Decided to embrace the crowds and hiked Kendall Katwalk on a beautiful Saturday. I had the intention to start early like 7am early but decided to sleep in and hoped for the best.
Bad idea, the parking lots were extremely full. I read other trip reports that folks were parked at Alpental and walked to start trail. I found a spot between two cars and squeezed my Honda civic in between them. I think if everyone had parked just a tiny bit better, more cars would've been able to park. But again, it was a very busy day at the trail. I saw more cars rolling in as I was circling to find a spot. Start early!
Toilet at the upper lot was out of TP at 10am but was stocked when I returned at 5:30pm.
There's not much that needs to be noted about the trail. The trail was well maintained and graded. Only a few steep sections and a few sections of loose rocks. It was beautiful but very long but it was one of those hikes that once you go past the katwalk, you can't stop. Only a little more to go. That was what I was thinking - I knew my legs and feet were going to be tired but I continued on to check out Gravel and Ridge Lakes. I took a long lunch break at Ridge Lake. It felt a little more intimate and there were plenty of spots around the lake to chill and hang out. The crowds did eventually thin out after going beyond the katwalk.
There were a lot of trail runners - while I appreciate them running the trail, I don't know what the trail etiquette is. I understand you are going at full force and don't want to lose momentum. But part of the trail gets really narrow and there were no real spots to move aside. I encountered a group of 3 that gave me a heads up that they were coming behind me but they refused to stop. It freaked my dog out too. I was annoyed so I did tell them that I needed a moment to find a spot. Share the trail, just because you're going fast doesn't mean you always have the right of way! We're all trying out here and enjoying our time.
Otherwise, it was a great day on the trail. The temps were perfect - hovering between the high 60s to low 70s. A lot of the trail was exposed so I was glad it wasn't an extremely hot day. I recommend filling up water 3 miles in. After that, you would have to hike another 4 before reaching the lakes to fill up. I think bringing a water filter (if you have one) would be great for this long trail since carrying all your water could feel heavy.
Wildflowers were super cool and saw a marmot and a chipmunk while I was lunching at Ridge Lake. All in all, a beautiful hike and no wonder it's so popular.
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