Carl Lake an ideal wilderness backpack escape during Oregon's glorious autumn

Few moments cry out for the use of vacation time more than warm and sunny days in September and October in Oregon’s Cascade Mountain wilderness areas.

The trails, lakes and peaks of Oregon’s most popular backcountry areas are free of both humans and mosquitoes while warm temperatures and autumn colors make places like the Mount Jefferson Wilderness a delight for the senses.

So if you’ve been hanging onto that paid time off for the right moment, the time for an injection of mountain air is now, before the cold rain and snow arrive.

One great place to see is Carl Lake, a near-perfect backpacking destination for a two-day trip on the east side of the Jefferson Wilderness near Sisters.

Overnight permits to stay the night here are often difficult to get during summer, but now that kids are back in school, they can be had nearly every day midweek and often on weekends.

Carl Lake offers great campsites at a stunning lake. It's a place to explore with a fishing rod or read a book in the sunshine by day, watch the stars come out in the evening and explore nearby trails if the mood strikes.

The trip begins by getting one of the limited entry overnight permits from Recreation.gov for Cabot Lake Trailhead (you don't need a permit if you're just day-hiking). Cabot Lake itself is a pretty forgettable lake that’s not really even worth stopping at unless you’re curious. It’s one of the quirks of the Central Cascade Wilderness Permit that you’re often getting a permit for one place and traveling to another. So take Cabot Lake Trail to Carl Lake and try not to think too hard about it.

There are a few things that make the hike charming. The first is that it’s a nice length and difficulty at 5.1 miles one-way with about 1,000 feet of climb (or 10.2 round-trip). That’s a bit tougher than the more kid-friendly Jefferson Wilderness lakes such as Pamelia or Marion on the west side, but it’s still not powerfully difficult. It makes you work for it, but not too hard.

The second is that the hike begins and travels a few miles through the now 19-year-old scar of the B&B Complex Fire that burned here back in 2003. It’s a mixture of old snags, new saplings and lots of brush that’s grown up in the years since the fire. It’s a good baseline for what many trails will look like over the coming decades after the 2020 Labor Day fires. It’s both depressing (lack of shade or canopy) and hopeful (thousands of small trees gradually coming up).

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The more open forest also provides some great views of Mount Jefferson, and from a different aspect than we normally see it on the Willamette Valley side. From the east side, outside Sisters, I’ve always thought Jefferson looks as though he’s flipping you the bird. Or maybe that’s just me.

Either way, the hike travels through scenic craggy mountains, with Jeff tossing the one-finger salute here and there, until after a few miles you enter forest that wasn’t burned in the fire and enjoy the shade as the trail climbs uphill to Carl Lake.

Upon reaching the lake you can find pathways to the right or left — or more accurately, the south or east side of the lake. The most comfortable sites for larger groups are probably along the main trail, on the south side of the lake. Smaller sites are along the east side, in a few places with space for just a little backpacking tent but views of the high cliffs that encircle the lake.

Carl Lake sits in something of a hanging valley — below one set of cliffs and just above another set that drops off on the east side. The position sets up what’s probably the most spectacular part about the lake — it’s early morning lightshow.

As the sun rises in the east, the cliffs above the lake go from black to purple to bright orange. It’s quite a way to enjoy your morning coffee or tea.

In addition to the scenery, it’s fun to explore around the lake following a user trail and to bring a fishing rod if that’s your jam. In some places, small cliffs rise above deep blue water. In other areas, it’s shallow and marshy.

The fishing was … OK and possibly better for more skilled anglers. I hooked a number of very small trout. There were some larger fish but I couldn’t get them to bite. In fact, in one case, those fish took me down a peg.

In one spot, I was casting out and would notice that every time I brought my lure back in, there was a fairly large fish following it but not biting. At one point, I stopped reeling with the idea of giving it more time to bite. The fish turned away yet again, and my lure dropped to the bottom of the lake. When I tried to bring the lure back up, it got stuck on a log a few feet from the shoreline.

Unable to dislodge it, I went back to camp and put on my swimming trunks and jumped into the water to unhook it. The water was chilly but also pretty nice, and made for pretty decent swimming. I couldn’t help imagining the trout laughing as I flailed around in the water for my hook.

Beyond the lake itself, there are plenty of nearby places to explore. If you stay on Cabot Lake Trail, the pathway swings north to a mountain pass with excellent views of Jefferson. Continue another 5 miles north and you’ll reach spectacular Table Lake, which I’m saving for another trip someday.

From the same junction you also can head south on Shirly Lake Trail, which climbs steeply through a beautiful forest of autumn colors and a ridgeline to the Pacific Crest Trail. From this point there’s nearby peaks to climb or other lakes to visit, such as Rockpile Lake and mountain just 1.2 miles to the south. Climb the mountain for big views of the surrounding Jefferson landscape or take a swim in the lake.

In general, Carl Lake makes an excellent spot for a quick two- or even three-day backpacking trip on these quiet sunny days of autumn. The opportunity to recharge in Oregon's most beautiful mountains more than justifies using some precious vacation time.

Carl Lake details

In a nutshell: Alpine lake on the east side of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness near Sisters.

Permit required? Yes, a day-hike or overnight Central Cascades Wilderness permit is required from Recreation.gov.

Length: 10.2 miles

Elevation gain: About 1,000 feet

Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous

Good for camping: Yes

Directions: Navigate to the Cabot Lake Trailhead. Coordinates: 44.5738141,-121.7317271.

Maps: Find a good map of the Jefferson Wilderness trails here.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.