Lester ghost town is no longer there but the surrounding area is gorgeous and fun to explore!

Decided on a spur-of-the-moment revisit to Lester, the first time in five years. It was a longer road in than I remember and a shorter walk to the rail than I remember. It was fantastically isolated--other than me and my two friends, I saw only another couple in the 2 hours we spent there.

The walk in is pretty linear, with plenty of options to go explore the swift riverbeds, pockets of wildflowers, and some of the old structures of the town. I was sad to see that the buildings that used to be there were all taken down . . . that was def one of the highlights of going last time. Still, it was a great experience, and by no means difficult for anyone that is capable of walking on a flat surface.

One of these days I'd like to take a mountain bike out there and explore some of the side roads. It seems like there are plenty of other worlds in stampede pass that would be nice to check out.

A friend and I hiked this today!

The drive out was gorgeous—and really all you need to know is to stay 54 once you get onto the dirt road. Deep potholes, but easily passable in a Subaru—I imagine they might be a little less awesome in a sedan or something too low to the ground. Just keep going. Stay on the road that looks like the road you should be on. Eventually you'll get to a yellow gate with some parking area around it. There was plenty of snow on the sides of the road for a bit of the drive—but 100% passable, and eventually you drop back below the snow line before getting to the trailhead. The potholes on the ride were the only real part of the journey that required a sports bra for us womenfolk. :| 

The hike is not at all vigorous—we saw some kids and a heavily pregnant woman on it. Naturally, that made us feel like sissies for driving out into the middle of nowhere with our trail shoes and day packs and thinking we were going on an adventure. 

It's a pretty hike—but there's virtually nothing left of Lester. Even the "artifacts" some other reviews mentioned after they tore down the town remains were gone. You'll spend a LOT of time in the sun on a sunny day. There are long stretches of the trail that aren't shaded at all. Get that sunscreen on. 

There are some live railroad tracks out there, so be careful hanging out on the tracks—if the rails are shiny, keep off 'em! Especially if there was a train coming. 

There is so little left of Lester (alliteration!) that you'll probably walk right past it, and wind up at the "NO TRESPASSING" signs from the Green River Watershed protector folks. Lame. We turned around and went back at that point. 

Well worth it just for the drive and walk with a friend, not quite the adventure we'd hoped for.