Carl Lake: Deep into the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness

By John CarrJune 13, 2025

Mt. Jefferson Wilderness

In the late aughts, I hiked to Carl Lake in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. The Trail passed Cabot Lake and three other small lakes on the way to the partially snow and ice covered Carl Lake.

The hike was a little less than ten miles roundtrip and around 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Except for the heavy snow in places, it would have been a relatively easy hike.

Cabot Lake

Huckleberry

Mt. Jefferson

Carl Lake

The hike begins in an area that was caught in a large forest fire around the turn of the millennium. This led to many blowdowns on the lower trail. After leaving the burned-over area, I soon encountered snow on the trail, becoming deeper as Carl Lake was approached.

One of the. small lakes between Cabot and Carl had a nice view of Mt. Jefferson in the background. But, Carl lake was the jewell of the hike. It sits in a glacier-scrubbed basin and is very picturesque. After climbing above the basin, I took off the daypack, got out some snacks and enjoyed the great views. What a nice day.