Siphon Lake

Klamath National Forest is a stunning 1.74‑million‑acre expanse straddling northern California and a small piece of southern Oregon.  Elevations range from ~450 ft to 9,000 ft in the forest which has old-growth stands of ponderosa, Jeffrey pine, Douglas and red fir. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses around 60 miles of the the Klamath National Forest—from Seiad Valley up to Ashland, OR—with ~12,800 ft total gainand it offers some of the most remote backcountry solitude in the area with clear streams and lakes.  The national forest includes five designated Wilderness Areas: Marble Mountain, Russian, Trinity Alps, Red Buttes, and Siskiyou.

The 12,000 acre Russian Wilderness spans the major ridge dividing the Scott and Salmon River drainages. It contains 22 lakes, most set in glacial bowls surrounded by granite peaks. The area is of national botanical significance because of the great diversity of trees and other plant species, and it has an extensive trail system, including the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), that provides access to many high mountain lakes in the Russian Wilderness. During a summer trip in 1999, we hiked to Siphon Lake and planned to do some trout fishing in the area – but many of the lakes were still partially frozen. We ended up camping on a high ridge near the Pacific Crest Trail and spent three days exploring the area including a number of peaks and lakes.