Mount Jefferson & Jefferson Park

Mount Jefferson, at 10,497 feet (3,199 m), may be the second highest peak in Oregon, but the view of this volcanic peak and Jefferson Park from the crest of Park Ridge is one of the finest alpine scenes in all of Oregon. About 1,000 feet below this viewpoint, Jefferson Park is a wonderland of alpine meadows interspersed with islands of mountain hemlock and a scattering of small, gem-like lakes.

Usually, in early August, the meadows would be filled with colorful alpine wildflowers. This year was not a typical one. After a severe winter and an unusually cool spring, much of Jefferson Park remained buried beneath the lingering winter snowpack and the lakes were still mostly covered in ice. Snow also covered almost the entire length of the hike from the north on the Pacific Crest Trail. These snow conditions were more characteristic of June than August.

To see two more panoramas I took later on the same day in Jefferson Park at Russell Lake and Scout Lake, please visit the Oregon Cascades page on my pano site.

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USA-Canada / USA-Oregon

Lat: 44° 43' 36.64" N
Long: 122° 48' 46.86" W

Elevation: 6995 ft

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

Pentax K10D, Pentax 10-17mm fisheye zoom, Nodal Ninja 3, PTGui Pro, Montrail boots