Larrabee State Park - Rock Trail — Monday, Aug. 2, 2021

Cleator Road is rough but passable. Only a few potholes to navigate, but it’s quite rocky. Fairly easy on most of the wide gravel road for oncoming cars to pass, some narrower sections.

The large parking lot at the top has space for about 20 cars. There are a few picnic benches here & a great view overlooking the Sound! The privy was stocked & very clean.

The Trailhead starts at the far end of the parking lot where you’ll find a large map of the trail system. You’ll start in the forest, and soon come to the infamous stairs. There are 188 total wooden steps on this trail & you’ll start by descending them. Remember that for the return trip up! It’s easy to see why this is a WTA Signature trail; it’s well done & the sandstone rock formations are amazing! Today the trail was completely dry & only a few bugs to deal with.

At the bottom, I turned left & followed the South Lost Lake Trail to the junction, then continued right around the lake. It’ll be a bit until you get a good view of it on a rock clearing. Great place for a snack! I continued along this trail which progressively narrowed, and became overgrown. It eventually begins to climb steeply on a narrow, rocky, winding & eroded path for what seems like forever due to the overgrowth & blind corners. I met one mountain biker coming down at a pretty good clip, but we heard each other before a collision. The top opens up to a great view, but it was quite hazy today. There are beautiful wildflowers to enjoy as you walk the road & start back down. You’ll renter the forest & follow the Lost Lake trail back to Rock Trail for the climb back up. Here’s those 188 wooden steps again!

Enjoy your hike!