Central Cascades Day-Use Permit (Pamelia Lake)

Pamelia Lake: what makes it different

Pamelia Lake is the short, shaded walk on the west side of Mount Jefferson, and it is the oldest limited-entry trailhead in the Central Cascades system. It sells 28 day-use people and 7 overnight groups a day.^1,3

Getting to the start

The Willamette National Forest page puts the turn onto Pamelia Creek Road (Forest Road 2246) about 12.5 miles east of Detroit on Highway 22, then 5 miles to the end of the road, with parking on the left. Oregon Hikers counts 12 miles on the highway, then 2.7 paved miles and 0.9 gravel. NW Hiker says about 14 miles on the highway and about 5 on the side road.^2,3,5

The trailhead has vault toilets and picnic tables but no drinking water. Parking is $5 per vehicle per day or a recreation pass, paid through the Recreation.gov app, and the page says no cash or checks are taken on site. The trailhead is open 24 hours a day, and the road is not maintained for snow and ice.²

The Bend Bulletin columnist calls the road mostly paved, about an hour and a half from Bend.⁴

The first leg

The trail starts at the far end of the lot near the signboards and crosses into the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. It climbs gradually beside Pamelia Creek through old Douglas-fir, western hemlock and western red cedar.^3,4,5

Large boulders along the way come from a debris flow on November 6, 2006, which buried part of the trail before it was rebuilt. The lake is just over 2 miles in by the Bulletin, 2.3 by NW Hiker, and the trail ends at the lake's northwest tip, where Oregon Hikers puts the junction at 2.2 miles for Grizzly Peak and Hunts Creek.^3,4,5

Terrain and difficulty

Oregon Hikers rates it easy at 4.4 miles round trip with about 800 feet of gain and a high point of 3,900 feet. NW Hiker says 4.6 miles round trip, and the Bulletin agrees on about 800 feet of gain to the lake. The climb to Hunts Cove is much steeper: about 2,000 feet of gain and 11 miles round trip by NW Hiker.^3,5,4

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Pamelia Lake, day use: 28 people a day. The Forest Service splits it 11 permits at the 10-day release and 17 at the 2-day release.¹
• 2026 daily quota at Pamelia Lake, overnight: 7 groups a day. Three groups a day come from the full-season release and four from the 7-day release.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

Oregon Hikers says limited-entry permits have applied at Pamelia Lake since 1995 because of crowding and visitor impact, long before the 2022 Central Cascades system. Camping must be at least 100 feet from the lake's high-water mark, and campfires must be 100 feet from water and below 5,700 feet.³

Central Cascades permits are required from June 15 to October 15 for day and overnight use. Weed-free feed is required for stock.²

Where it leads

Pamelia Lake covers about 52 acres. In late summer the water drops enough to walk the exposed lakebed to the right, where the tip of Mount Jefferson shows above the ridge. Campsites sit among the trees on both sides of the path down to the northwest tip, and others lie away from the shore.³

Two trails branch at the lake. Grizzly Peak Trail climbs to a 5,799-foot summit, about 10 miles round trip by the Bulletin. Hunts Creek Trail runs past the lake, meets the Pacific Crest Trail and climbs to Hunts Cove, 11 miles round trip, with waterfalls and small wooden bridges on the way.^4,5,3

What trip reports say

A Bend Bulletin writer hiked it in early September 2022 after buying a $1 day permit on Recreation.gov two days ahead. He found the old-growth forest unburned by the 2020 Lionshead Fire, saw the 2006 landslide remains, and covered 9.3 miles with 1,600 feet of gain in about three hours by running part of the return.⁴

A July 2025 six-day loop dropped packs at the Hunts Creek junction on day five and day-hiked to Pamelia Lake. The writers noted many water crossings, all manageable, and a stretch of the loop through the 2006 Puzzle Fire zone that was in decent shape after 200 trees were cut the year before.⁶

Oregon Hikers warns that mosquitoes are abundant in July and calls the trail often crowded.³

When to go from here

Oregon Hikers gives June through November. NW Hiker says the lake is open late spring through fall and Hunts Cove from summer, and the Bulletin saw most of the snow gone from Mount Jefferson by early September. The permit season is June 15 to October 15.^3,5,4,2

Compare with nearby entry points

• Marion Lake: Marion Lake is the other westside Mount Jefferson trailhead off Highway 22. It sells 44 day-use people a day against 28 here, and the same 7 overnight groups.¹
• Jack Lake (Canyon Creek Meadows): Jack Lake sells 72 day-use people a day and only 3 overnight groups. Pamelia has the smaller day quota and more than twice the overnight room.¹
• Duffy Lake: Duffy Lake sells 34 day-use people and 7 overnight groups, so the two have the same overnight room and Duffy has six more day permits.¹

Sources

1. Central Cascades Wilderness Permit System: Quotas for Day Use and Overnight, Deschutes and Willamette National Forests, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Pamelia Lake Trailhead, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Pamelia Lake Hike, Oregon Hikers Field Guide. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Pamelia Lake hike near Mount Jefferson offers stunning Cascade views and water scenery, The Bulletin (Bend), September 2022. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Pamelia Lake and Hunts Cove, NW Hiker. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Mount Jefferson Wilderness (7/16/25 - 7/21/25), Oregon Hikers Forum, July 2025. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Central Cascades Wilderness Permits, Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Pamelia Lake permit