“Three Sisters Reflection”, Golden Lake

Three Sisters Wilderness Area

Oregon’s Golden Lake is located within the 286,000 acre Three Sisters Wilderness Area. The Wilderness area includes South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister, all of which are reflected in the placid waters of Golden Lake in this new fine art landscape photograph. The Lake is an 18 foot deep, one acre gem , located between Broken Top Mountain and the Three Sisters at approximately 6,750 feet of elevation. My wife and I recently enjoyed a multi-night backpacking trip into the wilderness area and were fortunate enough to spend a night in the meadow adjacent to the Lake. The approach to the lake is less than ideal. The first five miles are through scorched forest with little re-growth. The trail is hot, exposed, dusty and include lots of horse poop but does offer grand views of the Three Sisters Mountains through burned tree skeletons.

While the approach is less than desirable, the Lake and surrounding area are heavenly. A large meadow is decorated by multiple streams and the adorable Brook Trout filled lake is surrounded by moss which gives it a manicured look. The moss turns golden yellow in autumn, giving Golden Lake its name. While the lake is not near a trail intersection, it is a good base camp for daily explorations. On the morning I captured this beautiful new Oregon Landscape photograph, I was hoping to have smoke free skies and light clouds overhead to hold the light of the sun’s morning rays. I targeted a location high above the lake for first light but was foiled by persistent breeze and a cloudless sky. As I returned to our campsite, wonderful cotton ball clouds began to form around South Sister and then spread towards Middle and North Sisters. Simultaneously, the wind died down and I knew  I needed to race back to the banks of Golden Lake in hopes of capturing the Three Sisters Reflection photograph you see here! The elegant clouds and the soothing blues in the water and sky make for gorgeous fine art prints of this new image.