Soda Peaks Lake Trail

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Difficulty: Hard

Tier: 1

Secluded and quiet. This hike is immersed in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest and completely draws you in to the deep forest, with moments where you can see out to more tree-covered mountains. The hike starts with about a mile and half of meandering before it gets to a fairly steep incline for the remainder of the hike. When we were there, there were many fallen trees covering the trail that we had to climb over, under, and around. The last quarter-mile or so was also covered with packed snow. The hike ends by a lake, enclosed by the mountain on all sides. It was pretty chilly at the top, but wonderfully peaceful.

A note on the drive there: You get to cross the Bridge of the Gods, which is absolutely beautiful, but it is a $2 fee each way. We also were on a rough-ish road for only about a half mile before it opened up to a parking lot at the trail head. We had to pay a $5 fee for doing the hike and put a tag in our windshield. There’s also a “bathroom” at the trailhead, but it was closed because of coronavirus when we were there.

And lastly, this was the hike where I slipped on the log crossing the river. I had a gorgeous black eye for weeks. So, be careful on slick surfaces!