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Audrey Brockman

Great hike with a beautiful finish. Start early so you can enjoy the beach and catch a nap. The only disappointment is that the trail is very high traffic; mostly with people who have never heard of "leave no trace". We picked up and packed out almost 15lbs of garbage. Shoes, socks, sandwich bags, underwear,food waste, and more. Bring a glove, bring a bag, and help keep this trail and beach beautiful!

This is an incredible place. I started at the Hobo Gulch trailhead which made the loop 39.5 miles if you're looking for a longer trip. The track up to the falls was a little intimidating with my full pack on...until an Airedale puppy bounded past me with a backpack on...that made me want to be a little braver haha. Season depending watch out for rattlesnakes-they are present especially near water sources. The lake is insane and large enough to have a private space. Don't think about it just go on this trip!

I did this trip a few years ago. Great views, nice and challenging hike up the mountain to get there. The best part is at the trail head, which is overrun by tourists, but you get to pass right by them and go exploring. Remember to get your backcountry permits!

I just did this hike today- it was beautiful. We took bear gulch to high Peaks trail. The views were incredible. The hike itself was moderate and occasionally strenuous. Some areas along this hike require you to stoop,bend,twist, and or climb a bit so be prepared. We arrived at the park at 0830 and people were already filling in. By the time we left (13:30 ) there was a line of cars trying to get in, and the park rangers were controlling the flow of traffic. This is Easter weekend though but I'm sure in peak season this is frequently the case. The only area of true congestion that we experienced was around the top of the Peak. There were lots of large, loud, obnoxious groups but the rest of the hike was moderately private. Animal life was great! Some lizards scuffled around but the Condors were incredible! They are massive and great to watch. This hike is worth the drive,worth the weekend crowd, and worth waking up early for. Total time for our hike with a group of four on this loop with stopping and exploring and taking photos was 4HR25min