Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

  Elk Lake Starting Location:   Little Fawn CG Point of Interest :  Elk Lake Bathrooms:  Yes Parking : gravel, lots of room EV Chargers : No Even though we were camping at Elk Lake Resort, we decided to go to Little Fawn campground across the lake to put our boats in. We walked through Little Fawn on the Elk Creek Trail earlier in the day, and it seemed a nice, quieter place to put in, since the resort was hosting a music concert, which would have made their boat ramp very congested. Little Fawn has a small inlet, or bay, so the water is calm, and the wind is minimal. Once we got onto the lake proper, the wind picked up and the waves got a bit choppy, but not bad. There was some haze from fires, but we could still see Mt. Bachelor and the 3 Sisters. The lake is nice and big, with forest coming up to the edge in places, and lots of places you can put ashore to rest or swim. I got out and took a nice swim. The water was clear and the temperature very comfortable....

  Elk Lake Trail Starting Location:   Beach Day use Area (hard to find) or Little Fawn CG Point of Interest  :  Elk Lake, forest scenery Length of hike:  Just under 5 miles out and back Level :  Moderate Bathrooms :  yes, at campground, day use areas Parking : gravel lots at Beach Day Use, Little Fawn CG EV Chargers : No We went to the Beach Day use area just south of Elk Lake Resort to start this trail. It is a bit hard to find, with no signage at all. There is a lone picnic table on the south side, on a small rise with the forest behind it. This is where the trail begins. It wanders through the forest, but mostly keeps the lake in sight. You will also pass through the Point CG, with a swimming area, easy to find the trail again. In less than a mile, there was a small creek, a few inches deep that we had to cross. We used these small logs to help keep from getting our feet wet. This is just at the edge of Little Fawn CG. There is a bathroom here (alth...

 For this trip, we made reservations for 2 nights at Mallard Marsh Campground at Hosmer Lake. My SIL and BIL joined us for the weekend, and managed to get the campsite next to us. So let's start with the drive and area, then the campground, and then move on to the lake and kayaking. The Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway  deserves a paragraph of its own. This leads from Hwy 58 to Hwy 97 near Bend, giving access to some great mountain lakes and hiking trails. It's a beautiful drive, the road is in good condition, and the views are amazing. You get close up views of Mt. Bachelor and the 3 Sisters. There are 2 campgrounds at Hosmer Lake, Mallard Marsh and South CG. The MM campground has 15 good sized sites. Lots of room to spread out. The campground also has no water, so you have to bring your own, and it's a bit dusty and dry. There are large trees that give a lot of shade during the day. We had to go to one of the nearby resorts to get wood. Elk Lake has some, but Lava Lake Resort ...