TLDR: Devon really wanted to go catch the big fish at Turpentine Lake, like we had done in years past. We did a short 2 day backpack only to find that the lake had become popular and articles were recently released from Statesmen Journal (Thanks Zach Urness Booo 🙁 ) – Talking about the big fish you can catch at this tiny lake. So we did a day hike, ate some good backpacking food and left a day early.
- Trip Type: Luxury Backpacking
- Trip Dates: 25th – 27th of September 2025
- Trip Location: Mt Jefferson Wilderness
- Permit Required: Central Cascades Wilderness Permit
- Distance: Approx 1.4 Miles Each Way (3 mi roundtrip)
- Party Members: Devon, Chris
- Camping Options: Limited (2 main lake spots)
- Weather: Bluebird Days
- Other Conditions: Many Groups, Lots of Fishing Pressure (Statesman Fishing Article)
- Bonus Points: 0
- Demerits: 0
- Pack Weights: Unknown
This trip was pretty short and mostly uneventful, but still a fun time. As noted in the TLDR there was an article written by Zach Urness in the Salem Statesman Journal within a week or two of our visit, talking about the big trout you can catch. We saw and heard more groups of people at this lake than we had ever experienced before, most of them on day trips (one overnight backpacking group). So the pressure was on the lake, and the trout were either fished out or not responding – and so I believe Devon may have been skunked on this trip (I didn’t take my float tube on this one, still too heavy).
We did spend one day exploring up above Turpentine and hiked towards Turpentine Peak (we did not make the peak). It was super dry and crunch out and this area is in a pretty big burn from years past – so it’s a hot afternoon hike. The good news on that day hike is that you get nice views of the basin, lake and a prominent Mt Jefferson on the horizon.
I don’t have specific notes (this was written in Feb 2026) but it looks like we made a baked stew/biscuit recipe with Chanterelles that we found at the lake, and I’m certain it was delicious! We will visit again in a future year to see how the fishing is holding up and also look for berries, it’s still a cool place 🙂