East Fork Lostine Trail to Mirror Lake - 9/20/2025
East Fork Lostine Trail to Mirror Lake
Today I drove up to Oregon to hike to explore Mirror Lake before heading back to Phoenix. I had really enjoyed the Ice Lake, and Aneroid Lake hikes a few weeks ago, and this one would be no exception.
When I arrived at the trailhead it was in the upper 40s, and all I wore was shorts, and a sun hoodie. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, as hiking warms me up quickly, but I had to fill out an entry permit, and stuff cash into the entry fee envelope. After doing all that I hit the trail, and quickly warmed up. According to the reviews on AllTrails this hike was supposed to start off steep, and then level off quickly. Maybe my legs have toughened up, because no part of the trail felt steep. I used my hiking poles for the first few miles, and then put them away when I realized it was an easy elevation hike. After the initial climb the trail leveled off into butterfly filled meadows, creeks, and ponds. The entire trail, from beginning to end, was absolutely stunning. Every person I passed in, and out, was out there backpacking, and camping. Just like my previous hikes in the Wallowa area, I was able to hike quickly, and effortlessly hike without the burden of a heavy pack.
I hung out at the lake for quite a while, enjoying the serenity. Something interesting that I noticed about the lake was how nice it smelled. I was surprised that it smelled like clean fresh water. I dipped my hands in the water to check the temperature, and it was very cold. I decided not to dip my feet into the water, though I did see one person on the other side of the lake swimming. I overheard their conversation, and they only plunged into the water very briefly because of how cold it was. While sitting on a log in front of the water a butterfly landed on my land, and tried to eat me. After eating my lunch I hit the trail, and made my way quickly back to the car. I didn't do much trail running this time, but I did hike fairly quickly down the trail, only tripping once. When I tripped over a root, and fell my Garmin watch triggered the emergency mode, which I quickly cancelled. I didn't even know my watch could do that. Luckily nobody was around to witness that. I wasn't hurt at all, it was a very graceful fall into some soft sand.
I would give this trail a 9/10 rating, it was beautiful, quiet and easy. I highly recommend this one.
There were so many dogs on the trail, and this puppy was just the best. He wasn't well trained yet, and nearly knocked me over, but he gave the best hugs, and kisses. I was covered in mud because of him.
