We were pleasantly surprised how the wild flowers are still so abundant and wonderfully blooming (thank you lousy July!).
A friend and I did a day hike to Grand Lake. At 9am we departed from Obstruction Point staging area and followed the Grand Pass Trail. Temps were already warm in the sun, slight chill in the shade (very bearable in shorts and t-shirt).
Descent to Grand Lake was uneventful (that is, no "uhhh oh's!"). Wildflowers were plentiful right off the get go, and remained in abundance throughout the entire hike. We stopped for a quick lunch break along the lake shore. Bugs were a minor nuisance (flies/mosquitoes).
After lunch we followed the Badger Valley Trail back to the staging area. The meadows were incredible. Many flowers and grasses. No blueberries yet (tiny greenies showing up). We saw no wildlife other than a large grouse.
I'd rate the hike moderate, the climb out can be a little grueling, no matter which route you take. For those that use GAIA mapping -- the default Gaia overlay doesn't accurately show various feeder streams along the Badger Valley Trail route. I suggest using the US Topo overlay if you're after water replenishing spots. [hrm, possibly my fault, I think the downloaded map I have on my phone during the hike might be a couple years old.. -- I did have a paper topo map too]
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