Lake Isabel
Lake Isabel is reportedly a charming little lake just NE of Gold Bar off Highway 2. Trail guides report that float plane pilots are sometimes tempted to land and take off from this lake and a few who didn't make it left the remains of their aircraft under the water. However, there are major obstacles to hiking there. We exited north off Highway 2 at Reiter Road. At the junction with May Creek Road, keep right. Just past a gravel pit used by ORV's is another junction. Go left and confront a water filled pothole about 15 feet in diameter. The next quarter mile is like driving on the crater pocked surface of the moon. The good old boys in their raised suspension off road trucks at the parking area were amazed that my little Astrid Subaru made it that far.
But no further. The next half mile is more a chain of small lakes than a road. Even the ORV's dared not proceed. We hiked in as far as May Creek. The bridge is long since washed out, the water is deep and swift, and the only potential log crossing is slimy wet and mossy. We tried to chuck some rocks into the stream to cross but it was becoming more work than fun. So we abandoned the effort and went on to another hike. There is evidence of a trail on the other side of the creek. A log foot bridge here with a handrail would open up a potentially nice hike up to a scenic lake that is close to urban areas.
Driving Directions:
Go east on Highway 2 just outside of Gold Bar and turn left onto Reiter Road. At the "Y" junction with May Creek road, turn right, staying on Reiter Road. Just past the abandoned gravel pit where ORV's play turn right onto a series of water filled potholes that used to be a road. Follow if you can a quarter mile under the power lines to a parking area. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mud/Rockslide | Water on trail
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Started hiking this morning with a couple of friends and found someone had taken to putting new orange flags on...
Started hiking this morning with a couple of friends and found someone had taken to putting new orange flags on many of the trees guiding you through the trail to the lake. Made staying on the trail much easier. Still a difficult hike with many downed trees along the way, the land slide at the end of road 110, crossing May Creek, and scrambling up the side of the water fall. No snow on the trail yet but some was present at the lake on some logs. Great hike with many rewarding sites and views along the way. Just have to keep an eye open for them.
Lake Isabel
— Apr 23, 2011
— www.trailclue.com
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Bridge out | Road to trailhead inaccessible
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I had made a log footbridge across May Creek just up from the main old washed out bridge. the trail...
I had made a log footbridge across May Creek just up from the main old washed out bridge. the trail is nicely cairned for the route up to the railroad grade. I followed that grade a half mile and took a left @ a main junct. Went beoned a relic camp which included old steel cable and fire ring . I would like to orginize a trailclue (trail mataince org) trip to collect litter,clear windfall,work on select portions of the high route to Lake Isabel. My name is Ravi Myers and my email is trailclue@gmail.com, please contact me if u would like to go to Isabel and do some trailclue along the way.
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Bridge out | Clogged drainage | Overgrown | Mud/Rockslide | Mudholes | Washouts | Water on trail | Road to trailhead inaccessible
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The DNR is remodeling Reiter ORV area. This has resulted in the removal of a key bridge across May...
The DNR is remodeling Reiter ORV area. This has resulted in the removal of a key bridge across May Creek in an effort to prevent motorized access. It forces a hiker to find a ford point to cross May creek, not a good idea in January high water. Or find a different route. Fortunately there is a route that does not cross May Creek. I have taken a few trips in to the Reiter area in an effort to find and map the shortest trail to link up with the route to Lake Isabel on the East bank of May creek. Eventually i plan to post a GPS track viewable VIA Google Earth/Maps, with an updated route description. What was once a 6 mile hike is now 9 miles due to the DNR closures. Last June great efforts were made to clean up a trash problem at Isabel. 7 months later there is a fresh trail of discarded beverage containers, derelict fishing gear, and a newly abandoned dollar store personal personal flotation device. Looks like i have some spring cleaning to do in the future.
Pack it in Pack it out. Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Bridge out | Mud/Rockslide | Mudholes | Washouts | Water on trail
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The route can be confusing to follow, especially at the beginning which goes through an ATV park (thankfully, the Reiter...
The route can be confusing to follow, especially at the beginning which goes through an ATV park (thankfully, the Reiter 4x4 park is closed at this time.). The creek crossings on this hike were a bit tricky given the ice, on the rocks and logs, but we managed. Near the top, pink and orange tags mark the boot path that leaves the road and parallels the right side of May creek. Navigating the boot path took some time as much of it is covered in downed trails and debris.
We made it to the base of Isabel falls, which was pretty stunning! Scramble up the right side of the falls to reach the lake. A more detailed trip report, and GPS route is on our blog, located here: http://www.hikingwithmybrother.com/[…]/lake-isabel-trail.html Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Washouts | Road to trailhead inaccessible
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A hike into Lake Isabel should be easy. It is just off highway 2 outside of Gold Bar. ...
A hike into Lake Isabel should be easy. It is just off highway 2 outside of Gold Bar. Round trip distance is reportedly only 6 miles
and the elevation gain is only 2300 feet. Of course, you have to get past the May Creek Maze first! The Maze starts at an abandoned gravel pit off Reiter Road. Exit highway 2 just past Gold Bar onto Reiter Road and at the junction, go right. After a pleasant mile through pretty forest, come to the gravel pit on the left. It is a stony, bumpy place churned up by dirt bikes and ORVs. The damage to the forest land from these machines is brutal and the trash they leave behind is sad. Leave the car here and hike down the road about 100 yds to a gate. Past the gate is series of mud holes the size of moon craters that pass for a "road". Go under the power lines and continue to a barrier beyond which is a jumble of boulders with gushing water called May Creek. It is easily passable at this time of year. Now the fun begins. A stony, cobbly road leads off to the west. The book says to follow this 3/4 of a mile to a junction, go right up hill and back east 2 miles to another junction. Then go left and after a short way, go right again one mile to an old bridge. Not! Instead, at the end of the 2 miles east, the stony road hooks a left and continues uphill but the old bridge is actually to the right. There is a big stump there with 3 pink ribbons on it and ORV tracks going around both sides. Go around the stump and follow this for a mile of pleasant road to a really decrepit old bridge over May Creek. (note: there is a much nicer short cut off road about a quarter mile west of the first May Creek crossing. Go up a washout on the right marked with pink ribbons to a green woodsy trail that eventually meets up with the aforementioned road. There is a cairn at the top. This cuts a mile off the journey and still gets you to the bridge.) At the bridge is a choice. Avoid the bridge and go left up a very steep, but very pretty trail that parallels May Creek all the way to an upper road. The road then climbs to a washout and I have no idea where that goes. By the way, this road is the same one you started on but it is a tortuous, steep, stony ordeal to follow. The woodsy trail is much nicer. The other choice is to review your life insurance policy and cross the bridge. On this side the "road" is merely a track, gouged and chewed up by ORV tracks. How they got up here, I don't know, but they motored right over a sign and fence that was supposed to prevent their passage. Anyway there is a faint trail immediately after the bridge uphill to the left. There is a post there warning that this is not a trail, but it is. It goes to the May Creek waterfall. The "road" curves left and supposedly there is a imperceptible branch off to the left that takes one up to Lake Isabel, but we didn't find it and it was getting late and we wanted our coffee. So no lake today but plenty of exploration. |
Lake Isabel. Photo by GeoHiker.
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