East Fork Lostine River
Low Point: 5600'
High Point: 7600'
Season: Summer/Fall
Difficulty: 3/5
Directions
From Lostine, Oregon (located on Highway 82 west of Enterprise), turn south onto Lostine River Road (Forest Service Road 8210). Drive this road for about 18 miles until reaching its end and the Two Pan Trailhead.Trail Description
The East Fork of the Lostine is a popular starting point for reaching the lakes basin. The scenery is amazing (although not as spectacular as Hurricane Creek or the West Fork Wallowa) and this route offers the shortest route to Lakes Basin. The quick, easy seven-and-a-half miles it requires to hike to this popular destination is actually rather unfortunate, since the trailhead is often times overflowing with SUV’s and horse trailers. I think a trail of about twice that length would help the unfortunate overcrowding situation at Lakes Basin…but I can only complain so much, since I am contributing to the problem!
The trail starts climbing through the gentle valley under the cover of trees, but soon the forest thins out, offering views of the surrounding granite mountains and the Eagle Cap at the head of the valley. At the end of the 7.3 mile trail through the beautiful canyon, the trail enters a junction. To enter the Lakes Basin area, follow the trail to the left, which quickly places you at the western edge of Mirror Lake. This is probably one of the most popular lakes in the area, so if you want to be alone I would suggest continuing on to one of the smaller, lesser known lakes.
