Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8.
Diamond Lake
After swinging to the south, Rte. 138 passes fragrant fields of summer wildflowers on the
way to Diamond Lake. Filling part of a glacial basin, the watery jewel is flanked by moun-
tains. To the west is 8,363-foot Mt. Bailey, its icy face sometimes shimmering in the morn-
ing sun. Mt. Thielsen—a steep, narrow peak cresting nearly a thousand feet higher in the
east—has earned the nickname Lightning Rod of the Cascades.
9.
Hamaker Campground
SouthofDiamondLake,thedriveforkswestontoRte.230,descendingpastnow-hardened
lava flows and a forest of lodgepole pines. The byway then meets the Wild and Scenic Up-
per Rogue River, which carves a 200-mile course on its way to the Pacific Ocean.
Twoexcellenttrailsletvisitorsexplorethewaterway.TheUpperRogueRiverNational
Recreation Trail, easily accessed from Hamaker Campground, shadows the river for 48
miles, passing old-growth Douglas-firs, some 500 years old and 200 feet tall. Leading
fromRte.6560totheRogue-UmpquaDivideWilderness,theHummingbirdMeadowTrail
guides hikers across aromatic fields of wildflowers—and may offer a glimpse of a hum-
mingbird sipping nectar.
10.
Rabbit Ears
These massive twin peaks—once part of a volcano's interior—seem to some, wondrously
alive, as if cocked to the murmurings of the wilderness. For a close-up view, secondary
routes loop around the ears and lead to Hershberger Lookout. Mts. Bailey and Thielsen
dominate the northern skyline, and to the south the Cascades roll like waves toward Cali-
fornia.
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