Bloom Lake Hike
Bloom Lake
Bloom Lake Trail is a short, easy-to-moderate forest hike to a small, quiet lake in Oregon’s Clatsop State Forest, just off Highway 26 between Portland and the coast.
Location and Access
The trail is in Clatsop State Forest, accessed from Highway 26 near milepost 24.5, east of the Coast Range crest and not far from the Highway 53 junction toward Nehalem.
From the Portland area, driving time is roughly 1 hour 15–30 minutes, with a small roadside parking area near Quartz Creek and the signed Bloom Lake trailhead.
Distance and Difficulty
Most descriptions put the hike at about 3–3.5 miles round-trip, often as a “lollipop” or short loop that circles part of the lake.
Elevation gain is modest (on the order of a few hundred feet), with an initial climb and then more gentle grades, generally rated easy for regular hikers but can feel moderate for beginners due to mud and roots.
Trail Character and Scenery
The route uses a mix of singletrack trail and old logging roads through second-growth forest, with typical Coast Range vegetation: hemlock, spruce, alder, ferns, and mossy undergrowth.
At the lake, there are viewpoints and informal shoreline access; the setting is quiet and sheltered, good for birdwatching and spotting amphibians like rough-skinned newts in wetter seasons.
Conditions and Best Season
The trail is known for being muddy and slick in the rainy months, with standing water and roots in places, so waterproof footwear is recommended much of the year.
It is typically hikeable year-round, but late spring through early fall offers the driest footing and better road and weather conditions in the Coast Range.
