I did a loop from a path just across the road from the Mount Catherine trailhead, to Twin Lakes, the Cold Creek Trail, Mirror Lake, Cottonwood Lake, and back along the PCT to Windy Pass, then down the road to the car. I did not go up to Mount Catherine, but I’ve tagged it for notes on the road.
Road: this was the roughest I’ve seen this year. Please do not take this road unless your car can handle a lot of unavoidable potholes, plus very uneven sections of rocks much too large to be called gravel.
Trailhead: no signs, no bathrooms, just a slightly wider section of road. Would have missed it if I weren’t tracking the distance. Just me at 8 AM; 13 cars between there and Windy Pass at 1 PM.
Cold Creek Trail: starting very slightly downhill and across the road from the Mt. Catherine trailhead is a narrow, brushy trail that connects in 1 mile to the Cold Creek Trail near Twin Lakes. I could only see one of the Twins; pretty, but honestly probably not worth the effort from there to the PCT.
I kept thinking, “This isn’t so bad.” Then the trail got steeper and brushier. I thought, “This still isn’t that bad,” and it got steeper and brushier again. Ok, ok, the trail description was accurate. 🙂 I’m glad I went up rather than down; more likely to get tired, but less likely to get injured, and I’d rather be tired than injured. Thankfully the brushy parts were in patches, but the final mile or so was very steep and narrow, all dirt, needles and pinecones.
PCT and Cottonwood trail: in great shape. Cottonwood was my favorite. Small, green, quiet, lovely reflections of trees and rocky ridges above, and much less effort!
Berries: so many everywhere! Fall foliage up there is going to be amazing.
People: 10 times, all on the PCT, all but once between 11:30 and 1. Didn’t see tents; sites available at each lake. I bet you’d have a lot of peace and quiet at Twin, just one brushy mile from the trailhead.
I might try Mirror and Cottonwood from their own trailhead for upcoming fall colors, but I don’t think I’d take this particular route again. I enjoyed the one-time challenge, though!
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