Got back on a hike today with four friends. Met at Oxbow Loop at 10. (Note: Lake Dorothy Road is still closed. Just stay right ant the fork and you will get back on Middlefork).

We wanted to hike the Oxbow Loop which is easy and very pretty. We always take our time here, with lovely river views, views above Oxbow Lake, moss covered trees and wildlife. 

We then carpooled down to Garfield Ledges lot in one high clearance vehicle because of the deep potholes down crossing the bridge at the very end of the road. No snow at all not even on the peaks hardly.

The Garfield Ledges trail is on the right as you park, going uphill. It’s a short hike but some stairs and a bit of an uphill march give a bit of a challenge. 

The top has a wonderful view, and we had it to ourselves for 1/2 hour while we ate lunch. Hardly any other hikers on either trail today. 

Short downhill stroll, carpool the five miles back to Oxbow and on the road home by 2:30. Easy fun day outside. 

Just posting to say that the small downed logs are still there (would be challenging with mobility issues) and that there were a pair of river otters playing together in the lake!

A nice short all-season hike on a crystal clear day. There were great views of the mountains through the bare deciduous trees but a bit disconcerting to see the prominent peaks in the surrounding area without any snow on them.

We did the loop counter clockwise starting at the trailhead with the restrooms.  The trail is frozen solid so there was no mud and there was just one downed tree across the trail that was easily stepped over. The lake is frozen over with a pretty tough covering. 

Be cautious of the SE Middle Fork Road as there is ice and frost morning and afternoon, probably all day in shaded areas. The road is closed at the Y so you will take the fork to the left going in. The vault toilets are open but out of TP, BYO.

It was 32 degrees as we began our clockwise meander from the large parking area. The restrooms were clean and stocked with paper. There was one vehicle at the TH when we arrived at 1230. A pair of runners passed us twice, but we saw no one else until we were almost back to the parking area where  we met a pair of walkers starting their journey. There were 4 easily stepped over trees across the trail and evidence of recent clearing from the atmospheric river event! There was a thin layer of ice on the lake and we saw some hair ice in a few areas. The many frosted areas in the shade added to the beauty of our walk. The only wildlife seen was a Common Goldeneye seen in the first viewpoint of the river. It, or a different one, was seen in the same area on our return!

We wanted a shorter mellow hike today, so headed for one of our favorite easy view hikes, Oxbow Lake.

The Middle Fork Road was icy today between the Mailbox and Granite Lakes trailheads in the place where water seeps over the road. I saw a few unsuspecting cars slide on it.

The trailheads for the Oxbow Loop were both about half full. We picked the north one by the restrooms because of the viewpoint nearby. (On a trail with lots of great views, this is one of the best.) We headed counterclockwise. 

We found cougar scat on the trail, which surprised us given how close this trail is to the Middle Fork Road and how many people use it. 

There were about four blowdowns, nothing too intense. Second pic shows the scale. The river was pretty high. One of the forest highlights was hair ice. Oxbow Lake is frozen, but the ice looks pretty thin.