connected by very muddy bits of trail. It was still hot, despite the later afternoon hour. I walked near my young chika, and she clicked my camera in every direction. 

Boardwalk

west of us was a low hill with smaller and more disperse trees. The green extended up the mild slope between the trees, and like star-strewn, it was dotted wuth bloomng marsh marigolds. 

To the south the wetland meadow extended a long way to the lake, at lease the size of a football field. Above the lake towered the now familiar Mount Bachelor. I picked the nicest of the many photos my chika took of that view and posted it at the top of this post. After we stepped off the main boardwalk we still had a good distance to wade through the muddy trail to the other side where the trail entered the woods again. 

The sight of Mount Bachelor looming over Todd Lake on this bright summer day is my favorite image of our entire day at the Three Sisters Wilderness. 

Mount Bachelor and Todd Lake

Most of the way back along the east shore of Todd Lake was also in the forest, under the welcomed shade of the trees. In the afternoon the east side was sunnier now, but the temperatures were finally going down a bit. 

Once again we were walking close to the lake itself and every w and then we could step over to the shore and look at the water. We found a small patch of cornilies that were nt yet in bloom. 

Cornlily

Pappa Quail and the elder chika were looking for waterfowl, and on this side of the lake they did see some birds. 

Common Goldeneye

There weren't many birds in the lake but those that we did see made my family birders happy. The lake itself looked inviting for me to, but this one wasn't for swimming. 

Common Merganser

There were a few more wildflowers in the forest on the east side of the lake. And there was no snow on this side either. This two observations might be related. 

Violets

The young chika found a few fawn lilies blooming near the trail. These delicate wildflowers are of the early blooming species, another indication that summer here has just begun, despite the very low snow cover. 

Fawn Lily

The young chika found afew little mushrooms and it came to my mind that we hardly seen any mushrooms that entire day. A few near the Doris Lake parking area, and this little patch, and that's it. The mushrooms also didn't like the drought. 

Although we saw much fewer wildflowers than I expected to see up in the mountains at this time of year, the bloom we saw by Todd Lake was satisfactory considering the drought. And it was certainly the nicest we've seen that day. 

Lomatium

We completed the loop around Todd Lake and made our way downhill back to the parking lot. This was out last hike of the day. There was still plenty of daylight left but the chikas were tired and hungry and Pappa Quail to was already set on going back to town. I waved a mental goodby to Mount Bachelor and headed down after them. 

Mt. Bachelor

This day was our last full day in Bend, Oregon on our 2020 family radd trip. On the morrow we would get a couple more small hikes in the Newberry Volcano National Monument area, then head back south to California, via Alturas.