This portion of the PCT south of the highway is frequented primarily by through-hikers, and those wishing to do the 11 mile round trip up to 7,600' Union Peak. We headed south down to the National Park boundary with the Sky Lakes Wilderness, where the most recent burn was visible. Purple Fireweed was in abundance. This was a shuttle hike, so we left one car at the Lodgepole Picnic area, south east of the entrance on Highway 62. We hiked out of the park on the Pumice Flat Trail, and picked up our car.
Access: Head towards the south entrance station of Crater Lake National Park on Highway 62, from either the west through Medford and Union Creek, or from the east from Ashland on Dead Indian Memorial Rd, Highway 140, and Westside Rd up to Fort Klamath. The ample PCT trailhead parking area is on the south side of Hwy 62, about a mile west (Medford side) of the Park entrance station. The PCT heads south directly from the parking lot.
