Unlike so many trails in the Cascade Lakes area, the Soda Creek Trail doesn’t offer spectacular mountain views nor does it pass by crystal clear alpine lakes.

For those looking to hike somewhere near the Cascade Lakes Highway, Soda Creek Trail is a quiet, mellow option.

Instead of intense views, it offers solitude. Instead of requiring blistering physical exertion, it requires only a meandering pace.

Sometimes relaxing and simple are just the thing.

My friend and I decided we wanted to head up the Cascade Lakes Highway on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day — we’ve been having a string of those lately — and we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get up there while the road was still open.

While we wanted the gorgeous setting of the Cascades, we weren’t looking for an intensive hike. After looking through a few guidebooks, we settled on a hike neither of us had ever done (or frankly ever heard of before): Soda Creek.

This hike starts at the extremely popular Green Lakes Trailhead. When we pulled into the parking lot, it was completely full. But I needn’t have worried about the trail being overrun with people. Everyone else was headed to Green Lakes, but we took the Soda Creek Trail at the east side of the parking lot.

During our entire hike — on a gorgeous weekend, mind you — we only saw two other people.

There’s something remarkable and lovely about being able to have a trail essentially to yourself.

The hike starts out in a typical lodgepole pine forest. This unremarkable landscape lasted until we reached a little open area with a small, ancient lava flow.

From there, the trail headed into a richer forested area, filled with taller hemlocks. It also featured one of my favorite smells — pine needles and dirt mixed together.

Not long after this, the forest opened up and we emerged into a gorgeous little meadow. Perhaps if we had been on the trail earlier in the season, we would have seen wildflowers, but as it was, we were still delighted with the view. The charming meadow was bordered on one side by Soda Creek. We wondered if the creek got this name because of its sweet bubbling and popping noises. The little creek carved soft curves along the side of the meadow, giving the whole area a picturesque appearance.

We decided this would have been a perfect spot for a picnic. Indeed, during our hike, we passed dozens of perfect picnic locations, made all the more appealing due to the lack of other visitors.

We continued along the path, which followed the creek.

Soon the trail turned sharply and headed across the creek. We had a choice to make — ford the creek or turn back. We opted to take off our shoes and socks and make our way through the creek. The creek wasn’t particularly swift or deep, but we let out hoots when the icy water hit our feet and calves. Oh, man, was it cold! On the other side, we used the grassy meadow to dry our feet before continuing on the trail.

The path then began to cut through an older forest, where several trees made loud creaking noises that kept us on our toes. After some time, we crossed a small babbling brook. Then we entered a small sloped meadow and began to hear the rush of water. We walked through more forest before coming upon a gorgeous sunny creek rushing over large boulders.

At this point, we really wished we had brought along some sandwiches or picnic fare. The sunny rocks next to the bubbling water would have made yet another ideal picnicking spot.

Instead, we took some time to admire the sweet creek, took some photos and then turned around.

The way back flew by — it was ever-so-slightly downhill. The hike was about four and a half miles round trip — the perfect little day hike for people looking for a taste of nature without all the exertion.

Sure, this hike didn’t offer anything spectacular, but sometimes lovely and sweet more than suffice.

If you go

What: Soda Creek Trail

Where: Take Cascade Lakes Highway about 27 miles from Bend. Look for the Green Lakes Trailhead on the right hand side. Park in the lot. The Soda Creek Trail is on east side of the parking lot.

Cost: $5 fee, or Northwest Forest Pass

Contact: 541-383-5300

Difficulty: Easy