Hike GPS data for Google Earth viewing
Per Garmin, 4.11 miles/464 vertical feet.
Coal Creek Falls: A barely audible trickle; nothing to see here. Give it a week of rain before expecting to see much.
Parking: Very full Sky Country lot at 10:30 AM on a sunny Sunday, but still spots left; port-a-potty onsite.
Trail: Dry and covered with leaves. So, no water issues, but unstable rocks hiding under the leaf litter poses an ankle turning risk. There is still a tree down across Klondike Swamp trail, but you can just step over it.
Wildlife: Frogs, birds, mushrooms.
Caution: Blind corners and drivers disregarding traffic directionality create Sky Country parking lot hazards. Every stretch of the figure-8-shaped lot is a one-way (see the attached picture). Directionality is indicated with traffic signs and pavement arrows. However, people frequently drive against the one-ways. We’ve all disregarded parking lot traffic signs, but the lot has blind corners that are only safe when directionality is followed. I have seen people charging excitedly into the parking lot and around blind corners with the confidence they have the right-of-way to the whole lane. I have also seen people in a hurry to get home drive furiously around the same blind corners the wrong way. At some point, people will collide. So, do not be one of those people; recognize that, once you are in the parking lot, Mad Max rules apply and drive cautiously around every corner assuming someone could be hurtling against the one-way toward you.
Comments