Box #15
Twin Lakes 
Mount Hood National Forest, Government Camp, OR
| Planter | Green Tortuga (owner)    |
|---|
| Planted | October 6, 2001 |
|---|
| Modified | May 14, 2009 |
|---|
| Name | | Last Found |
F-Summary |
Findability |
|---|
| 1. | Twin Lakes by Green Tortuga | active | Jun 27, 2010 | | challenging |
Twin Lakes is a picturesque hike around two lakes and--for those willing to hike a bit farther--an incredible view from Palmateer Point. Mount Hood towers high in one direction while a dramatic, glacially carved valley through which the Barlow Road passed rests in the other direction. On a clear day, this viewpoint is definitely worth the effort of reaching. There is a large network of trails around here that allows you to create a hike of virtually any length, but I listed the shortest route possible to the letterbox for the terrain difficulty. If you want more than that, much larger loops are possible. I turned it into an 11 mile hike with about 1,500 foot elevation gain.
Clue
Head out to Lower Twin Lakes. It's a pretty little lake, isn't it? The trail around the lake doesn't look especially well maintained (if at all), but it's passable. Hike around to the far side of the lake and find a small beach. From there, look around for a fallen tree. (It's too big and recent for me to call it a "log", but others might!) The tree reminds me of a column that looks like it was fractured in the middle. The letterbox is hidden in the fracture.
Hike Length: 5.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 700 feet
