We've been to the Coldwater Lake area a few times, but were never able to complete the loop due to snow or heavy stream flow. This time we succeeded in completing the entire loop hike!
We started out at the Coldwater Ridge TH, as we decided to go in the CCW direction, for no real reason.
We later found out that this got the tough part of the loop (elevation gain/loss) completed early. However, the elevation gain/loss on this trail really isn't bad.
We found quite a few piles of what looked like bear scat all along the trail. Were we following a trail, or was the bear leading us to it's favorite dinner spot?
We climbed the ridge very quickly, and immediately got excellent views looking south of the ridge,
and north towards Coldwater Lake!
Stopping to take a quick picture of the old surviving logging equipment from the 1980 eruption,
we continued on up the ridge and admired the ever more picturesque Mt. Margaret Backcountry!
Being a Friday, we saw only a few groups of people the entire day
, but everyone we met was very nice and talkative.
We soon reached the intersection that led to the Boundary Trail, but only stopped to log its location.
From this point on the trail descended all the way to the bridge crossing the creek. There were many switchbacks leading down to the bridge, and still plenty of flowers for those that need that extra splash of color!
Just note that the switchbacks had plenty of tall grasses and tripping hazards.
And after about 5 miles of hiking, we finally reached the Awesome bridge crossing the creek!
The creek is just as beautiful!
Just past the bridge is another intersection that leads to the Mt. Whittier trail. This will be saved for another day!
The trail on the north side of Coldwater Lake offers some of the most spectacular views, and I just couldn't include all of them. Here is a taste of just a few.
There were also a dozen or more stream crossings that were all very easy. There is a large stream that is normally difficult to cross, but it was completely dry! Sorry, but there isn't any more room for the picture. For those interested, I should also mention that there is a bit of exposure on the north side trail, and wouldn't recommend it for young children.
We connected the Coldwater Lake TH to the Coldwater Ridge TH by walking on the road. There didn't seem to be any other way to connect!
The road walk is about 1-1/2 miles long.
I can't recommend this hike enough, but remember that seasonal conditions can make circumnavigating the lake much more challenging.
The hike was 11.9 miles with an elevation gain of about 2000ft.
Here's a few pictures to look over.
to the region after the eruption.