One morning we decided the Lake Shore trail, as nice as it is, was not enough of a workout, so we hiked the Swan Lake/Heron Pond trail again. The trailhead is at the marina at Colter Bay, about a 10 minute walk from our campsite. Last time, we went to Heron Pond first, so we switched it up and went to Swan Lake first this time.
Before the hike, we checked with the ranger in the Visitor Center, which is right next to the marina, to see if any part of the trail was closed. We had a little talk about bears, and she asked us if we had bear spray with us, as she highly recommended it. Dead serious, I slowly held up my WATER BOTTLE, and said...oh yes, I have it! We are still laughing our heads off over that!! In my defense, I had a handle on my water bottle so I could stick it easily in my pocket. It was sort of like the handle on the bear spray, which I had in my other pocket. HAahhahahahaha. We laughed so hard, we are still laughing. And when we go on a hike, I always hold up my water bottle and tell Tom I'm ready!! Hahahahha.
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| water bottle |
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| bear spray |
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| okay...I'm ready now |
There are so many hiking trails around here, that it doesn't seem right to repeat any of them. Truth be told, there is always something different to be seen. We will probably do this particular hike a few more times before we leave this campground. It is so convenient and nice. And, we are always on the lookout for moose at the lake and at the pond!
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| at the top of the hill, looked to the left and this is what we saw |
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| okay Susie...this way now |
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| cute little squirrel...chowing down! |
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| another beautiful bouquet in the forest |
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| so nice and cool in the lodgepole pine forest |
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| happy hikers |
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| Swan Lake....beautiful view |
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| see any moose? |
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| refreshing area of the hike |
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| oh look, a butterfly on my favorite flower |
Another very popular hike in the area is Taggart Lake. If you combine it with Bradley Lake, it becomes a really nice hike of about 6 miles, and you get to see TWO beautiful glacial lakes! The hike to Taggart is very popular, and the parking lot fills up really quickly. We were lucky to get a spot when we started so late (for us) at about 10am. We had lots of company, which I prefer in bear country!
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| beautiful morning heading to Taggart Lake trailhead |
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| start of the trail |
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| lots of company on this hike |
Early on in the hike, once you start going uphill a little and into the woods, this little gem shows up. Its a cascading waterfall, and is very scenic right from the start.
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| very early on...a nice cascade! |
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| lots of water flowing |
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| right Tom? |
We really did have a lot of company on this hike, including 3 horses. At one point, the rider let the horse "jump" over the tree blocking the trail, instead of going around it like the other horses did. Thought of you Jess! You would have loved it!
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| sharing the trail with horse too! |
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| walking along |
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| babbling creek along the side of the trail for part of the way |
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| heading up a bit |
The trail was really scenic, so it distracted me from some of the tougher parts. This trail is described as "moderate", but remember, we are in the mountains. Even the easy trails go up! Hahaha. But just look at these views. Too bad you can't smell the pine too. Its really great...one of my favorite scents.
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| what a gorgeous trail! Just look at that! |
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| enjoying the hike |
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| are those huckleberry bushes? |
Some parts of the trail had lots of low bushes. Its very easy to surprise a bear, which is something you really don't want to do. So, we make noise as we go through these parts. We didn't see any bears, but a hiker ahead of us did. She asked if we saw the little brown bear on the left on the way up the hill....which we did not.
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| this trail is very popular with the bears, we hear! |
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| lots of direction...so we don't get too lost |
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| glacial rock in the middle of the bushes there |
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| moving right along |
We came upon Bradley Lake, with our first view from high up. It was really magnificent. You don't expect to see a beautiful lake in the middle of the forest. Makes it all that much nicer!
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| here we are at Bradley Lake |
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| it is beautiful...can't tell from the picture-a nice glacial/forest green |
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| going up |
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| more Bradley Lake |
After admiring the lake and taking a little walk around it, we got back on the trail and headed to Taggart Lake. It wasn't too far away, and it too was outstanding. Love these glacial lakes!! It was a perfect time for lunch, so we sat on a rock and had a great view while eating our sandwiches.
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| heading to Taggart Lake now |
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| make some noise....let the bears know we are here |
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| more direction...nicely marked trails! |
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| oh look at what's ahead! |
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| Taggart Lake |
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| beautiful glacial lake |
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| the water is so clear! |
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| lets look for a lunch spot |
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| hiking around the lake a bit |
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| great view |
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| make some noise! |
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| such a nice trail |
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| almost at the lake again |
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| ahh...this looks great |
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| perfect spot for lunch today |
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| peanut butter always tastes better outdoors! |
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| a close-up of the view across the way-you could hear that waterfall too! |
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| beautiful lake |
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| isn't this just great? |
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| another view of the lake |
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| I guess we have to leave the lake now and finish the rest of the trail |
We spent a lot of time in the lake area. The trail has many lake views and many places to stop and enjoy it. After a while, we headed back via the Beaver Creek Trail. We didn't really see the creek much, but we did hear it for a lot of the way.
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| time to head out..still great directions |
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| still viewing the lake |
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| its really a pretty large lake |
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| such nice clear water |
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| another section... |
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| great view |
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| fishing is good here |
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| I think its good fishing....that guy is still fishing! |
The way back was much different than the trail to get to the lakes. This trail went through lots of meadows and rolling hills, so it was hard to see what was in the meadow. We made noise periodically to alert any wildlife that we were coming through. Some of this trail reminded us of hiking in Lake Louise last year. Narrow trails along the side of the mountain. Just not nearly as steep as those trails were! Hahah.
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| view on the way back |
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| need to be loud here....bear territory |
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| hard to see them and you don't want to surprise one |
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| love this trail |
The trail went through such different types of environments, so it was never boring at all. We did see the creek a bit, and of course, more wildflowers. I especially enjoyed seeing the fields of my favorite flower!
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| still good directions! |
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| now we are on Beaver Creek Trail...that must be the creek |
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| got a shot of the bird |
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| a field of my favorite flower (which is actually a weed) |
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| nice, huh? |
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| heading back |
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| a nice shady part of the trail |
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| 'shrooms |
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| pretty big |
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| not too much more to go.. |
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| its really hot now in the sun |
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| another new (to us) flower! |
This trail was so enjoyable and the lakes so beautiful, we just may do this hike again!
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