North Yolla Bolly Lake is a small lake on the north side of North Yolla Bolly peak, in the Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness. It can be accessed via the Yolla Bolly Lake Trail, from the trailhead at Rat Trap Gap, or via the Pettijohn Trail, which intersects with the Yolla Bolly Lake Trail about halfway up to the ridgetop (see article on the Pettijohn Trail hike of June 21, 2020). For this hike, we chose to start from Rat Trap Gap.
This is an overall moderately strenuous hike of about 2.5 miles one way, with an elevation gain of roughly 750 feet. The first section of the trail has a relatively easy grade and goes through fir–pine forest, across a fairly steep slope. I was struck by how little understory is present in this forest. Besides a few phantom orchids, spotted coralroots, and some silene, there is very little to see on the forest floor other than cones, dead branches, and fallen trees. Some of the conifers, however, mostly Douglas-firs, have attained awe-inspiring, massive proportions.
This half of the trail is intercepted by several small, crystal-clear streams, which is where we found an abundance of botanical gems.
Farther on, around a bend, the trail abruptly emerged from the forest onto rocky outcrops and slopes, and some pretty cool views.
The grade steepened, and the footbed became more difficult to navigate, but this was a small price to pay to see the wondrous display of a whole new palette of plants. There were penstemons aplenty, as well as sedums, buckwheats, and sandworts.
Finally we came to the little lake, at which we lunched. We were able to circumscribe the entire lake, although one edge is quite steep and required a bit of rock-hopping.
To get to the trailhead at Rat Trap Gap, take Highway 36 west and turn left (south) onto Tedoc Gap Road (AKA Forest Road 45). Drive 18 miles on this not-too-horrible dirt road (it gets better after the turnoff to Pattymoucus Lookout) until you reach the saddle, called Rat Trap Gap. It was July 4th weekend and we still had the place all to ourselves. That’s remote!
We hope you’ll enjoy the following slideshow of some of the botanic beauties we came upon during this hike. All photos were taken by Don Burk on July 5, 2020. -Laurie & Don Burk
