Pratt River Trail — Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022

I had meant to do this last weekend, but the smoke was too nasty. Today, the air seemed good, so I went for it!

I started from the Pratt River bar, forded the river, and went all the way to Pratt Lake, for a 20 mile out and back. I didn't see a soul the entire time, until I was back at the river where I saw a couple going for a stroll.

To ford the river, I brought some flip flops to avoid getting my shoes wet at the very start, and I then stashed them on the other side. The crossing was easy enough, as the water level is fairly low. It helped to have poles for balance. On the way back, I picked up the flip flops and went in with my shoes, since at that point I didn't care about getting wet!

Generally, given that it's an abandoned trail, I thought it was in pretty decent condition. There are a ton of downed trees across the path, but most just require stepping over. There are a few that a bit more painful and will slow you down, but nothing really hard.

Drinking water is easy to find on this trail, except in the switchbacks at the end (but then there is the lake).

In terms of navigation, there are a few areas where the trail essentially disappears as you go over a stream or a rocky area, and it's not always straightforward to find the trail on the other side. But with a good track (I used my watch) and basic navigation skills, you should be fine.

The trail has a very gentle grade most of the way (since it used to be a railroad), until you reach the switchbacks in the last couple miles, which are steeper (but still not crazy steep).

The small side trip near the beginning on the Big Trees trail is not that interesting, and is in my opinion skippable.

You don't need a hat or sunscreen for this hike, as it's under tree cover almost the entire time, until you reach the lake.

Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/7974930079