Hiking: Takhlakh Lake & Takh Takh Meadow

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  • čas přidán 13. 09. 2018
  • Beautiful mountain views, a sparkling lake, and lava formations. What's not to love? To find out more, including a trail map and description, visit us at our website, nw-quest.com/
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    Here's one for the kids. The trail is short, but it offers a great lesson in the volcanic history of the region. It explores the shore of Takhlakh Lake and climbs into a small band of basalt lava that flowed from Mount Adams thousands of years ago.
    From the campground on the southwestern side of the lake, head east along the lakeshore trail, enjoying the cool forest and blue waters as you walk. At the southeast corner of the lake, the trail splits. The forest pierced by the trail boasts a bounty of huckleberry bushes (the fruit typically ripens here in mid-August), and you'll pass several small glades carpeted with shimmering green leaves of vanilla leaf plants.
    At the junction, turn right and climb a short 0.5 mile south through the forest before curving eastward and edging up into a band of black basalt lava. This rock is jagged and tends to get quite hot during the sunny days of summer, so make sure the kids are warned to be careful - you might even consider having them wear gloves if they want to handle the volcanic rock and scramble on the mounds of lava.
    The trail loops through the end of the lava field and curves back down to the trail junction at the lakeshore, about 2 miles from the start. You can now either hike the 0.5 mile back to the trailhead on the trail you came in on, or you can turn right and follow the other side of the lake and hike a mile, looping all the way around the lake to return to your car after a 3-mile walk.
    User Note: The Takhlakh Loop portion of the trail is considered barrier-free but presents a challenge to many wheelchair users due to its dirt surface and a few steep pitches around the back part of the loop, one of which reaches 15 percent. Check with the Forest Service for current surface conditions.

Komentáře • 1

  • @NatureShy
    @NatureShy Před 5 lety

    Great guide and beautiful photos! Love what you're doing; very great looking website, too.
    There's one thing that's sort of "wrong" in this guide, though. I may just be being finicky about technicalities, but the trail up the lava bed, that you mentioned looks “straight up,” is the real (official) Takh Takh Meadows Trail, not the other.
    The trail that hugs the road and meadow (that you also showed in the video at 0:54) is not the official trail, but a use trail. It's gotten to the point that many people mistake it for the official trail. (It is the one that has those huge boulders that you need to step over just past the junction.)
    The true trail goes up and over the lava flow in a series of switchbacks, goes to a viewpoint/overlook, and then makes its way back down, re-joining the other use trails at Takh Takh Meadow, and then crosses the road. Many old maps confirm this, as well as the USFS page for the trail.
    A good, alternate loop option would be to use both the official trail up and over the lava, and the loop back around with the use trail that skirts the edge of the lava. Would make a shorter loop option, and arguably more scenic, too, considering the trail on the other side of the road is just forested with no views.
    (Posted this to your site, but not sure if it got through.)