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Trip Report    

Day Hike - May Valley Loop (Squak Mountain)

6 Mountaineers hiked the May Valley Short Loop (4.6mi, 930ft of elevation gain). This was a mentored hike that began at 8:00am on 2/14/26.

Lucy Pick Lucy Pick
February 14, 2026
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • The trail was in good condition and not as muddy as anticipated. There were several blowdowns, but nothing that couldn't be stepped over.There was one small "water crossing" that was easy to step over. 

Our group of six Mountaineers arrived at the May Valley Loop trailhead at 7:45am. There were maybe 4 other cars in the lot when we arrived, but the lot was much more full when we finished around 11:00am. We took the loop clockwise, starting on the May Valley Loop to Squak Mountain Rd to Phil's Connector and back on the Equestrian Trail (no horses seen today!). 

AllTrails says the loop is 4.3mi, but both my watch and another hiker's said it was closer to 5 miles roundtrip. We did both get 930ft of elevation gain, almost all of which is done one the first half of the trail. We went at a slower, social pace of around 1.8mph and it took us about 2 hours and 50 minutes to complete. We started early enough that we didn't see many people on the trail until we hit the halfway point. 

It's mid-February, but it certainly felt like early Spring on the trail. We could see leaves on some of the trees already and some were already flowering. We didn't see much wildlife aside from a woodpecker and some squirrels. There are still some mushrooms out, but not as much as in Fall. Despite yesterday's rain, the trail wasn't very muddy aside from a few small areas. 

Overall it was a nice hike and a good morning to be out!