Hikers and climbers discover the charms of Diamond Peak
When Eugene pioneer John Diamond was scouting an Oregon Trail shortcut across the Cascade Range in 1852, he climbed to the best viewpoint he could find and named it after himself.
The wagon route he blazed past 8,744-foot Diamond Peak proved to be so sketchy that the 1,027 pioneers who tried to follow it the next year became known as the Lost Wagon Train.
Today it's still possible to become bewildered at Diamond's Peak. There is no trail to the top. The top itself is a confusing collection of five different summits.
But not everyone who wanders here is lost. Even beginning hikers can follow a well-marked trail to Marie and Rockpile lakes, a pair of lovely pools at the base of the mountain. The mosquitoes that bedevil this area in July have retreated. Red paintbrush and many other wildflowers remain.
More advanced hikers can continue on the Pacific Crest Trail to a sweeping viewpoint on the mountain's east flank.
And adventurers can indeed reach the summit. No technical skills or rock-climbing gear are required — just lots of stamina and a knack for route-finding.
Here's the lowdown on finding your way to these high-up destinations at Diamond Peak. Perhaps the best tip is not to start at the busy highway at Willamette Pass, but rather to head for the little-known Rockpile Trailhead on the mountain's southeast flank.
The Rockpile Trail sets out through a forest of lodgepole pine, mountain hemlock and subalpine fir all festooned with gray-green streamers of witch's hair lichen. Also known as Alectoria, this lichen is proof of the area's clean air. Because the lichen gathers all of its nutrients from the rain and the air, not from the trees, it quickly overdoses and dies in the presence of air pollution.
Blue huckleberries ripen along this lower part of the trail in fall.
After 1.3 miles, go straight at an X-shaped junction. In the next mile, the trail climbs alongside Diamond Rockpile, a rocky ridge. Like Diamond Peak, it was named for John Diamond. Nearby Pioneer Gulch and Emigrant Pass also honor the frontier route he scouted.
At the 2.1-mile mark, the path crests at a viewpoint overlooking Summit Lake and a string of Cascade peaks (from left to right, Cowhorn Mountain, Sawtooth Mountain and the spire of Mount Thielsen). Then the trail descends 0.4 mile to a T-shaped junction at the edge of a heather meadow.
First explore left 0.2 mile to Marie Lake. The lake's near end is shallow, with a small beach where kids can wade. If you have a global positioning system (GPS) device, the location here is N43 29.628' W122 08.715'.
Then backtrack 0.2 mile to the trail junction, continue straight 200 yards to a rock cairn, and detour 200 yards to the right to Rockpile Lake — small, but deep and green. Plenty of flat campsites are around to the left on the lake's far side.
If you're not yet ready to return to the car, hike back to the cairn marking the Rockpile Lake junction, turn right for half a mile to an X-shaped junction, turn left on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The PCT offers glimpses ahead to Diamond Peak, but the first viewpoint south to Summit Lake and Mt. Thielsen comes after 1.2 miles, when the PCT turns a corner to the right on an open, rocky ridge (GPS location N43 30.272' W122 08.542'). Note this trail "corner" well, because it is here that climbers face the decision of leaving trails behind.
If the weather is at all doubtful, or if someone in your group is not in top condition, or if you don't have a global positioning device to guarantee you can find this exact spot on the way down, don't attempt to climb Diamond Peak. You can enjoy the timberline scenery almost as well by continuing a mile on the PCT to the trail's high point, in bouldery meadows beneath the summit cliffs.
If you're headed for the top, however, walk 50 feet past the PCT's "corner" viewpoint, just before reaching the avalanche zone. At a rock cairn, leave the trail and veer left up the rocky, open ridge.
Cairns help guide you as far as timberline. Then simply continue straight up, crossing rockfields, loose sand and some snow patches for a mile to what appears to be the mountain's summit.
It's actually a false summit, 0.4 mile from your goal. Ahead lies the trickiest part of the climb — a rocky hogback ridge with three "gendarmes," rock spires blocking the crest. Use your hands and lots of caution to work your way around these obstacles.
Then slog up a cinder pile to Diamond Peak's summit, where views unfold north across distant Waldo Lake to the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and the tip of Mount Hood.
The biggest danger of the descent is the risk of missing the "corner" where you left the Pacific Crest Trail. Mountain climbers rarely become lost on ascents. When descending, however, missing the correct direction by a few degrees can leave you miles from your car.
From the false summit, head straight toward Summit Lake and pointy Mount Thielsen. If you end up in deep forest on a gentle slope, you've gone too far to the right (the west). This is when it's important to have a global positioning system device that maps your location by satellite.
Since the Lost Wagon Train's difficulties here in 1853, Diamond Peak has suffered from a reputation as an easy place to become lost. But John Diamond was right to boast about the magnificent, maplike view from the top. And for those in the know, his peak remains the perfect spot to find a mountain getaway.
William L. Sulllivan is the author of 18 books, including "100 Hikes / Travel Guide: Central Oregon Cascades." Learn more at www.oregonhiking.com.
If you go
To find the Rockpile Trailhead, drive Interstate 5 south past Eugene to exit 188, take Willamette Highway 58 east to Oakridge, continue 1.8 miles beyond town and turn right at a "Hills Creek Dam" sign between mileposts 37 and 38. After half a mile, bear right onto Road 21 and follow this paved route 29.2 miles.
Beyond Indigo Springs Campground 0.4 mile, turn left on gravel Pioneer Gulch Road 2149 for 3.5 miles, and then turn right on Rockpile Road 2160 for 2.3 miles. Ignore the Pioneer Gulch Trailhead and continue to a sign on the left marking the Rockpile Trail (GPS location N43 29.01" W122 10. 61').
Park on the road's wide, right-hand shoulder 200 feet beyond. Then walk back to start the hike.
Parking fees: None
Wilderness permits: Available free at the trailhead
Maximum group size: 12
For more information: Contact the Middle Fork Ranger District, (541) 782-2283