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The John Dellenback Trail circles the sapphire blue Diamond Lake in south-central Oregon, only about 20 miles north of the state's more famous Crater Lake. The paved pathway connects the campgrounds that ring the shoreline and provides magnificent views of snow-covered Mt. Thielsen and Mt. Bailey. The lake's South Shore Picnic Area offers a nice resting spot to take in the views and enjoy a packed lunch.
For more outdoor adventure, the lake—nestled within Umpqua National Forest—is popular for fishing and boating; hiking and equestrian trails also crisscross the area. In winter, the waterfront trail can be used for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and mushing.
Parking lots can be found all around Diamond Lake; clockwise from the north end of the lake, you'll find them at: Diamond Lake Campground (east side of the lake), South Shore Picnic Area, Broken Arrow Campground (south side of the lake), and Thielsen View Campground (west side of the lake).
This trail had one wow moment after another with stretches right on the water, meadows full of wildflowers, and portions in the woods away from the water. It was biking through the wooded section that we came across a bear crossing the trail. Luckily, it was as startled as we were and ran quickly up the hill from us. We made more noise for the remainder of the ride. The trail looks to be well maintained with the exception of the painted markers where it enters campground loops and parking lots. Those needed refreshing as they were hard to locate in places.
The scenery was gorgeous! The rolling hill trail surface was in fair condition with minor root heaving and cracking . Work has started on the west side of the lake to correct these things. In several areas, the trail was covered with pine needles and twigs. There are many campgrounds all around the lake which have restrooms and water. There is a small store at the resort on the north end of the lake.
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