Todd Lake Meadows, Bend Oregon’s Playground

Wildflowers bloom around Todd Lake with Mt Bachelor as a backdrop

“Bend Oregon’s Playground”. Beautiful Todd Lake has an area of 45 acres and a maximum depth of 60 feet.  Originally named “Lost Lake”, it was later renamed to Todd Lake after petitions by locals noted that Oregon already had too many “Lost Lakes” .  The lake was eventually re-named for John Y. Todd who founded and operated Farewell Bend Ranch from which the name, Bend Oregon is derived.

As Todd Lake is located at 6,150 feet of elevation, summers are short yet stunningly beautiful. The Meadows surrounding the lake are filled with wildflowers during the growing season and offer sweeping views of both Mt Bachelor and Broken Top Mountains.

Todd Lake, the Hike:

Located along the famed Cascade Lakes Highway, Todd Lake is only 25 miles from Bend, Oregon and is a favorite hiking destination for visitors and residents of Central Oregon’s largest city. A short but rutted access road connects the Cascade Lakes Highway to the undersized Todd Lake Trailhead and parking area. The 1.7 mile long loop hike pleasantly rambles through old growth Mountain Hemlock, over tumbling mountain streams, into wildflower filled meadows along the shores of Todd Lake. While the hike is quite level and remarkably scenic, the far end of the loop is quite soggy and may require waterproof hiking shoes or even water shoes, especially in spring. The plentiful guardians of Todd Lake which vigorously guard its treasures are…. mosquitos, thousands of mosquitos. So, be forewarned and bring your bug dope if you are going to undertake this favorite Bend Oregon Hike.

Todd Lake, The Landscape Photograph:

I’ve been to Todd Lake soooo many times. It’s always beautiful but not always cooperative from a landscape photograph perspective. On this particular day, I knew that wildflowers were blooming there and I also knew that it was an especially good year forIndian Paintbrush in the Central Oregon Cascades.  The forecast over the cascade mountains predicted partially cloudy skies and relatively little wind, so I set out to find delicate macro scenes to capture. By the time I had reached the far end of the Todd Lake Loop hike, the clouds had intensified, apparently building a storm but still minimal wind.  I spent approximately 30 minutes photographing several gorgeous groups of Indian paintbrush while impressive cloud formations clashed over the top of Mt Bachelor  before I was drenched in a prolonged summer storm. I sought refuge beneath a grove of Mountain Hemlock and waited with a smile remembering the  magical scene I had just captured in Bend, Oregon’s playground!