Harrelson Horse Camp, Betty Lake and Rosary Lakes, Oregon

If you look online or in the OET book, Harrelson is spelled with an "a" but at the actual camp, it is spelled with an "e"....so I will spell it that way. This is very similar riding to Whitefish Horse Camp. It's in the same general area, with many miles of easy trails, lots of lakes, and access to the PCT.

Harrelson is basically a large parking lot/trailhead just before you get to Waldo Lake with five camping spots. There are garbage cans and a bathroom. No water at all, and no corrals. It is $5.00 a night or free with a NW Forest Pass. Update: as of 2021, the camp is now free, due to lack of services. 

Harrelson Horse Camp.

Harrelson Horse Camp.

One of the trailheads at Harrelson Horse Camp.

 Arriving on a Friday in hunting season I was not surprised to find two hunters already camped there. On the first night a family of four pulled in at 10:00 pm and parked right next to me. The spots on either side of the parking lot are really close together. They were somewhat apologetic when I talked to them the next day, but said that all the other campgrounds in the area were jam packed.

There are two trailheads that leave from camp, to the south and the north.
I went north first, and once I got to Waldo Lake I followed the shoreline for awhile through an old burn. Horses are not allowed in any of the people campgrounds but there are horse trails that circumnavigate them and get you back onto the main trail. They are clearly marked although there were a couple signs along there that someone had deliberately peeled off the "horses allowed" sticker. There is a horse watering area along there, but it is way too far from camp to be used as an actual source.

Riding through the burn area next to Waldo Lake.

I decided to do the Rigdon Lakes Loop but it had not been cleared, and so I got as far as Lake Kiwa before having to turn back. This took up a lot of time, but I continued along the main Waldo Lake trail for awhile until I got to Dam Camp. I would have liked to have gone a bit further. This was a busy weekend and this trail is VERY popular with cyclists. If you have a horse that does not like bikes, he or she will be very accustomed to them by the end of your visit.

Upper Rigdon Lake.

One of the many ponds in the area.

Dam Camp.

The following day I took the trail that leads to the PCT. I rode south which took me to Charlton Lake and beyond. I rode for as long as I wanted, turned around, and went back to camp along the Charlton Lake Trail making a loop.

Charlton Lake.

On day three I rode to the PCT again, but went north this time. This is basically riding back into my own back yard, so to speak, arriving at Irish and Taylor Lakes which are also accessible from Little Cultus Lake, closer to Bend.
I went as far as Brahma Lake before heading back. Brahma is one of those perfect swimmable, clear lakes, that I love.

Brahma Lake.

Rina at Brahma Lake.

One the way back I saw two backpackers heading towards me up ahead, so I stepped off the trail to let them pass. I was probably only six feet off the trail in plain view, but they never looked up to see me, they just kept trudging along. Finally one guy spotted me, and I laughed when he turned to his friend and said "how the hell did we miss that". Makes me think over the years of all the hikers I have snuck up on while riding my horse, I have learned there is a fine line of when and how to alert them to your presence. I keep hoping they will hear my, not especially quiet horse, coming up behind them, but then if you wait too long to say something, you run the risk of scaring the crap out of them. All I can say is good thing I am not a predator, or they would be lunch.

PCT sign by Irish Lake.

On the PCT.

A year ago I did a day ride from Little Cultus to Charlton Lake, and on the way back I took a side trail to Lily Lake. It was not cleared, but I managed to make it to the lake. At the time I knew the PCT was somewhere close by, but I wasn't sure how far. It would have been a nice opportunity for a loop, but after trying to find it for a long time, through the thick carpet of logs, I gave up. Cut to a year later, as I rode along the PCT on my way back, I went up onto a small hill to try to spot it, and ta da there it was....sigh....I was so close last time.

Lily Lake from the PCT.

On my last day I drove to the Betty Lake trailhead on the way home. I only did four days of riding this trip, but there are plenty of other options, especially on the way to and from camp on the Waldo Lake Rd.

This trail passes Betty Lake right away, then Howkum Lake, and eventually gets to the South Waldo Lake area. Waldo is huge, but you can ride around the entire thing, it is 22 miles, not including some of the horse trail detours. This is a nice part of the trail with a lot of beaches and views of the Three Sisters in the distance. Right after you pass the South Waldo Shelter there is an option to do a loop ride. I would not recommend the loop at this time, having said that, I did actually ride the whole thing. It seemed okay at first, starting out with minor downfall, but it got a lot worse. Update: Someone I know hiked it another year, and it was cleared, so maybe they are keeping up with it better now.

Betty Lake.

Howkum Lake.

South Waldo Lake.

South Waldo Lake shelter.

The trail climbs up for quite awhile, then there is a steep descent into Black Meadows, then right after a small clearing, the trail completely disappeared. I was not to be deterred, so after bushwacking around for awhile I finally stumbled upon it again. This is the area where I realized I was on a very high ridge, hence the name, High Divide Trail. So it was either turn back, or continue to try to get around the mess of downed trees. Once I passed Bingo Lake I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, I knew I was going to make it out, and sure enough soon I was headed back to the truck, with time to spare. Phew, I really didn't feel like having to retrace my steps!

The start of the loop trail.

Black Meadows.

In October of 2021 I returned to this camp and did a few more rides. The first one was actually at the PCT Trailhead for Rosary Lakes off of Hwy 58. I rode the PCT north, passing all three of the Rosary Lakes until I got to Bobby Lake. This was a 7.5 hour ride, but someone could just visit the first set of lakes for a shorter ride, and Bobby Lake can also be ridden from it's trailhead on Waldo Lake Rd. which is also the trailhead for Betty Lake.

Pulpit Rock at Rosary Lakes.

The three Rosary Lakes as well as Odell and Crescent Lake views from the PCT.

Bobby Lake.

Once I got to the camp I was surprised to find it deserted, I thought hunters would be there for sure, since rifle season had just started.

My second ride was all the way around Waldo Lake, in the past I had just ridden sections of it but I decided to do the whole 22 miles this time. Although it's an easy ride, the most scenic parts are on the north side near the horse camp, so doing the whole loop mostly just adds a lot of forested sections with no real views.

Waldo Lake.

Views of the Cascades, back towards Bend.

On the third day I decided to ride the 4x4 Taylor Burn Rd. which is close to camp, and heads across the wilderness over to the Cultus Lake area. My plan was to loop back along the trail system, if it was cleared. Since it had not been cleared on my last visit, I was very pleasantly surprised to find not only the obvious main trails were logged out, but also random spur trails that led to lakes that obviously have seen very little use. 

Fall colors at Helen Lake.

On the cleared trails, Taylor Butte in the background.

Harvey Lake.

I timed this trip to take advantage of the last of the good weather, and it worked out well, until the morning of the final day. It had rained overnight, which froze, and then it turned to snow. This effectively concluded my rides in this exact area, but on my drive home, once I got to a lower and warmer elevation, I stopped by Crescent Lake at the Fawn Lake Trailhead and rode to Fawn, Stag and Pretty Lakes, a 9 mile loop. You can also do this ride from Whitefish Horse Camp.

Stag Lake.

GPS COORDINATES TO HARRELSON

GPS COORDINATES TO ROSARY LAKES PCT TH