Lost Lake Boulders is one of the superb new additions to the NW Oregon bouldering scene. This is a unique place started seeing strong bouldering interest in 2013-2014. Multiple groups from the region have begun visiting this mega gem bouldering site tapping into some of the beastly monster lines ranging from V6-V10+.
The Upper [South] Boulder Field (above the paved road), the Middle Boulder Field (just below the paved road and ending at the hiker's trail), and the Lower [North] Boulder Field (the furthest one to the north barely visible just beyond the hiker's trail and a patch of tall fir trees).
Browse this website for a road map:
Lost Lake Boulders at PB
Problem V-grades range from VB to V10+, but the site will see a steady level of development for quite a number of years. The site should eventually break past the 900 total problems range.
So just how highly rated is this site? The basic lineup of various attractive qualifications are plenty, yet there are some substantial notable detractions, too.
Attractions:
1. The place has a potential for over 900 bouldering problems, and eventually most of it will likely be tapped. This ultra high quantity of problems gives this bouldering site the nice distinction of being the largest bouldering site in NW Oregon, literally.
2. A plethora of easy and moderate lines VB-V5, but a shocking number of severe stout tech lines from V7 to V-insane. Crimp lines, jug hauls, rail runs, monster roofs, overhung leaning lines, sit start stubbies, and on and on.
3. The HEIGHT of the boulders range from stubby 8' tall stones to whopping 24' tall monsters, the tallest so far logs in at about 40' tall.
4. The LENGTH of the boulders range out to 40' long, which yields a surprising number of problems that one might find on just one single stone (10-15 lines).
5. The season is decent ranging from late May to early November (located at the 3,000' elevation). The snow locks the place out for the remainder of the year.
6. Quality of the stone: its andesite, and has a quality flavor mix that is conducive for great friction and smears (but be sure to have well-honed fingertip pads as it will limit your total fix). A lightly textured grain surface with a mixture of quartz, feldspars, etc., that give the surface that frictiony tone. This means sticking to the overhangs is much more feasible.
7. Overhangs: Many, many stones have overhangs (which gives the place its stout lines), and especially jutting straight out roof overhangs.
8. Tall, thin, crimpy face problems galore, just to keep your psych on edge for the hi-ball runouts. Don't worry, there are plenty of lo-ball lines, too.
9. Access: The road leading to Lost Lake is paved (a popular tourist site) and the extra 1 mile on NF18 road beyond the lake to the bouldering site is also paved (though it is cracked, sluffing and narrow in a few spots) but just go slow over the few rough spots. This site is rare in regards to its access. You park the car once, and spend the entire day walking 10' to 100' to 1000' max from your vehicle to any cluster of boulders of your choice. The entire boulder field surrounds the vehicle parking spot. Some of the distant boulders are a bit of a dance getting to them, but the common spots are fairly reasonable, especially the virtual roadside and trailside options. The Middle Field and North Field is separated by a hiker's trail, so access is reasonable using that path.
10. Fresh crisp mountain air in a nice forested scenic country setting, with a quality and popular lakeside camping facility nearby (that means you can attach your camper unit to your pickup truck, rack up a canoe, bring a mountain bike, and stay for a week if you want to mix it all into the outing).
11. Lost Lake Resort campground: A mere 1 mile up the road is a superb quality and popular lakeside camping facility nearby (that means you can attach your camper unit to your pickup, rack up a canoe, bring a mountain bike, and stay for a week if you want to mix it all into the outing). The lake is Day Use accessible, and has a general store, 148 campsites, a public boat launch, lodge rooms for rent, RV's spaces, etc. The store has plenty of basic amenities from Groceries, Beer/Wine, Fishing Tackle & License, Prepared Foods, etc. Wow! I'm going camping. Their link is: Lost Lake Resort.
Detractions:
A. Best to have 2-3 crashpads minimum. One crasher unit is OK on the shorter lines, but the taller beasts simply need greater sufficient padding arrangements at the base to make the lines feasible.
B. Weather and Temperature. It can get baking hot occasionally during the summer months (July-August).
C. Not a place for kids. There are many pits, obstacles, and slots between all the large stones where a tumble incident might occur.
D. A fair bit of moss and lichen do exist, so the boulders are not naturally 'clean' like Bishop Boulders.
E. Nearest town (Hood River) is about 30-35 minutes away, so having an ankle twister here would be a slow process to see a doctor. You are out there in the back country hills, far from the city lights.
F. Clouds and rain: This is increasingly common in September-October, so a site at this altitude can be damp and slick on certain days (making wandering across the jumbled stone terrain a bit tricky).
G. This is NOT granite; it is NOT Bishop bouldering, or any other similar ideal site.
H. No cell phone reception.
Weather and Temperature: It does get baking hot out in the center of the boulder fields occasionally during the summer months (July-August), but luckily there are a ton of blocks with north-facing aspects, plenty of deep pits with problems, some cooler temperature "cold pits" where the temps stay 15°-20° degrees cooler (cave-like), and even a few forested stone clusters (not many, but some). The elevation, and its locale in a forested zone in the Cascade Range help considerably to keep the area generally amicable, even during the long summer season. Morning and evenings are always offer comfortable cooler temperatures, so take a 3 hour siesta in the mid-day and go back at the boulder game later in the afternoon when things cool down a bit. When the temperatures in Portland cruise up into the 95° range, anticipate a hot mid-day at the site. Luckily, hot weather spells are brief (usually 2-3 days). Oregon has fairly steady westerly breezes that bring a mix of clouds and sunshine with generally moderate temperatures that usually keep Lost Boulders enjoyable.
Directions: Lost Boulders is located near Lost Lake southwest of Hood River, Oregon. Drive east from Portland, Oregon on I-84 freeway to Hood River, Oregon. Drive south on 12th Street out of town on State Hwy #281 (Dee Hwy). At about 8 miles, turn right, cross a river, continuing on NF13 (well out in the country this NF13 road splits into TWO NF13's [its a loop], so take the left and nicer south main road) to the junction of NF18 (Lolo Pass road). Continue on NF13 to Lost Lake. Turn right just before the entrance to the Lost Lake Resort Campground onto a continuation of NF13 road. Drive for about 1 mile (a few minor rough sections as you get near the boulder site) and park in the obvious spot alongside the road surrounded by a forest of stone. There are several other minor spots to park a bit further down the road. The parking options are a bit limited. The primary parking spot, can accompany 3-4 vehicles quite easily, when someone is not attempting to camp there. So, be helpful and car camp elsewhere in the region (there are plenty of stellar roadside car camping options within 1 mile).
Alternative roads to drive to reach the site: You can also drive over Lolo Pass as an alternative approach (has 4 miles of gravel road) This is a reasonable option for those who live along the U.S 26 Hwy corridor east of Gresham.
GPS site locale: 590476m E, 5038887mN
The following are two panorama photos of the Upper Boulder Field.
