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Looking for an easy trail that takes you to a peak that leaves you breathless? Triangulation Peak is just the ticket with a roundtrip of just under six miles of easy to moderate trail. This lush-with-life trail is great for all ages and levels of hikers looking to see Oregon from a new perspective. Even if a bit of a challenging trail is more your style, an off the trail hike to Boca Cave is right off the summit.

The trailhead to Triangulation Peak is fairly easy to navigate. If heading East on HWY 22, a couple hundred feet after the Mile 56 sign, take a left at McCoy Street. The drive to the trailhead is about 15-20 long. Once at the trailhead, be sure to fill out a wilderness permit.

Unknown to my hiking buddy and me, we were about to enter the most magical trail littered with the rare blooming flower Bear Grass.

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Bear Grass is a 3-5 foot flower that when not in bloom, looks like a tall stick. The tiny white blooms occur on these stems once every five to seven years around July. Even more rare, every 35 years, the Central Cascades of Oregon experience a super bloom of Bear Grass.

When first entering the trail, I felt like I was wandering through the movie Avatar. The trail is already gorgeous with every shade of green known to the human eye, but then contrasted with these tall, alien flowers, it was out of this world. Although it won’t be another 35 years until the super bloom occurs again, add this to your bucket list to experience.

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Sidenote: I hiked this trail two times, only three weeks apart. I wanted to show off the wild flower that left me dazed to another friend and low and behold, the flowers were gone.

It was easy to be distracted by these majestic flowers, but we had a peak to reach and a cave to explore.

The trail is very easy to navigate. It’s only at around mile .6 that a tree trunk is a makeshift trail. Luckily it’s big enough that crossing it is rather easy.

For the next mile, the trail takes you through a heavily forested area. The feeling of being surrounded by tall, ageless trees does something to my soul. Instead of rushing through this thicket, I suggest stopping and admiring the moss that grows on the trees and the little flowers that add pops of color all around.

Continuing on, the only point of this trail that could lead you down the wrong path is a fork in the road at around 1.75 miles. When you’ve reached this point, take the trail that is to the right of the sign, heading up. (I haven’t taken the path to the left, so at this point I am unsure where it leads to).

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Shortly after this juncture, a giant rock formation starts to come into view at around mile two. Instantly my friend and I were convinced that this must be where Boca Cave was. After venturing off course to find where we thought the cave was, I later discovered that this formation is called Spire Rock.

(Click HERE to read about this off-trail experience).

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Luckily, after passing this point, the summit is less than a mile up. It is around this point, however, that the trail maintains a steady incline until the top. The burning legs and pumping lungs are only a temporary sacrifice for the stunning view at the summit.

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At the top, there are a couple great vantage points to get a good 360 of Oregon. The first is the most obvious area where the trail dead-ends and there is a small fire pit area. The other is on top of a small rock formation that you can climb up on and sit.

Although I could stay up here and admire Mt. Jefferson all day long, Boca Cave’s mysterious location was calling to be found.

Disclaimer: Some people will be upset with the directions given to cave being accessible to all, but this secret is worth sharing if it gets people out and exploring.

For those searching for Boca Cave, I do caution that the trail is steep heading down. I suggest for newer hikers to take the time to get down.

To reach the cave, from the summit, head back down the trail. A couple hundred feet down, there is a path that veers off to the right. There are trees that slightly cover this path, so if you’re not looking down to locate the path, it’s easily missed.

Once through the trees, you’ll pass a few fire pits for campers. The trail splits off after the first fire pit, just keep straight. The trail eventually dead ends. Look in the direction of Mt. Jefferson and the trail down to the cave, slightly hidden, is there.

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If you have found yourself in the middle of what was once a heavily forested area that is now burnt trees, you are on the right path. When we first entered this spot, I had the overwhelming feeling of success and knew we had finally found the real trail to the cave.

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Wildflowers in an area of devastation is remarkable. Only when surrounded by death and destruction do we take notice to how truly vibrant life can be.

It’s easy to see how finding this trail was once harder with all the trees, but since the fire tore through this area left them limbless, the trail is obvious. The trail is not secure in some areas, so again, take precaution.

After passing a rock formation and keeping right, just a few hundred feet down there is a split in the trail. This part is a bit challenging to maneuver over roots and duck under branches, but once past it, the cave is just ahead.

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Rounding this corner and getting the first view of the entrance to the cave shot a feeling through my body that is hard to describe. After searching for this cave for over three hours and nearly falling off a cliff, I felt like I had found Atlantis and all of its treasure.

Before barreling into the cave, be sure to call out sounds to make sure there aren’t any bears or animals taking refuge. Once all is clear, venture inside. Not only are there incredible photo opportunities of Mt. Jefferson to be had, but even the cave itself is something to admire.

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This hike left me euphoric. The combination of the Bear Grass Super-bloom, the death defying cliff scaling, and just nature in its purest form gripped my soul unlike any previous hikes. For me, this will always be one of the most memorable ventures.

Next up, a look into my top 3 favorite waterfall adventures.