Hiked to Echo Lake in Red Buttes Wilderness area for the first time. This hike follows along the PCT just outside Red Buttes Wilderness then drops done to the lake via a short trail. I’ve hiked this area before but the trail to the lake has always been covered in snow. It wasn’t snowed in this time. It’s been in the hundreds lately so all the snow in the area is long gone.

The more I hike in this area the more I enjoy it. The Red Buttes area is beautiful but also very rugged in most areas. If you can handle some tuff hiking it’s a great area to explore.

It was going to be a hot day so I made sure to get an early start. I knew I wanted to spend the day in the area but wouldn’t want to be on the trail long because of the heat so I thought I’d give trail magic a try. It’s PCT season so I was hopeful there’d be hikers traveling through the area. I got lucky, there was a small group just leaving camp when I arrived and 6 or so others passed through later in the day. I didn’t end up leaving until just after 5pm.