Heather Lake — Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025

October 1st and a drizzly day for a fall hike. It's been several years since I've last hiked and done day work parties on this trail, so it was interesting to see the changes. 

The road to the trailhead has been significantly improved, with the giant potholes of years past gone. The parking lot has also been expanded with a new overflow lot. 

Heading into the woods, I was surprised to see that the beginning portion of the trail has been graveled. This makes for a great walking surface, but don't let it lull you into a false sense of security. The gravel peters out, and the rest of the way, you are literally hiking upstream. Years of erosion means that the copious amounts of water in this area all runs downhill right in the trail. Wear Waterproof Footwear!

Old check steps are now waterfalls, and soil has totally washed away in places to reveal faces of rock that the water streams down. Your choices are typically only waterfall or root ladder when it comes to walking surfaces. 

The lake was clear and quite pretty, with fall colors just starting to come in on the slopes around it. We arrived at the lake just before noon, and more and more groups started to come in as we ate some lunch and headed down.