Ancient Lakes — Friday, Apr. 25, 2025

I backpacked through this area with a large group of scouts and adult leaders. We got to the Dusty Lake trailhead late on Friday night, made the short but steep hike down to Dusty in the dark, and camped there. The next morning, we backpacked over to the Ancient Lakes area and camped in the field between the three lakes.

In general, trails were in good condition and easy to follow. That said, the route from Dusty Lake to Ancient Lakes marked on most maps (the one that stays in the valley and hugs the shoreline rather than than climbing up onto the plateau and back down) started as essentially just a mile-long scramble over shale and larger loose rocks. The more agile folks in our group cruised through it, but it was rough on those less sure footed.

Lots of wildflowers blooming, especially near the lakes.

We also saw 6 or 7 different rattlesnakes throughout the weekend. If you’re heading out there, be sure to be extra aware of your surroundings.