Hebo Lake

We took a little one-night trip to Hebo Lake, high in the coast range, for a little outing and a break from the heat in the Willamette Valley.  It has been 45 years since I last camped at Hebo Lake, so I was a little uncertain at what I would find.  But it turned out Hebo Lake is still a some what overlooked destination, used only by a handful of fishermen, campers, and hikers.   The campground and picnic shelter were originally built by the CCCs in 1937.  There are only a dozen camping sites scattered around this small lake of less than three acres, but we were lucky enough to snag site #2, which has the most commanding view of the lake. A twelve dollar camping fee, means we only paid six dollars with our Senior Pass.  There are no hook-ups, Verizon cell service was adequate at two bars, and TV was limited to three Public Broadcasting channels. To reach Hebo Lake high on the side of Mt Hebo, you need to turn at the small town of Hebo and climb 1600 feet in four and a half miles.  Our Mercedes powered Free Spirit climbed it with ease, and the six-speed transmission held us back well on our returning descent. The quietness of the setting, the deep shade, and cool temps were more than we could have hoped for.  All of which gives us confidence that many more mountainous destination are in our future.