Skies were overcast as six of us drove to Lost Creek Lake to hike the trail to the Blue Grotto. We drove across Peyton Bridge, turned left onto Lewis Road and continued 1 mile to the trailhead.
Our first impression was how full Lost Creek Reservoir is with water filling all the inlets of the lake. The trail follows the lake shore and is well maintained. Wildflowers were sparse but poison oak was prevalent. Serviceberry and buck brush (Ceanothus) sometimes filled the woods with white blooms. Blue wildflowers were lovely in the soft light and included larkspur, blue-eyed Marys, Menzie’s baby blue eyes, and blue dicks. We saw one stand of red fritillary that matched Mabrie’s strawberry hat.
This trail to the Blue Grotto is again possible, because of the new bridge built in 2024. According to the Army Corp of Engineers Facebook site, the new bridge is “a fortified single span camelback-style bridge with no center support that could fail due to hydrological and geotechnical challenges”. We admired the bridge’s architecture and the lake views through the bridge wood struts.
The Monday hiking group did this trail on March 17, 2025, and Rich posted a video of the water gushing over and out of the Blue Grotto. However, the Blue Grotto cascade was not there for us. We trekked up the upper spur to the Blue Grotto and found only a dry creek bed. There was a tiny trickle of water at the bottom of the grotto. Otherwise, the green rocks were dry, providing a good view of the rock formation that makes up the grotto.
We met no other hikers, so the trail was ours alone to enjoy the quiet forest and emerald waters of Lost Creek Lake. Hiking distance: 5 miles RT; 800’ elevation gain.
Kay
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2.balsam root
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5.blue dick
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6.fawn lilly
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7.milkvetch
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8.Woodland star
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12.Blue Grotto (1)
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13.scarlet fritillary
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15.Menzies_ baby blue eyes
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16.Tolmie's pussy ears
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Group
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