The Buck Creek Trail (#3073) and Lake Creek Trail (#3079) combine for one continuous trail that climbs steadily from the Buck Creek Trailhead near Umatilla Forks up past the Umatilla Rim Trail to an to a low-key trailhead off a road near Summit Rd in the Tollgate area. The trick is doing this trail when it isn't a sea of bushes. I'm not sure exactly when this is, because in the spring you would climb up to snow and then in the Fall I'm not sure if they die off enough. Anyway, it is a cool trail that not many people use.
The Lake Creek Trail is pretty clear of brush but there are some spots the trail is falling away on switchbacks and there are some down logs, but if you hike the trail from the top it is a good hike down creek where you'll find a few camping spots. The highlight is a side trail where you find WWII Hellcat plane wreckage. All-in-all I recommend coming from the top, but I'll show it from the bottom here for other reasons.
Trail Notes
- 0.0mi Buck Creek Trailhead just up river from Mission.
- 3.6 Trail crosses Buck Creek and becomes the Lake Creek Trail and begins climbing the ridge immediately.
- 5.6 Plane wreckage. Look for a side trail to the west just after crossing a stream. A few hundred yards down and you'll find the wreckage.
- 6.4 Intersect with the Umatilla Rim Trail
- 6.9 Arrive at the Lake Creek Trailhead
