Mileage on Wyeth to North Lake

[payslee]

Hi all,

I love hiking to North Lake, and on several occassions I've gone up there with my GPS carrying friends. Every time, they show the RT distance at about 13.6. This also correlates with the amount of time it takes me to get there, since my pace is pretty consistent.

But the field guide and every hiking book I've seen puts the RT distance at 11 miles. I always assumed this was a relict of before they put all those giant switchbacks in (you can still see the old tread in places).

I know there are lots of GPS afficionados out there. What distances are you getting for your tracks? And if the field guide really is wrong, can we update it?

-payslee

[drm]

I always thought it was 12 mi RT until I saw the Greentrails map said more like 11. And I don't use the trailhead, which requires going up and over and around the campground. I take the road just before and walk up it and catch the trail at the edge of the meadow, just in the trees.

My GPS is not very reliable for mileage but I don't think it is more than 12 mi RT.

[VanMarmot]

I've always thought the difference in printed vs. GPS mileage was due to newer additional switchbacks not being factored into some of the old guidebooks (some of which morph into "new" guidebooks). The Lowe's guides for this trail from the 70s & 80s show very few, small switchbacks - which were then considered an "improvement" over the old Harphan Creek trail which was pretty much straight up in places - and only 5.5 mi one way from the TH to North Lake. In the early and mid 90s, longer switchbacks were added thru the straight sections, which made the hike a little longer but less "character building."

[Don Nelsen]

I show 12.8 miles RT from the parking area near the rest rooms to the lake outflow area. I've hiked this with my GPS three or four times and the results are the same.

dn

[payslee]

That makes sense Don. We usually spend some time wandering around while we're up there, which would bump up our mileage a little compared to the outlet point.

Thanks everybody - I'll put in a request to update the field guide from 11 to 12.8 miles.

-payslee

[Don Nelsen]

That makes sense Don. We usually spend some time wandering around while we're up there, which would bump up our mileage a little compared to the outlet point.

Thanks everybody - I'll put in a request to update the field guide from 11 to 12.8 miles.

-payslee

Wyeth can be confusing with so many different spots to start. My 12.8 R/t figure is from the restroom, so is a good average I suppose. Of course, if you park in the lot at the end of the road and head south on the trail, you end up going for a longer hike, even though you drove as far into the area as you can. In the winter , when the gate is closed, you could end up hiking as much as 13.6 R/t if you walked up the road to the parking area and headed south and then took the switchback to the left at the bridge. Here's a map of the area.

From the gate, hiking up the road (Blue, then taking the trail south (red), then intersecting the main trail (green) you end up with 13.6 miles RT. If you start at the upper parking area, take the red line and then the green, you get 13.2 R/t.

If you start at the rest room and take either the direct route up the ridge to intersect the trail (the green line), or, take the solid red line you get 12.8 R/t (the solid red line goes directly through a campsite and is the original trail before that campsite was there). Both are really not the "official" trail, though, but folks who know the area take these routes. On the map, you can see how many extra switchbacks were made when the trail was realigned. No wonder some sources are so short on mileage!

[payslee]

I totally forgot about the campground. Yes, the last *two* times I was up there the campground was gated and we hiked in from the frontage road. Didn't occur to me that my friend was GPSing that part. I was starting to wonder how we'd gotten that much *over* the 12.8 figure unless we'd wandered through some kind of vortex

-payslee