I found Takhlakh Lake somehow perusing Instagram posts. It looked like a beautiful clear lake with views of Mt. Adams in the background. I decided I’d add it to our van travels the following couple weeks when we planned to visit a number of peaks in Washington and Oregon. But once I started researching the best way to get there, I couldn’t find a straightforward answer. Getting to Takhlakh Lake, Washington is a bit of a long journey no matter where you come from.
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Which Route to Takhlakh Lake, Washington is Better?
There are two ways to access Takhlakh Lake, Washington. You can come southeast from the town of Randle, or you can head north from the town of Hood, River Oregon. Either way will take you about 1-1.5 hours and involve long dirt roads. So the best way of getting to Takhlakh Lake, Washington is simply to come from whichever area you’re closer to. Neither is particularly a worse road. In face, we came from Hood River, headed north to Takhlakh Lake, then continued on to Randle, Washington to go to Mt. Rainier. So we drove both routes to compare.
Getting to Takhlakh Lake From Hood River, Oregon
I will describe in detail getting to Takhlakh Lake from Hood River since that was the initial way we came. The majority of the 52 mile route is paved from Hood River to Takhlahk Lake. You will pass by Trout Lake after about 35-40 minutes. The point at which we left the pavement, we still had 5.7 miles of dirt road left to get to the lake. These 5.7 miles strangely varied between pot holed dirt road and small sections of pavement. 1.3 miles before the lake, the road turned back to pavement the rest of the way.
So although the dirt sections of the road are not great, it is not so rutted or narrow that you can’t take an RV or 2 wheel drive car. It was fairly easy to weave around the biggest potholes or slowly bump our way through them. I wouldn’t recommend a really low clearance or nice vehicle though because of the rocks and potential for bottoming out.
Takhlakh Lake Campground
Takhlakh Lake is located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The lake has 54 camp sites, many with great views and access to the water. Oddly, the campground was closed when we were there in mid July 2022. Google maps confirmed it was closed, there were very few people there, and the pay stations had bags over them. If we were to stay, we assumed we would’ve been able to for free since there was no gate closing off access and no signs. We did see a ranger drive through the campground and they didn’t stop and talk to anyone.
The campground can be booked HERE. Pets are allowed and site sizes vary from tent only to RV. You’ll want to make sure you know the max length allowed at the site you book because they’re all different. Picnic tables and fire pits are provided as well as vault toilets but there is no running water or electric hookups.
About Takhlakh Lake, Washington
Mt. Adams looms impressively large in the background of the lake. The water is clear. The mosquitos were horrendous. Mind you, this was in mid July, so the bugs were probably at their peak. We honestly couldn’t even get out of the car for more than a few minutes and had to move at a quick pace to go check out the water and views. Unfortunately we didn’t stay for this reason. I’d love to come back in the late summer or early fall when hopefully the mosquitos are nonexistent.
Only human powered or electric boats are allowed on the lake. Fishing for rainbow trout is popular. You can also hike a loop around the lake or a 3 mile roundtrip figure 8 near to Takh Takh Meadow starting from the day use area.
Takhlakh Lake to Randal, Washington
The distance from Takhlakh Lake to Randal, Washington said 32 miles on the sign. When we hit asphalt after leaving the lake, we’d gone about 8 miles on the dirt road. So there are a couple miles more of dirt road this direction than coming from Hood River. But even when we arrived to the asphalt road, for miles it seemed the asphalt had big bumps that sent the van airborne if we weren’t paying attention. Even though this route is 20 miles shorter, it was only about 10 minutes less because the pavement is in worse condition and the road a bit windier. But again, any vehicle can make it if you’re willing to abuse it a little.
There are a number of river camping spots along this road too, which looked great for boondocking. Although some campers looked like they’d been there for quite a while.
In the area around Takhlakh Lake, there are some other lakes you can visit too. For example, Ollie Lake is only a half mile farther and has a few camp spots, however the views of Mt. Adams aren’t as good. There is also Council Lake and Chain of Lakes where there is a trailhead to hike to Horseshoe Lake and others.
Where to Stay to Visit Takhlakh Lake, Washignton
Not camping and just visiting for the day? Or maybe camping is all booked up? You could stay in Hood River, Oregon which is seriously SUCH a cool town or Randle, Washington if you’re coming from that direction. There are also other campgrounds along the way. Randle really doesn’t have any hotels that I’d recommend. If you actually want to stay somewhere neat, get a cabin in Packwood, Washington just 15-20 minutes farther than Randle.
I hope this short description of the roads are helpful in getting to Takhlakh Lake, Washington. I had such a hard time finding information that reassured me the roads would be safe for the van, I felt like we were winging it and hoping for the best. I was pleasantly surprised by how short the unpaved section was, but the pot holes were more than I expected so those few miles were incredibly slow. But now you know! Go enjoy the lake!
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