Secret Lost Lake

This 3 mile adventure, in the woods past Grizzly Peak is… interesting but pointless. Kind of my existence most days.

Metaslider []

Driving

– Starting at Ashland exit 14 off Interstate 5 turn away from town towards the tiny airport.The road sweeps to the right and before you get to the golf course you will hit an intersection for Dead Indian Memorial Road. Turn left and you’ll head past the airport uphill into the mountains for about 10 minutes. The left turn comes up fast and is Shale City Road but the signs for Willow Witt Ranch might catch your eye.

That asphalt road continues for about 4 miles passing the dirt road to Grizzly Peak on the left and dirt road to Willow Witt Ranch on your right. The asphalt becomes dirt and, at the large wooden “No Cattle Rustling!” sign turn hard left. This Forest Service Road (#37-2E-7.2 maybe) heads up and then gently downhill with a number of dirt logging roads heading left and right. I can’t hold your hand the whole way just watch the video. This is why it’s a secret!

At about 3.5 miles after the cattle rustling sign make a hairpin right turn onto a secret, unnamed lost lake road. You will take this for 1 mile or 2 miles depending upon the awesomeness of your car.

Parking

– If you park at the first spot where I did, you just pull over when there is an opening. If you trust your car a little more, you pull over into the target practice/ shooting-shooting shit area to the left before the road really heads downhill to the left.

Hiking

– From parking spot #1 walk for one mile down the forest road to parking spot #2. From here, the road continues downhill to the left. The shell casings and shot-up boards are to your left as well. This is where you will turn right and head slightly uphill along a deer trail atop a ridge. Maybe 100 yards in you might run into some neon flagging ribbon left by ‘someone.’ Here you bushwhack downhill to the left. It’s a moderate pine and fir canopy with some moderate brushy ground cover. Very easy to pick your way down if you’ve ever whacked your way off trail in the woods. If you’ve never whacked your way off trail in the woods?… Don’t come up here. Your body will be hard to find.

After not much more than 1/4 mile you will see the much brushier lakeshore of Lost Lake. If the water is high, it will be hard to walk along the shore. If the water is down, easy to navigate but fairly muddy. It’s a cloudy mountain lake. Obviously created along Lost Creek decades ago for some reason. Next time I’d bring more fishing gear and see what the hell is swimming around in here because there’s something. When you’re done, back up the way you came.

3 miles. Adventure. Boom!