Lost Creek Lake Trail

Dogs Off-leash

Features Fall Colors · Lake · Spring · Swimming · Views · Wildflowers

An 18.7-mile trail (composed of about 2 miles of pavement, including the dam and Peyton Bridge, 1 mile of gravel road, and about 15.6 miles of dirt singletrack) circles Lost Creek Lake. Doing the whole trail as a loop, in either direction, is popular with mountain bikers. For hikers, there are several trailheads that allow the trail to be broken into sections of various lengths. These sections can be done as out-and-backs or one way if you can arrange a shuttle. Popular sections include the following:

(1) Five miles out-and-back from the Lewis Road Trailhead to the Blue Grotto Spur Trail and the Blue Grotto. Along the way you'll pass Fire Glen Campground (tent camping with a toilet).

(2) The seven mile out-and-back section from the Lost Creek Trailhead to the Blue Grotto is particularly scenic. It is festooned with wildflowers in late spring and early summer. You can make it a 9.5-mile thru hike by arranging for a shuttle between the Lost Creek and Lewis Road Trailheads.

(3) The 7.6 miles out-and-back between the Takelma Park Boat Ramp and the Lost Creek Trailhead goes along the lake, through some forests, and past Four Corners Camp (tent camping with a toilet). Arranging for a shuttle between the boat ramp and Lost Creek makes this an easy half-day hike.

(4) From the parking lot at the store in Joseph Stewart State Park, you can go 2.4 miles south to the Spillway Fishing Access, passing little Rumley Falls and sweeping basalt columns along the way.

(5) From the same parking lot, you can go north on trails for 3.6 miles, past noisy but secluded Diamond Creek Falls, then loop back to the parking lot on paved bike paths.

Poison oak, oaks, birds.