Eklutna Lake

Hi there!

Fly, TheMother, and I managed to squeeze in one more hike while it was still full on winter here.  Before our hike, it had snowed for two days straight, so we knew there would be a lot of fresh snow; it was the perfect time to strap on some snowshoes and practice using trekking poles.  People have been telling me how great poles are, so I reluctantly decided I’d try them, even though all previous attempts have resulted in me just packing them, because I don’t like holding onto things as I hike.

There are some seriously beautiful photos of Eklutna Lake out there on the internet and I’ve never visited during the winter, so it was an easy decision as to where our destination should be for the day.  The large, curvaceous, glacier-melt fed lake is located close to the city, it’s actually the city’s water source, and is a popular destination for day-trippers and campers, as well as families with young children and seasoned adventure seekers.  We were going mid-week and in the morning, so it wasn’t a surprise when we found a practically empty, unplowed, parking lot.  There were two other vehicles; one covered with a foot and a half of the newly fallen snow, so TheMother and I guessed they had spent the night at the cabins on the lake.

Our destination was the first cabin, three miles around the edge of the lake.  The snow on the lake was deep: very deep, even with snowshoes.  We saw some open water in places, so we returned to the bank and walked along the trail: the trail’s snow had been packed down by a snowmachine, but we were still walking in the new snow on top of the old tracks.  There were two skiers in front of us, but they turned around before the 1-mile marker, so we broke trail on our own.

After the first mile or so, the ATV trail curved into the snow-laden woods and we lost sight of the lovely lake.  I never knew how much I rely on the scenery for my hike to be enjoyable, but after trudging through the woods for a time, all those trees became rather monotonous.  We enjoyed watching the snow falling off the trees, except for when the snow fell onto our heads and down our backs – that was less enjoyable.

We passed a family hauling sleds full of gear and little kids who were clearly heading back to the trailhead.  They had spent the weekend at the first cabin; as we passed the mother, who was pulling a sled and pushing a fat tire bike, and she exclaimed: “It snowed the entire time!”  Poor folks, it seems like they were having more of an adventure than they’d bargained for.  We crossed a bridge and rounded several bends and then, to our immense joy, the turn off for the cabin appeared. 

It was a cute little cabin, complete with picnic bench and modern outhouse, tucked back into the woods and had great views of the lake.  The building was still warm when we entered, though the family had put out the fire that was in the wood stove.  We shucked off our cold wet outerwear and I retrieved my little stove and pot from my pack and boiled water for our hot cocoa and homemade freeze-dried lunch.  It was nice to be able to sit down, especially somewhere warm and not snowy, but we didn’t linger too long because we still had a return trek to think about.

The "why did you go to the outhouse without me" face.

This snow dog would rather be outside where it is cool.

She knows we are gearing up to leave.

Once we regained the road, choosing to not take the scenic pedestrian trail because it was really snowy, we found the ‘mile 3’ marker and had to take a photo of our triumph.  The return journey was uneventful, though a dog sled had passed on the trail while we were at the cabin, and we had to step off the trail to let a snowmachine pass at one point and three fat tire bikers pass at another.  Snowmachiners were cruising out on the lake too, so the afternoon traffic picked up and we weren’t able to hike along in peaceful silence, like we had during the morning. 

Fly and I will absolutely be returning to Eklutna Lake this summer, because I want to ride my bike all the way to the end of the trail and spend the night there.  Also, there are some other great mountain hikes to be done in the area, including Twin Peaks trail.  Overall, it was a nice, albeit tough in the deep snow, 6-mile hike.  Oh, and the verdict is still out on those trekking poles: I used them with fidelity, but didn’t notice any benefit.

She was as ready to be done as I was; she hopped into the back of the truck without even being asked.