this is a great short hike to a nice lake. trailhead was easy to find, only 1 other car there. it climbs uphill, crossing over a creek twice with nice falls, shoes stayed dry. plenty of ripe berries along the way. 1 person at the lake and they left shortly after I arrived. very peaceful and quiet. once I heard someone yell from high point but why not? such a gorgeous day, I didn't mind the celebratory cheer!

Hike was beautiful and zig-zags across a waterfall. Smaller children can be intimidated by crossing through as there is no bridge, but still passable (feet will surely get wet even with ankle boots) Bugs were present, but not terrible. Lake shore was FULL of tadpoles and the kids loved checking them out. They did not swim, but did get in about waste deep to play - no leeches! Chipmunks were abundant and not shy so be sure to keep food safe. Pretty smooth spot for camping with existing fire pits - did find quite a few empty liquor bottles that we chose to pack up and hike out for disposal (c'mon people!) A son and father hiking through did some fishing and caught two within 5 minutes. While it was steep, it was much easier in comparison from having just came off of high rock. (in fact, you can see Cora Lake from High Rock and vice-versa)

The hike was beautiful but a little steep for the kids, 9 and 4. Possibly because the trail conditions were not great. There wasn't an obvious place to get to the lake either, a few camp grounds that you can walk through if nobody is there. Otherwise fun.

This is offered more as a cautionary tale. We have two large, older dogs, so a short hike is pretty much all we can do with them. This trail really appealed to us, but sadly, the trail slopes inward toward what in parts was a small stream (the rains finally came the night before we tried this hike) and after maybe a quarter mile, we decided it just wasn't going to work for our dogs. They had a hard time keeping their footing and slipped right into the middle "gully" on the trail several times before we gave up and turned around. We were disappointed, but just wanted to mention this -- it's not a smooth trail, so if you or your companions have any difficulties with walking on uneven, occasionally slippery surfaces, this is not the trail for you. On another note, we ended up just walking the dogs along the Forest Roads, and we were really saddened by the amount of garbage that had been left around the little campsites off to the side of the road. We picked up a few bottles but we couldn't get everything -- there were empty cases of beer, clothing, towels, tons of cigarette butts, candy wrappers. Really disappointed in the people who camp in this part of Gifford Pinchot.

This was our first trip up to Cora Lake, we were not sure what to expect. Tagging along was our 11 year old and 5 year old daughters. As well as our first hike with our 150 lb rescued English Mastiff, Monty and Mini Schnauzer, Lilly. All took the hike with ease. Beautiful sights from the beginning to end. The logging road on the way up was interesting but took it slow and steady and made it with no probs. Easy area to pull off and park right at the trail head. Nothing to bad on the hike up no downed trees and the waterfalls were all flowing and easily passable. Even for a 5 yr old and big dog not wanting to be on a leash. Once at the lake we ran into a few motorcycle riders enjoying the veiw at the main part of the lake that the trail ends at. We easily walked around (off to the right) and found a small campground that has some lake access for the kids and dogs to explore. A few minutes later a group of about 5 people and 3 dogs walked up the trail behind us. Plenty of room to share with everyone. The kids enjoyed all of the tadpoles and some fish jumping way out in the middle of the Lake. I can only imagine how loud it will be up there at night when those little tadpoles become frogs. The only draw back were the fly's..HUGE..and wouldn't leave us alone. Kind of annoying after awhile, would bring bug spray and a fly swatter next time. We enjoyed our view during lunch and then headed back down. On the way down passed a few mnt bikers on the way up to the lake as well. I wasn't expecting on seeing so many people. Great hike, recommend to all.