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CHS 1 Hike - Lily & Lizard Lakes

Loop hike through Lily & Lizard Lakes and including North Butte.

Sonu Aggarwal Sonu Aggarwal
May 12, 2018
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • The standard loop trail was in good shape all the way through.    The spur trail to North Butte (North of Lily Lake) can be hard to follow - if doing that extension (which I highly recommend), would recommend sticking to the North Butte spur as mapped, vs. exploring off-trail.   Bugs at trailhead (Upper Blanchard Parking Lot) but not on the trail itself.

Got to the Blanchard Mountain Trail Upper Parking lot with a group of 10 enthusiastic CHS participants at 8am on a Friday morning - the large lot was wide open at that time.    (Note - Google Maps can be tricky for the trailhead - look for directions for the Blanchard Mountain Trail Upper Parking Lot specifically.)   

Beautiful forest hike on a cool, cloudy-to-partly sunny day.   Did the standard Lily & Lizard Lakes Loop, with an extension to North Butte.   Would highly recommend the North Butte extension and doing lunch at North Butte, which has great views out over the water and a nice large ledge area suitable for a group lunch spot.   

(Note: the spur trail to North Butte is accurately marked on maps (under a half-mile round-trip, just N of Lily Lake).   While a decent trail, would recommend sticking to the North Butte spur as mapped, as it can be easy to get off trail in that section. )   

After an extended snack break at North Butte, returned via Lizard Lake (another good option for a break) and then down the delightful east side of the loop.    Back at the cars by 2pm.

Good camaraderie made for a fun day for all.