Ridge Lakes Trail
Hike Review
The girls and I hiked an out-and-back trail called the Ridge Lakes Trail. It gains about 1000’ of elevation in 1 mile to the Ridge Lakes.
We did not hike all the way to the lake as there was just a bit too much snow for the steep incline for the girls to continue. We were less than a quarter miles from the lakes.
The trail was a single track trail that was hard to follow due to the increasing amount of snow that covered various parts of the trail. Still, the cool winds that came down from the top of the ridge felt wonderful against the warm air.
The trail was almost fully shaded with lots of trees everywhere.
There were views of Sulphur Works at the beginning of the trail. It was also accompanied by the sulfur smell.
The snow made the girls slip a few times, but Annabelle had so much fun that it didn’t matter. Kaylee was still waking up from the long drive up, but even she had a great time once we started to head down hill (and she got some food in her).
The girls loved the fact that there was still snow in July for them to play around with.
I was glad I brought their hiking poles with us. There was lots of stabbing, striking, and stomping while they complained that their legs were tired from the elevation gain.
There was a pit bathroom at the trailhead that was a bit stinky for the girls. I think it was clean though.
What I Learned:
Kaylee started off sluggish, probably as a result of her feeling languid due to the long drive. After we hit the high point and started down, I finally convinced her to eat a little bit of beef jerky. She came back to life with that and did much better the rest of the way.
I’m not actually sure I would have continued to the lakes even if I had the girl’s microtraction devices. I think Kaylee would have been too nervous to enjoy it and I think they would have been too cold for them to really enjoy the lake. Next time, I should pack some wind breakers, and maybe two hiking poles for each person.
What Happened?
1.7 miles, 1 hr 19 mins, 588 ft of ascent
We had originally wanted to hike Bumpass Hell, but when we got to the entrance booth, we found out that there was 4-5 ft of snow still blocking the trail. So, after a quick visit to the visitor center, we found our way to the Ridge Lakes Trail, which I had previous marked as a backup trail.
We got lucky with the parking, put on sunscreen, and started not on the trail, but by making our way to the Sulfur Works viewpoint. After the girls were surprised by how rank sulfur smelled, we made our way to the trailhead and started the hike in earnest.
At first, the trail was just a bit on the warm side, so we hiked from shade to shade. Then, as the snow started to come out to play, we found ourselves luxuriating at the perfect temperature for a hike like this. Even further on, we found ourselves a bit cold (not-yet-shivering) until we were faced with a snow wall to traverse. We called it quits and hiked back to the trailhead, with both of the girls is great spirits.
At the trailhead, we quickly got into our car and headed off to the campsite, where the promise of dinner urged us forward.
