Bagby Hot Springs in the Spring

It was raining like mad in Portland, so I decided to go and soak at Bagby.  I was much more relaxed this time with no pressure as far as time and level of effort.

After the soak I attempted to take a more scenic route home via Mt. Hood and 26. I detoured past Lake Harriet which is actually a reservoir, but with a very scenic and cozy looking campground.  Lake Harriet is dammed and it was interesting to drive along logging roads next to a 9 foot diameter pipe diverting water.  Rather surreal.

The deer were out in full force on the dirt roads.

In the end, after 25 minutes on dirt logging roads, the road to Timothy Lake and 26 was closed due to snow conditions, so I had to U-turn and cover the same roads again.  Thanks Rangers for putting that information on the detour sign!

Adventures!  Adventures!

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Lake Harriet – angler’s retreat

Lake Harriet is a great little spot for fishing and camping. This 22-acre reservoir, which stores water for PGE’s Oak Grove Hydroelectric Project, is stocked with trout. A small, 10-site campground is located at the head of the lake. Directions: Take Highway 224. Just past the Ripplebrook Campground, turn left on U.S. Forest Service Road 57, then take another left on U.S. Forest Service Road 4630. Watch for signs to Lake Harriet.

Harriet Dam diverts water into a 9-ft diameter, 4.1 mile long pipeline to Frog Lake, an off-stream reservoir which serves as a forebay for the Oak Grove Powerhouse. From Frog Lake, the pipeline continues for another 2.3 miles to a surge tank, penstock, and the Oak Grove Powerhouse. Powerhouse discharge is diverted back into the mainstem Clackamas River approximately five miles downstream from the Oak Grove Fork confluence. The Oak Grove powerhouse can discharge up to 700 cfs. Lake Harriet inflows in excess of 570 cfs spill downstream over Harriet Diversion Dam into the Lower Oak Grove Fork.

Fish access to the upper Oak Grove Fork is blocked by two natural barriers at approximately ½ mile and one mile downstream of Harriet Diversion Dam. Anadromous fish and native cutthroat trout have access to about four miles of habitat below the lower most natural barrier on the Oak Grove Fork to the confluence with the Clackamas River.