Vulcan Lake Trail #1110A

A sparkling blue-green body of water at the foot of Vulcan Peak, this is a very pleasant picnic or camping spot within the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Easily accessible, this naturally barren lake and surrounding area offer unique geological and botanical sights. For safety, firearm shooting is not allowed within the lake area.

Campers - consider the use of camp stoves, as fuel wood is scarce and trees should not be cut down. Nearby camping is available at Red Mountain Prairie, which you drive past on the way to the trailhead.

This trail is located in an area that has burned in the Biscuit (2002) and Chetco Bar (2017) Fires. Although Forest Service trail crews and partner groups have been repairing and maintaining many of the affected trails following the fires, visitors should take into consideration (because of the substantially increased risk of fire-killed snags falling) that travel and camping may be more difficult and require greater concern for safety.

Current Conditions

APRIL 2021: A landslide is blocking Forest Road 1909, and will not be cleared until 2022. Until the slide is cleared, please use the following route to get to Vulcan Lake:  Know Before You Go: The last three miles of this route is rutted and poorly maintained.  Moderate clearance vehicles can make the journey but low clearance vehicles will have significant issues.  The last mile to the Wilderness Boundary is particularly rocky and narrow with minimal pullouts. Note: Snow is often blocking the road just short of the Chetco Divide/Vulcan Peak Trailhead into late spring.  Visitors to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness should be advised that trail conditions may vary, depending on the level of maintenance performed in the years after the Biscuit (2002), Chetco Bar (2017) and Klondike (2018) Fires. Due to the scales of these fires, and the rugged and remote conditions in the Kalmiopsis, trail work, while ongoing, has not been performed on all the trails within the fire perimeters. Visitors may find downed trees across the trails, dense vegetation where shrubs have grown in after the fire, and unmarked trail junctions in some places. Please check with the Gold Beach or Wild Rivers Ranger Districts before your visit for trail conditions. Additionally, you can visit the Siskiyou Mountain Club's page, a local group who performs much of the trail maintenance in wilderness areas.

Specific Trail Information

Trail Type

Standard/Terra Trail — A trail that has a surface consisting predominantly of the ground and that is designed and managed to accommodate use on that surface.

General Information

Connecting trails: Johnson Butte Trail #1110, Gardner Mine Loop Trail #1122A
USGS Map: Chetco Peak

Spring - Fall

Not available. Surface water should be treated.

Wilderness regulations apply

Getting There

Directions

April 2021: There is currently a landslide that is blocking Forest Road 1909 at the lower reaches, and it is expected that the slide will take some time to clear out. Please use the following detour to reach Vulcan Lake.

DIRECTIONS: From Brookings, Oregon, at Highway 101 take County Road 784 (North Bank Chetco River Road), which eventually becomes Forest Road 1376. Continue on Forest Road 1376 crossing the bridge over the South Fork of the Chetco and turning left to continue on Forest Road 1376 for another ¾ of a mile to a right-hand turn onto Forest Road 1917 (unsigned!). Continue on 1917 for 12 miles then making a left-hand turn onto Forest Road 1909. Continue 5.5 miles on Forest Road 1909 to the Chetco Divide/Vulcan Peak Trailhead and an additional 2 miles further to the Wilderness Boundary and the Vulcan Lake/ Johnson Butte Trailhead.

Know Before You Go: The last three miles of this route is rutted and poorly maintained. Moderate clearance vehicles can make the journey but low clearance vehicles will have significant issues. The last mile to the Wilderness Boundary is particularly rocky and narrow with minimal pullouts.

Note: Snow is often blocking the road just short of the Chetco Divide/Vulcan Peak Trailhead into late spring.