Stuart Falls via Pumice Flat Trail

Stuart Falls via Pumice Flat Trail is an 11.9-mile out-and-back from Lodgepole Picnic Area to a signed viewpoint above a roughly 40-foot cascade, then back the same way. The mapped corridor is just under six miles each way. Published trip totals range from 11.5 to 12.3 miles, so use 11.9 as a planning figure, not a step-count promise. Allow about six hours of hiking, plus time at the falls. This is a moderate but long day: the climb is spread out, and distance is the main commitment.

Park at Lodgepole Picnic Area and follow the Pumice Flat sign; the trail crosses Highway 62 near the start. The broad tread climbs gradually through rolling pumice flats, open meadow and lodgepole pine. “Flat” is generous: the ground rises and falls, but the approach is mostly gentle. Views are limited beneath the trees until you reach the Pacific Crest Trail.

At the PCT, go north a short way to the rerouted Stuart Falls path, then head southwest. A 2017 hike account places that branch about two-tenths of a mile beyond the old junction; older maps can still show the former direct line. The trail narrows and the forest shifts toward cooler fir. There are rocky stretches and some switchbacks, with a couple of openings south across the canyon toward Goose Nest and Goose Egg. The grade is steeper here than on Pumice Flat, but it is spread over the walk rather than one sustained climb.

Near the park boundary, listen for the water and look for the signed viewpoint spur off the main trail. Stuart Falls is outside Crater Lake National Park, in Sky Lakes Wilderness on Rogue River National Forest. The short spur gives a view from above, where you can take in more of the cascade than from the campsites below. This is the payoff; leave time to sit and look before retracing the route.