[pct-l] OR section C Boundary Springs alternate route to/from Diamond Lake

[Eric Martinot]

While hiking OR sections C/D southbound recently, I used the Wilderness
Press Guidebook alternate route from Diamond Lake via Boundary Springs
to midway on the Crater Lake NP equestrian PCT. This is a nice route,
direct and easy, for those not going up to the Crater Lake Rim and
resupplying at Diamond Lake Resort. I really like Diamond Lake,  a very
nice stopover, and almost missed this option because it doesn't seem
well known.  I suppose virtually all normal PCTers do go up to the Rim,
and/or resupply at Mazama, so this alternate route is not relevant. But
still, during early/late season snow on the Rim (and in case of snow
going around Mt. Thielsen in southern part of Section D), and/or during
government shutdowns when you wouldn't want to be caught hiking the Rim,
this is a nice alternate route and Diamond Lake well worth the
deviation.

I am writing to keep this alternate alive, as use of the WP Guidebook
may fade over time, this alternate could be lost. Also, the WP Guidebook
description was a bit difficult to follow southbound, in the absence of
any signs on roads and trails, and as the WP Guidebook map pages don't
have coordinates on them to allow a GPS to help.  So I've annotated the
WP Guidebook description below in CAPS, for the benefit of anyone taking
this alternate route, especially southbound.

--Eric

>From WP Guidebook OR-WA page 105, WITH ANNOTATIONS IN CAPS:

Alternate route to Boundary Springs and Diamond Lake:  On this alternate
route, you leave the eastbound PCT adherents as you descend a dry,
viewless, monotonous trail north to a junction with the westbound Oasis
Butte Trail (5635–4.1).  [JUNCTION IS SIGNED] Continue north, then
northwest, down to Boundary Springs (5250–1.9), which are so voluminous
that you could start, immediately below them, a raft trip down the Rogue
River (though fallen trees make such a trip impracti- cal). [THE
BOUNDARY SPRINGS TRAIL IS AN OLD DIRT ROAD THAT INTERSECTS THE ROGUE
RIVER TRAIL AT AN UNSIGNED JUNCTION ABOUT 1/4 MILE DOWNRIVER FROM
BOUNDARY SPRINGS ITSELF. SO IF HIKING SOUTHBOUND, YOU FIRST COME TO THIS
ROAD JUNCTION (ACTUALLY THE ROAD INTERSECTS THE TRAIL IN TWO PLACES
ABOUT 50 METERS APART), AND THEN CAN CONTINUE UPRIVER ANOTHER 1/4 MILE
TO BOUNDARY SPRINGS ITSELF (GOING FIRST UP THE SIDE OF A SMALL
SPRING-FED CREEK AND THEN BACK DOWN THE OTHER SIDE TO ARRIVE AT BOUNDARY
SPRINGS).  BUT THE TRAIL ENDS AT BOUNDARY SPRINGS, AND YOU MUST
BACKTRACK THE 1/4 MILE BACK TO THE JUNCTION OF THE OLD DIRT ROAD AND THE
ROGUE RIVER TRAIL.] No camping is allowed within 1⁄2 mile of the
springs, so continue north down the Rogue River canyon, leaving the park
in about 3⁄4 mile and then presently reaching a junction (5080–1.2).
>From it, your Boundary Springs Trail 1057 heads 100 yards north to Road
760 [DON'T TAKE THIS ONE], while Rogue River Trail 1034 [EVERYWHERE
UNSIGNED] heads northeast along the river to the road [760] (5070–0.2).
If you want to do some camping, take the former trail to Road 760 and
follow it west 0.4 mile over to Lake West, which caters to car campers.
If you’re bound for Diamond Lake, take Rogue River Trail 1034, reach
Road 760, and immediately bridge the Rogue River. [AT THE JUNCTION OF
ROAD 760 AND ROGUE RIVER TRAIL, THERE IS NO TRAIL SIGN, ONLY THE SIGN
"ROGUE RIVER" BUT THE TRAIL IS OBVIOUS AT THIS BRIDGED RIVER CROSSING IF
SOUTHBOUND.] On 760, you head east, then northeast, to a junction
(5390–2.9) from which a short road winds 0.3 mile northwest to busy
Highway 230. [THERE IS A SIGN AT THIS JUNCTION INDICATING HIGHWAY 230
1/4 MILE. ALSO, SOUTHBOUND, YOU SEE THE FIRST ROAD 760 SIGN FOR THE ROAD
HEADING SOUTH FROM THIS JUNCTION.] Northeast, you continue on an
abandoned road whose end is blocked off by a newer section of Highway
230 (5240–2.3). [NO, ITS NOT ABANDONED, THERE ARE TREES ACROSS IT MIDWAY
ALONG, BUT PEOPLE USE THIS DIRT ROAD FOR HARVESTING FIREWOOD LEGALLY,
FROM EITHER END. NO, THE END OF THIS ROAD IS NOT "BLOCKED OFF" BY
HIGHWAY 230; RATHER, THE ROAD COMES TO A STOP SIGN AT HIGHWAY 230. IF
SOUTHBOUND, THERE ARE NO SIGNS INDICATING ROAD 760 ON EITHER SIDE OF
HIGHWAY 230, JUST THE STOP SIGNS AND SOME SNOWMOBILE/SKI TRAIL ARROWS.]
Cross the highway, relocate the abandoned road [STOP SIGN ON OTHER SIDE
OF HIGHWAY 230 ALSO.], and follow it north to the old Highway 230
section (5210–0.3). [OLD HIGHWAY 230 SECTION IS PAVED, FIRST PAVED ROAD
WALK ON.] Southbound hikers: note that this road begins about 100 yards
east of Horse Lake; if you reach that lake, you’ve walked a bit too far.
[NO, YOU CAN'T SEE THE LAKE FROM THIS PAVED ROAD, FORGET ABOUT THE LAKE.
SOUTHBOUND ALONG THIS 0.8-MILE STRETCH OF OLD HIGHWAY 230, YOU WILL PASS
SEVERAL DIRT ROADS HEADING SOUTH (TO THE LEFT). THE ONE YOU WANT IS
OBVIOUS BY A PAIR OF WAIST-HIGH BOULDERS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED IN THE
CENTER OF THE PAVED ROAD, PLUS A SNOWMOBILE/SKI TRAIL ARROW ON A TREE
POINTING TO TAKE THIS ROAD SOUTHBOUND.] On old Highway 230—Road 100
today—head northeast to its end at Road 6592 (5210–0.8). Anywhere along
this stretch, you can head north over to adjacent, giant Broken Arrow
Campground. On Road 6592, you head briefly north to a junction with Road
4795 (5205–0.3), which circles Diamond Lake. Starting on a northbound
segment of Road 4795, you walk briefly over to a day-use parking area to
the west and the old Mt. Thielsen Trail to the east (5190–0.1–14.1).
>From the parking area, you can take a path briefly southwest over to a
bikers’ and hikers’ camp, with five sites, tap water,
and flush toilets (!). Just above the southeast corner of Diamond Lake,
this is the ideal place to spend the night. [FROM HERE, YOU CAN WALK 2
MILES NORTH THROUGH THE CAMPGROUND, FOLLOWING THE BIKE PATH ARROWS ON
THE PAVEMENT, TO DIAMOND LAKE RESORT.  THEN TAKE THE HOWLOCK MOUNTAIN
TRAIL ABOUT 7-8 MILES BACK UP TO THE PCT NORTH OF MT. THIELSEN.]