Roman went hiking Gillette Lake April 5, 2015 4.23 miles 1,000 feet gained
Just saw this area on Google Earth and thought it might be worth to explore. Not sure why I didn't read anything about it on the forum - so nice! Unlike much larger St. Helens hummocks, those are made not from pumice and fine gravel, but from large boulders, was pretty rough to hike despite the smooth carpet look. Lone-standing ancient trees gave this place almost park feel. The little lake barely visible on topo map was very neat as well, it's incredibly blue and probably 5-6 feet deep.
OTOH, the hike itself was a mixed bag - while the forested parts were pleasant, there were several large clearcuts overrun with poison oak (was almost none on undisturbed areas), small quarries, and even some garbage dumps. I walked across a clearcut with incredible view of Table Mtn and there was a carpet of freshly leafed poison oak (!); still got no reaction to it. But what sets that area apart is ever-present view of the cliffs with cascading waterfalls, and the "moss hills" are intact and very scenic.
