Hebo Lake

Hebo Lake, high on the shoulder of Mt Hebo in the Coast Range, is a hidden gem. The lake is stocked with trout by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the campground is managed by the Siuslaw National Forest. I have been visiting this lake for more than 50 years; to enjoy camping, fishing, hiking, birding, and wildflowers.  On this trip, Hebo was our first stop on a two-day excursion, with an overnight stay in Tillamook.

 After photographing Hooded Mergansers from one of the fishing platforms, we walked the trail that encircles the lake, continuing to look and listen for birds.  You can see our complete list here.  I soon felt the need to stop and take photos of the wildflowers. We felt like we had the place to ourselves. The campground was empty save for the hosts, and a ranger that was passing through. A fisherman and his son appeared just as we were leaving.  Cell service was weak to nonexistent, but adequate inside of the van when we turned on the cell booster. 

 In route to Tillamook we made a couple of stops, first at the Tillamook River Rest Area along Highway 101 to have lunch and make a bird list, and next at Hoquarten Sough Trail to make a bird list. Our parking spot for the night was at Fred Myer, which worked great to purchase dinner and additional groceries. 

Our return route the next day to Dallas involved a stop at Sand Lake to bird at Sitka Sedge State Natural Area (list), and a stop at Bob Straub State Park in Pacific City.  There is cell service at Straub, but not at Sitka Sedge.  I worked on photo editing, and Jeanette made a bird (list), and we had lunch.