On Monday, we continued our five-year tradition of hiking to the Puck Lakes in the High Cascades of the Sky Lakes Wilderness.
After a 90-minute drive from Ashland, we arrived at the Nannie Creek TH at 6,000' just past 9:30 AM. The sky overhead was blue, and the temperature was in the mid-60s.
Most of the 500' of gain are in the first mile, with a steady gain from the rocky TH, into a shady forest.
Most of the downed trees had been removed from the main trail out to the Lakes, but there were still some step-overs hiking around Big Puck Lake.
After the first mile of uphill, the trail flattens out onto a plateau out to the Lakes. An old cairn, now reduced to a rock pile, signals the right turn off the trail to the first Lake.
Whether you're seeing the Lake for the first time or the fifth, your initial view of Big Puck Lake is breathtaking, a pristine mountain lake at 6500'. The sun shines through the clear, calm water of the Lake.
The trail around Big Puck is, at times, primitive, but you can be guided by watching from the red Erica Heather shrubs and red Spirea plants.
Other plants grow near the water or in the shaded forest.
Halfway around Big Puck, there is an isthmus of land between the two Lakes where you can stop for lunch while viewing both Lakes.
We took our group photo with Little Puck Lake in the background.
After lunch, we took the more adventurous hike back on the east side of Big Puck to complete the loop.
After our visit to the Puck Lakes, we headed back on the Nannie Creek Trail, stopping occasionally to take some flower photos.
We were back at the parking by 1:30 pm, having hiked 6.7 miles with 500' of gain.
Happy Trails
Rich
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