![]() ![]() Soon, drop down the gully past an old cistern, make a traverse, rise up the slope, and then begin dropping down a ridge line on a sometimes braided trail, getting glimpses of Fallen Leaf Lake through the trees. Keep winding up, and then make a traverse before heading up a gully. Switchback three more times in a mixed forest of Douglas-fir, cedar, hemlock, and maple with an understory of sword fern and Oregon grape. Reach a junction at a large maple tree: to do a winding loop up the slope past larger trees, make a left here.Ī few yards later, go right up the slope, and switchback onto an old road bed at a large Douglas-fir. Just before a softball field, go right and switchback down to a bottomland of mossy big-leaf maples and blackberry vines. Continue up the slope, keeping left at junctions. The woods here are choked with ivy and tall holly bushes. At a junction keep left, and then go right at the next junction. There is a confusing mix of trails in the forest here, many of them designed for mountain bikers. Past the winter gate, a trail leads left at a pet waste dispenser. Continue towards the lakeshore, and then turn left back past the picnic shelter and across the main parking area. Return to find a trail that takes you up over the low ridge and across a games field with picnic tables. Reach slough-like Fallen Leaf Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake with Lacamas Lake. Now that the area is a public park, the name has been changed to invoke more positive connotations, and a trail system, including a winding tangle of mountain bike trails, has been developed.įrom the winter parking area, take the footpath leading north along a low ivy ridge under a canopy of Douglas-fir. It is unclear whether it was these mysterious circumstances or that fact that there was a cemetery on site which gave the lake its name. According to local legend, some of the drowning victims’ bodies were never recovered. As a recreational site, Dead Lake had been morbidly famous for an unknown number of drownings, with claims that the aquatic plants had tangled swimmers and dragged them down into the unmeasured depths. In that year, however, the graves were exhumed and their contents transported to the Camas Cemetery. The space had been used as a park exclusively for Georgia-Pacific employees and, prior to 1984, part of the area had been the site of the Dead Lake/Camas Catholic Cemetery. ![]() Continue further and you’ll arrive at the parking lot for Desolation Wilderness and the upper falls.In 2011, the City of Camas purchased the 55 acres surrounding Dead Lake, now renamed Fallen Leaf Lake, from the Georgia-Pacific Corporation. Continue straight past the firehouse and parking for the lower falls is along the right side of the road. Take Fallen Leaf Road about 5 miles and continue left upon seeing the marina and signs for the falls. You will see Fallen Leaf Road on your left. Take Hwy 89 north from the Hwy 50 junction for about 3 miles. Simply park and stroll down to the already visible rushing waters. The best part of the lower falls is that there is virtually no hike to get there. The lower falls are more impressive, plummeting about 60 feet down the step-like rocks. Tallac and into Desolation Wilderness, but hang left once you see the falls and the trail will take you up to the top. The upper falls is a one mile, round trip hike where the falls drop about 30 feet. Both the upper and lower falls here offer an up-close experience with the rushing water. This is a great destination that is a little off the beaten path. A wilderness permit is required for day hikes into Desolation, (self register at the trailhead.) Trailhead parking is across from Lily Lake. Continue 4.5 miles until you see the Glen Alpine trailhead sign and turn left. ![]() Watch for bicyclists and other cars on this narrow, one-lane road. Take Highway 89 north approximately 3 miles from South Lake Tahoe to Fallen Leaf Lake Road. A third option is a moderate hike to Half Moon, Alta Morris or Gilmore lakes. Another longer, more strenuous hike to Lake Aloha leads you past a small waterfall, a beautiful meadow, nd three alpine lakes. For a short walk, try the 2-mile hike to Grass Lake. Many different hikes can be accessed from this trailhead. ![]()
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