Hiking the Alpine Zone Between Booth Lake and Square Lake – Three Fingered Jack Loop – 4K

My goal of these wilderness trail videos is to 1) show reverence for the beauty of the land, and 2) give YOU actionable trail information that can assist you in planning your own hike here.

This was a day-hike in Central Oregon, hiking the SE Quadrant of Three Fingered Jack Loop, starting at the Santiam Pass Pacific Crest Trailhead (no Recreation.gov permit required, just self issue free wilderness permit at Trailhead), turning East on Old Summit Trail, hiking to Square Lake and exploring the designated backcountry campsites, to Booth Lake and circumnavigating the obstacle course perimeter, hiking past Booth Lake to the heavy brush burnout zone and returning to the Trailhead. This Out and Back was approximately 12 miles and 1400 FEET Elevation Gain. I would recommend doing this earlier in the day with fluids on your person because this entire 5+ hour hike is FULLY EXPOSED to the SUN. The temperature was classic Summer weather, low in the 40's early in the morning with a high in 80's in the heart of the day. This was hiked on 8/12/2022 and there were fortunately no mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, it's highway to the well paved parking lot. In my opinion, the road does not require 4-Wheel Drive, however do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year.