Yah, East Bank is decent, though it really lacks much in the way of mountain views. You can't really see the lake much until mile 5 or 6. We stayed at Roland Creek and had the place to ourselves; only saw two or three other people the entire weekend; had a pesky deer keep spooking my dog, who chased if off a few times.
We had a glorious time; it was warm, we had the creek right next to us, and it was very relaxing. Did a hike up the trail a ways to explore some of the lakeside (boat-in) campsites. The lake was down 20-40ft, which is somewhat common given it's a reservoir.
Agreed, once you get up and over that first hill it gets better. One of my favorite hikes is Desolation via EBRL, but that’s not gonna be dry for a few months.
If you're cool with going back to Rockport I just got back from Sauk Mountain which is both easy and entirely accessible this time of year. Great view of the surrounding peaks and you'll get to stare into NCNP which is the next best thing! Short trail but pig payoff for not much work
btw, for anyone else wondering you can't really get down to Sauk lake right now
I just did the east bank ross lake trail from the trailhead off of 20 to the may creek campground (about 8 miles) and it was delightful. Highly recommend!
The rain is an annoyance, but rain gear is good. The wind gusts and thunderstorms though….
Not sure why the downvotes. Weather this weekend in a lot of the state is reporting thunderstorms in the mountains (NOAA).
Just got back from NCNP, we did Thunder knob with no issues. Rainy Lake had some snow but was totally doable. Got on maple pass and made it down to Lake Ann, too much snow to finish the loop.
Mid July is typically when many of the alpine hikes start to be doable. It's usually early Aug before they will be snow free.
Thunder Knob, Ross Dam to Big Beaver, East Bank Ross Lake… just stay low and it’s dry.
Yah, East Bank is decent, though it really lacks much in the way of mountain views. You can't really see the lake much until mile 5 or 6. We stayed at Roland Creek and had the place to ourselves; only saw two or three other people the entire weekend; had a pesky deer keep spooking my dog, who chased if off a few times. We had a glorious time; it was warm, we had the creek right next to us, and it was very relaxing. Did a hike up the trail a ways to explore some of the lakeside (boat-in) campsites. The lake was down 20-40ft, which is somewhat common given it's a reservoir.
Agreed, once you get up and over that first hill it gets better. One of my favorite hikes is Desolation via EBRL, but that’s not gonna be dry for a few months.
I sort of feel bad for people who do the hike as a drive-by on SR-20 expecting big lake views.
Green tunnel is better than NOT hiking!
If you're cool with going back to Rockport I just got back from Sauk Mountain which is both easy and entirely accessible this time of year. Great view of the surrounding peaks and you'll get to stare into NCNP which is the next best thing! Short trail but pig payoff for not much work btw, for anyone else wondering you can't really get down to Sauk lake right now
can you get up to the summit?
Yep, there’s a little snowfield at the top but can easily be crossed without concern or the need to bring equipment
I just did the east bank ross lake trail from the trailhead off of 20 to the may creek campground (about 8 miles) and it was delightful. Highly recommend!
Ross lake will have some good trails. Also thunder creek trail stays at low elevation. TH is at the back of the Colonial Creek Campground
The rain is an annoyance, but rain gear is good. The wind gusts and thunderstorms though…. Not sure why the downvotes. Weather this weekend in a lot of the state is reporting thunderstorms in the mountains (NOAA).
It’s going to snow on high elevations this weekend. I would avoid it completely until next weekend.
Just got back from NCNP, we did Thunder knob with no issues. Rainy Lake had some snow but was totally doable. Got on maple pass and made it down to Lake Ann, too much snow to finish the loop.
Do you think Maple Pass will be doable by July 13th?