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Benson Lake Backpack

This is an easy backpack into beautiful Benson Lake located west of McKenzie Pass on Hwy 242 in the Mt. Washington Wilderness. We will hike 1.5 miles (no, that is not a typo) into the lake to set up base camp. We will do day hikes the next two days. Beginner backpackers are welcome.

All regular backpack gear is needed, even though the backpack is very short. Benson Lake is at 5,200 ft. Expect overnight lows near freezing and daytime highs near 70.

The itinerary is:
Sep 25: Drive to trailhead near Scott Lake and hike into Benson Lake (1.5 miles, 400 ft gain). Set up camp and optional hike to Scott Mt from camp (5.4 miles RT, 900 ft gain).

Sep 26: After a leisurely breakfast, hike out to the Four-in-One Cone trailhead by Scott Lake for a day hike up FIO Cone (12 miles RT, 1,900 ft gain, including the extra distance to camp).

Sep 27: After breakfast pack up camp, hike out to our cars, and drive a short distance east over McKenzie Pass to the Black Crater trailhead on Hwy 242 for a day hike (9.3 miles RT, 2,500 ft. gain). We drive back to Salem that afternoon, stopping in Sisters for refreshments.

This overall trip is rated medium-hard because of the two day-hikes.

Difficulty: Medium Hard

Driving distance: 240 miles RT.

Hiking distance: 24.5 miles RT.

Elevation gain: 4,800 feet.

Qualifying Activity: Yes

When:

Monday, September 25, 2023 to Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Where:

Event Contact(s):

Roz Shirack

Group leader

Category:

Backpacking

Registration is not available online - contact the event coordinator

The trip leader is the event coordinator. The Trip Leader has the final say over who may participate in the event.

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