Lime Kiln Trail

The day started in the parking lot for Lake 22, but when we saw about 6 or 7 cars there we decided to head over to Heather Lake. This turned out to be a great idea since we were the first car in the lot at about 9:30. The hike was great, although if you like to keep your boots clean on the trail, you might want to consider a different hike, this one was muddy! There was still a little snow hanging around on the sides of the trail and at the base of the cliffs, which we couldn't see too far up because of the clouds. On the way down we saw 6 or 7 other groups on their way up. The dogs loved the mud, the lake and the little waterfall on the way up. Overall, this was a great hike, just long enough to feel like you got some exercise, but not so long that you are tired for the rest of the day.

This was a hard 5 miles but well worth it. There is a about a 700 ft climb overall. I started at the parking lot in Sunny 80 degee weather and hit the snowline at the top. This was in early may. The snow was patchy but deep in spots. The lake and surrounding moutains are well worth it. I could hear avalanches on the cliffs so I stayed a repectful distance from that side of the lake. There were a lot of bear tracks so keep you eyes open and make some noise, as you do not want to surprise one. Take this hike you will not forget it.

I really enjoyed this trail. It got my heart rate up and there were some small waterfalls we passed by on the trail. The trail was not very well maintained but everything was easy to climb over or go under and I didn't expect it to be since we were hitting it early in the year. We only ventured off the trail once accidentally. It was easy to find. We went all the way to Heather Lake and it was absolutely gorgeous! There was a lot of snow at the end of the trail and we watched avalanches fall from the mountains surrounding the lake. The reflection of the mountains on the lake was spectacular too. It is one of my favorite trails but I've only been on a few.