Slide Lake, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, Oregon

Trail Name:  Slide Lake

Trail Number:  Skyline Trail #385

General Location:  Strawberry Mountain Wilderness

Access: From the south and High Lake Rim Trailhead

          Forest Road 16 (paved), Forest Road 1640 (gravel)

 Trailhead Condition:  Good

Trail Condition:  Good

 Trail Hazards:

Recommended Llama Skill Level:  Master

General Description:

High Lake Rim Trailhead lies at 8000 feet and can be cold and windy even when conditions are pleasant elsewhere. There are no amenities, and often, no cell phone signal. There is adequate space for turning trailers if there are not many other visitors. On weekends in fair weather it can be tight.

Leaving from High Lake Rim Trailhead, you will find High Lake about one and a half miles on. It is set in a glacial cirque enclosed by steep cliffs making it particularly spectacular. Forest cloaks three sides of the lake, protecting two heavily used campsites. Fishing is available and encouraged as efforts are underway to control invasive non-native bull trout. The local mountain goat herd is often present on the cliffs above the lake in the evenings. A wildfire in 2013 burned much of the area between High Lake Rim Trailhead and the lake so windfalls are common. The trail then climbs to the equally high rim on the other side of the lake to leave the basin. It crosses an exposed alpine ridge before swinging across a half mile long talus slope as it drops into the Slide Lake Basin. This slope can hold snow late in the season. This route is not for people with a fear of heights or poorly trained llamas since there are trail side cliffs with shear drops.

Slide Lake is set in a glacial basin with sheer cliffs rising directly above Little Slide Lake. The lakes are mostly surrounded by a thicket of lodgepole pines. In the last ten years users have created campsites at Little Slide Lake where there previously were none. These and the sites at Slide Lake are not particularly good for llamas and are generally well trampled. A better choice is to camp at the sedge meadow below the lakes. This area is marked with a spring symbol on the topo maps. There are one or two good campsites here with room to picket llamas. The site is occasionally used by equestrians.

Slide Lake can also be reach from the north via Strawberry Basin Trail #375 and Slide Basin Trail # 375. This three and a half mile route begins at 5700 feet and climbs through forest to reach the lake after a 2300 foot climb. A side trip of less than a quarter mile to Strawberry Lake provides an added attraction.

Other Nearby Attractions:  Away from the lakes, the Strawberry Wilderness sees few visitors. The extensive trail network provide lots of options for exploration. The famous and beautiful Strawberry Lake draws most of the visitors in the area. Monument Rock Wilderness, a very short distance away sees very few visitors.

Reporter's Personal Take on This Trail:

his route, because of the cliffs and exposure is not for everyone. In some of the exposed places, if something goes wrong or the llamas don't behave themselves you can get into a pickle real fast. I have used a string of six llamas on the trail without a problem, yet I would recommend this only for experienced animals and wranglers. This is the most heavily used route in the Strawberry Mountains. In good weather, in the middle of summer, on a weekend you are likely to see other people. Because High Lake is so close to the trailhead, it attracts people with limited wilderness skills and ethics, so between the trailhead and High Lake, unrestrained dogs are common and can be a real nuisance. 

Submitted by:
Lisa Wolf
Burns, Oregon March 2015