Lake Margaret
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
3 reviews for Lake Margaret
5 miles round trip - hike done in mid July
Lake Margaret is a small pretty lake and the hike itself is lovely if you dose yerself with mosquito repellant before you take off. I didn't. The small parking area was already full when I arrived and I could see a large group of 9 year olds getting ready to hit the trail, so I just bolted on, trusting in the newfangled repellant button I had recently purchased.
Note on repellant buttons: Don't bother, they don't work.
So I spent 90% of my time going in slapping at monster mosquitoes that were determined to drain every drop of blood out of my body. The other 10% was spent admiring the wildflowers, which were beautiful.
I was surprised when I arrived at the lake to see that it is smallish. A jewel for sure, but there were only 2 good spots for lake entry and one of them was already taken, so I sloshed my way over to the other large granite outcropping. The water looks almost black, but it's clean and refreshing. However, after 20 minutes the afore mentioned 9 year olds arrived and completely invaded my little bit of paradise. Not really their fault as there was no other open territory on the lake. And I felt a lot better after one of the babe-like dads offered up some Deet and explained that it was an outing for inner city kids so that hopefully they will appreciate nature - a very good cause.
I hiked back with that glow one gets after encountering Very Cute Men. Even tho it was uphill, it seemed fairly easy and scenic. I'm going to say not a lot of shade, but not really sure on this as day wasn't too hot.
Good things about hike:
Easy hike
Pretty lake
Good swimming
Wildflowers
Scenic
Decent trail
Bad things:
Mosquitoes
Too popular
Limited swim access
Downhill first hike
Lake Margaret is so beautiful and serene. It is the perfect setting after a 2.4 mile hike. The lake is calm and soothing; it makes you want to sit there for hours. Great for swimming.
The hike, however, was harder than expected. My hiking book said it was "easy" but I found it to be at least "moderate" - hiking uphill and downhill through rocks and granite, over fallen trees, and across logs over streams. In the steep rocky parts the trail was not that easily defined. Lucky for everyone, someone (maybe some Boy Scouts?) marked the trail with rock art to make it easier to follow.
Bug repellent is a MUST!
Warning: Hiking with a baby on your back can get hard towards the end of the hike when you're approaching the lake. You're literally rock climbing. If you have a stroller, there's no way it can make it all the way to the lake.
The end result - Lake Margaret - is sooooo worth the trek.
I agree with Lil, this is a fun hike with a great reward. The trail is a little hard to see in places so stay alert. We tried the "dryer sheet" skeeter repellent trick- IT DOES NOT WORK! If it is later summer, go for a swim!