Walked the Rattlesnake Ledge trail up from Cedar Falls to all three ledges and back on this beautiful Sunday morning. I figured with everybody going to Tiger 3 or prepping for the super duper bowl maybe it’d be a little less crowded. Parking wasn’t even half full at 8 AM, (and still not full at 11,) Discover Pass required as per normal. Both the sanicans by the parking lot and the facilities on the other side of the lake by the official trailhead were open and functional if well used. Note the lake level is high so not much of the Moncton ghost town area to be see, but the views over the lake remain very nice.
I had not been up here since the trail redo and it is in wonderful shape - better than it’s ever been with no issues at all. The new stairs up to the 1st ledge make it much easier/safer - they are kind of like a “grand staircase” and when you get to the top you pop out into the wonderful views. Not much wildlife out though there was one large raven and a single bald eagle flying around the lake earlier in addition to a scattering of few other spring birds. It is still a zoo with all the people/dogs/bluetooth speakers/audible fitness trackers talking to their users “workout restarted, you will reach your destination in 7.4 minutes…” but everybody was in a good mood with the super nice weather and enjoying themselves and the spectacular views. Rattlesnake Ledge still remains one of the very best local first timer hikes - easy to get to, relatively easy to walk up and the views are just so darn spectacular. I love watching first timers reaching the top and looking out with this expression of, “holy cow, I just climbed a d@mn mountain! This is amazing!” A beautiful morning.
link to more info on the Moncton ghost town - https://historylink.org/File/2436
Comments