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| Hiking | 8.04 Miles |
1,273 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.04 Miles | 2 Hrs 48 Mns | | 2.91 mph |
| 1,273 ft AEG | 2 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Was in Prescott anyway, so decided to find a new trail. Forecast was for 90+ temperatures in Prescott, so I didn't want anything too strenuous. Decided to try the Goldwater Lakes Trail #396. I parked right next to the trailhead. But I saw lots of cars in a lot just below where I parked and figured that must be the right place. Wrong. Luckily Route Scout knew where the trail was and after my initial bad start I saw the right trail and got going. There was an ominous waring sign about this being a multi-use trail and basically hikers can get injured by fast moving mountain bikers. Turned out not to be that bad. Maybe the heat kept most bikers away. For the most part I hardly saw anyone on the trail.
The trail is a nice dirt single track that winds through the forest. One mile in the trail reaches a ridge with nice view of Granite Mountain where there is a memorial to the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Continuing on the tall pine trees provided nice shade and there was a breeze that kept it very comfortable. Looking through the trees I caught a glimpse of the Lower Goldwater Lake. Soon after that there was a spur trail heading steeply down toward the water. It was very peaceful and serene at the waters edge. I could see a small group of people fishing across the lake, but otherwise it was deserted. Initially I was thinking of heading back up to trail #396, but the lake was so pretty and I decided to follow the trail that runs along the shoreline. That trail went around Lower Goldwater Lake and then up to Upper Goldwater Lake.
Upper Goldwater Lake had lots of people on kayaks and paddleboards. On the other side of the lake from where I was it looked like there was a place to rent kayaks. I followed the shoreline of the Upper lake until I reached a trail that headed back toward #396. It was a little confusing as there were lots of trails. I thought #396 would be obvious, but ended up crossing it and going past. Route Scout saved me again and soon I was heading back to the start as I intended. It took longer than I expected to get back to the point where I had initially left the main trail. I guess I didn't realize how far along the lake shores I had hiked.
I enjoyed this trail a lot. It was easy to walk on. Mostly just hard dirt. Not rocky. Not too steep. Lots of pretty forest to walk through. Perfect short hike if you don't have all day. |
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