Hi there!
The weather was clear, so we headed to the Knik river to
hike around Reflections Lake. I wanted
to get some photos of the mountains in all their pink glory when the low winter
sun rises/sets on them. Since it was below
zero degrees, I put on all my snow gear and Fly immediately knew it was
adventure time, even before I was finished getting ready!
Reflections Lake, as I mentioned, is right next to the Knik
river and just off the highway. This
area used to be pretty seedy and littered with abandoned rusty cars that
drunken people would use as target practice.
Not the ideal destination.
However, it got a major facelift and is now quite popular with families,
boaters, and dog walkers. In the summer,
the lake offers a marvelous reflection of the trees and mountain, thus its
name.
There is a very nice groomed trail that is supposedly
wheelchair accessible (the wheelchair routes look just as manageable as the
main trail) and it’s pretty flat going, with the exception of two hills on
opposite sides of the lake. The trail
makes a loop around a decent sized lake that holds fish and waterfowl. There is a pavilion for picnics and a boat
landing/swimming beach with a bunch of little lifejackets provided by the
awesome Kids Don't Float program. Stay safe, swimmers!
No worries of drowning during this trip, because the lake
was frozen. We wandered out on it to
check out some suspicious dirt clumps and take photos of Pioneer Peak. Oh, my “good camera” batteries weren’t
charged, so I had to resort to my phone for all of this hike’s photos. Sad.
About halfway around the 1ish mile trail there is a large
observation tower. It’s a good way to
get in all your flights of stairs for the day and the 360* view from the top is
a nice reward. Be sure to look down and
try to spot a moose, since this is part of the Palmer Hay Flats State Game
Refuge and a popular browsing hangout for moose.
When the trail meets (or leaves, depending on your
direction) the Knik river, there is a little post with directions to an
additional bit of trail: like a trail spur.
In the summer, this trail looks like you might be headed to your imminent
murder, but in the winter it looks more inviting.
We decided to risk it and I’m glad we did! It’s just a ½ mile out and back trail that
leads to the merging of the Knik and Matanuska rivers. The destination isn’t spectacular, it just
looks like a river bar with giant tree trunks scattered here and there, like a
tree junkyard.
However, I’m guessing it is also less traveled (because of
the creepy entrance), so if you find yourself walking around the lake with a
ton of other trail visitors, take this diversion for a short reprieve from the
crowds. It is a nice extension to an
already easy trail and the journey is pretty and filled with moose and rabbit
tracks (in the winter, anyway).
There are trail markers, but we found the trail easily:
maybe it isn’t as simple in the summer.
Back on the main trail, the path follows along the Knik
riverbank for some nice views and then curves with the lake away from the
river. The path becomes a boardwalk for
the last bit of the trail, which is rather fun to traverse, though the highway
noise is more noticeable here.
With that, Fly and I have completed our second hike of the
challenge! I really enjoy this trail for
its simplicity and family friendly atmosphere.
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