Can we get the “WTA Pro Tip” removed from the hike description? It’s a commercial for some pub in Soap Lake…

04may2022 WED ~11:00 70s_F, Swee and i arrived at the Billy Clapp Lake Water Access parking .. and we were lucky to get the last spot.

~11:15 we went Out/Up on the Trail. And ~0.3 mile in, we encountered a party of ~10 hikers coming down. They told us that they had turned around after having done ~1 mile; cos they kept running in to "dead-ends".. they don't have a Map. i replied that i am also unfamiliar with the area or the Trail(s) at Billy Clapp Lake. And cos i have a Map .. if they like, we can all hike together .. going Out/Up. After some exchanges among the Party, they decided not continue with their hike cos its nearing lunch-time, and that the weather is getting much warmer/hotter. We bid each other goodbyes .. and went our separate ways.

Other than these ~10 hikers, i didn't see anyone else on the Trail. The Trail seemed un-maintained; some stretches were faint and/or covered by shrubs or grass. It was dry and in good walking condition. Saw a few balsamroots .. these probably, past its prime 😢

Lovely views of Billy Clapp Lake, its surrounding rocks, the Beach. Indeed, Swee and i have nice ramble 😀

Happy Trails Everyone 😀

Stats: Distance 1.6 mi / Ascent 151 (-168) ft / Total Time: 1:02

The upper half of Billy Clapp Lake was still frozen over with a thin sheet of ice. The waves were breaking up the windward edge, and the broken bits sounded like tinkling glass as I hiked along the shore. The only other sounds were the wind and a pair of ravens.

Not many go past the beaches, and the ice stopped the boat traffic, so I had the place to myself. Lots of good exploring - and sweet solitude. (and no ticks or snakes yet!)

A fun hike

From the trailhead, the trail is good for a mile or so, though it branches a bunch of times, and there are no trail signs. The trails seem informal, not planned, but it's open country and easy to navigate without getting lost. 

I followed the lakeshore roughly, but it's easier to go high to get in great views and make route choices.

It took about 3 hours to reach the north end of Billy Clapp Lake. You have to make decisions about taking the bottom of coulees or going around them and sometimes you come to a cliff and need to backtrack or go around, but it doesn't take a great detour to do so. Usually there's no path, but there's a lot of deer trails you can take to make it easier. 

It was a lot of fun exploring this area for the first time. I didn't see any other hikers. I saw several signs marking the area around the lake as a wildlife area with hunting prohibited. During hunting season, this is nice to know. 

When I first read about this hike, it didn't seem so fun, but the further I got into it, the more fun it got. I give it a gold star.